Snow a blow ... but not for Ellie

THE white blanket was starting to thaw at The Springs on Mt Wellington by the afternoon but Ellie Kelleher, 6, pictured, still managed to cobble together a snowball.

There was no such luck for hiker Olivia Carr, inset, after the wintry blast that hit the state dumped so much snow she had to cancel her walk of the Overland Track.

Forecasters say the freeze will stick around all week.

PARTS of Tasmania have been turned white by a blanketing of spring snow, and forecasters say more is on the way.

A cold snap brought freezing temperatures across the state, with the mercury atop Hobart’s Mt Wellington dropping to a year low of -6.4C.

Snow fell as low as 100 metres in central, far southern and western areas.

The snow line is expected to rise to about 1000 metres tomorrow but drop back to 200 metres on Friday as more icy weather hits.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Tim Bolden said windy September cold fronts were the norm but snow at those levels was not common.

“We do see it occasionally,” Mr Bolden said. “But at 200 metres, you wouldn’t expect that every year.”

Cradle Mountain National Park was closed to visitors yesterday as a heavy dump of snow made the wilderness beautiful but challenging for those travelling by vehicle and on foot.

Snow depths reached about 20 centimetres near the visitor centre, 50cm at higher levels in the park and 60cm in drifts.

Bushwalker Olivia Carr, who was planning to start the Overland Track on Monday, woke up to a large amount of snow instead.

“The snow was up to our calves [yesterday] but they [park rangers] said it would be up to our chest or head in some places on the Overland,” Ms Carr said. “Considering that info, we decided that we valued our lives and would cancel the hike.

“We booked a bus back to Launceston for [today] but it looks like there’s a 99 per cent chance that it won’t run because of the snow. All of the roads were closed [yesterday] except the one to Burnie.”

The Parks and Wildlife Service said with snowfalls forecast to continue for more than the next 24 hours, potential visitors should check the Tasmania Police Community Alerts page for the latest road conditions before deciding to head up to Cradle Mountain.

The conditions proved inspiring for a group of budding photographers who were in the park to take snaps under the guidance of photographer Cam Blake.

The group got out of the park by 4WD yesterday afternoon after spending a night in what Mr Blake described as a “winter wonderland.”

“The snow was 35-40cm deep when we left. I understand it was the biggest snowfall of the year,” Mr Blake said as he returned his guests to Launceston.

“Conditions were getting a bit full on but it was ideal for us.

“There were a few people stuck up there who would have to stay over but they would be accommodated.

“It was raining on Sunday night but I was confident we would get snow, and on Monday we did, and more today.

“You could not ask for a better promotion for Tasmania. It certainly turned on a show.”

There were also strong falls in the Huon Valley, at Waratah and Queenstown on the West Coast, on Ben Lomond, the Sheffield area and across the Central Highlands.

Freezing temperatures also were recorded at Liawenee, where it was -5.1C at 5.30am and at Queenstown where it plummeted to -4.8C.

At Hampshire, forestry truck drivers needed to leave their vehicles to travel out of the area and there were also reports of stranded vehicles between the Yolande bridge and the Anthony Link Rd turn-off.

TasRail drivers also had to work in tough conditions, with heavy snow on the line as the ore train wound its way from the West Coast to Burnie.