Eight people have been rescued from blizzards and extreme winds on the summit of Tasmania’s kunanyi/Mt Wellington on Saturday night, as winds, rain and below-average temperatures moved across Australia’s eastern states over the weekend.
Six people became trapped in intensifying winds and snow on Mt Wellington’s summit, which overlooks Tasmania’s capital city, Hobart, just after midday on Saturday. The group took shelter in the summit’s toilet block.
Later in the evening,a 27-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl, called for help after becoming disoriented on the mountain and sheltering behind rocks. They were taken to hospital with hypothermia.
In a press conference on Sunday, a spokesperson for Tasmania Police said the women were lucky to have been found in time.
“To be honest, these two ladies were very, very lucky to be alive. They were very dangerous conditions. Talking to the search control this morning I understand that the weather chill factor up on the mountain last night was around -6 degrees. Both of these ladies were lucky they were found in a timely manner by the rescuers,” the spokesperson said.
A search party had been sent out on Sunday afternoon to find another woman missing on Mt Wellington in the vicinity of the summit. The woman had made contact by phone, but the search had been hampered by wintry conditions.
“It is probably a timely reminder that last week we spoke about the fact that people need to be really careful before they head into the wilderness this weekend,” the Tasmania police spokesperson said.
“We certainly don’t want to discourage people from going out into the outdoors spending time in the outdoors, but we do need people to avoid taking unnecessary risks. If you are not experienced in this environment, you should consider the need to go out in it. If you do decide to go bushwalking in the snow, please make sure that you are probably prepared. The risks of something occurring are quite real.”
Meanwhile, a 54-year-old woman was killed and a man seriously injured after being struck by a falling tree in the Tasmanian town of Beulah on Saturday evening.
Police and emergency services were called to the scene in the small town on the north-west coast at about 5pm on Saturday, after reports two people had been trapped under a fallen tree.
Tasmania police said both people were treated at the scene but the woman did not survive her injuries. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
A 54-year-old man was taken to Launceston general hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police warned the public to stay indoors and avoid travelling on the roads during the wild weather, with powerlines down in the area.
Below average temperatures have hit much of eastern Australia, with snow falling as low as 400 metres in some areas and frosts hitting parts of usually mild north Queensland ahead of the Queen’s Birthday holiday.
In Tasmania, the Bureau of Meteorology has reported showers about the western, southern and central areas, with possible small hail.
Snow fell to 400 metres above sea level in the morning, and is expected to rise to 900 metres by the end of the weekend. The strong and gusty southwesterly winds battering the state should ease on Sunday evening.
Snow will continue to fall to 900 metres in Tasmania through Monday morning, with widespread morning frost and fine days elsewhere in the state.
In Victoria, the cold weather is expected to persist as the high pressure system moves eastward, passing through the state on Monday and becoming established over New South Wales on Tuesday.
Scattered showers will ease in Victoria later on Sunday with snow falling to 1,200 metres across Gippsland on Sunday evening. The gusty west to southwesterly winds will ease during the afternoon, leading to a cold and partly cloudy Monday holiday, with a few isolated morning showers on the coast and in the Yarra Ranges.
The cold front is set to head into NSW and the ACT later in the week, with mostly fine days but below average daytime temperatures across the state, along with gusty and strong west and southwesterly winds in the ranges and the south-east.
Hazardous surf conditions will continue into Monday and Tuesday, with showers developing.
Below average temperatures are also hitting Queensland, with frost in inland parts of southern and central parts of the state, and temperatures in some areas dropping below zero. Low temperatures and the risk of morning frost will continue into the coming week.
The low temperatures might not have been great for crops, but they have been good for skiers and snowboarders, giving some resorts the best opening to a season in more than 20 years.
At Australia’s largest ski resort, Perisher in NSW, nearly a metre of snow – half of what would be needed for a good season – prompted a limited early opening.
At Thredbo, snowfalls have totalled 125cm, with ski lifts operating since Saturday, and locals saying it’s the best opening weekend the resort has seen for two decades.
The story is similar farther south, with Mt Buller (average snow depth 78cm), Mt Hotham (91cm) and Falls Creek (92cm) resorts also up and running, and snow forecast for most days during the coming week.
For a record-breaking ski season, the snow depth would need to exceed 3.5 metres between mid-June and October, as it did in 1981, according to Snowy Hydro records that date back to the 1950s.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
