Thirteen motorists and two bushwalkers have been rescued after being stranded by heavy snowfall in the alpine regions of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The incidents occurred over the weekend as up to 50cm of snow fell in some areas, marking a dangerous start to the snow season.
The motorists were trapped in their vehicles near Mount Hotham in Victoria on Saturday night. Emergency services, including members of the Wangaratta ski club, the Country Fire Association, and a snow plough from the Hotham alpine resort, used snowmobiles to reach the stranded travellers. One man in his 40s suffered minor injuries after his vehicle rolled. Despite the challenging conditions, police and the State Emergency Service confirmed that no one remained trapped by Monday afternoon.
Two hikers were rescued from the Wonnangatta walking track in Victoria's Alpine National Park on Monday. Separately, a 31-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were rescued near Mount Kosciuszko in New South Wales after being stranded in blizzard conditions. A search party initially had to retreat due to white-out conditions, but trained alpine officers reached the pair late on Saturday night, escorting them from the Kosciuszko walking trail by 4am on Sunday.
The strandings occurred during a long weekend cold snap that brought heavy snowfall to ski resorts across the south-east. Perisher in New South Wales reported 60cm of snow over the weekend, while Hotham recorded 63cm for the week. The snow also fell in areas such as the Blue Mountains and Jindabyne, with Canberra residents sighting falls on Mount Ainslie. The Bureau of Meteorology forecast additional snowfalls of up to 20cm at some alpine sites, though cold weather was expected to persist across the south-east.
