Qld towns revel in snow from wintry blast

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Adam Blazak said the wintry conditions were pleasantly surprising, given snow was infrequent in Queensland.

White powder blanketed Stanthorpe, Applethorpe and Eukey between 1am and 4am, sending residents scurrying outside in pyjamas to see the falls of up to 8cm.

Michael Hilton, a resident of the Queensland town of Stanthorpe, said the scene was “just like a winter wonderland”.

In fact, snow is so rare in Australia that its national weather agency doesn’t even have the tools to measure snowfall.

“To look out our back door, our outdoor tables are totally covered, the ground is totally covered, the chook yard’s totally covered, the pizza oven’s covered, the top of the shed’s covered and there’s just a total blanket of snow”.

The southern state felt the chill but didn’t experience temperatures below winter averages, although the ski fields of Mount Hotham and Falls Creek received a 2cm top up. According to records, it hasn’t snowed in Australia since the mid 80s. While snow generally fell in the region every couple of years, this year’s coating was a memorable one, he said.

He says there’s only a slight chance of more snow on Friday morning, with the cold air mass that produced the falls moving towards the coast.

The spokesman said there was no snow predicted for the rest of the week in NSW.

Locals and tourists were determined not to miss the rare event.

Candice Sires travelled from Dalby to get a glimpse. I’ve never ever, ever seen anything like this in my life.