The surprising locations in Australia where snow has fallen

Winter is here, and while snow is not uncommon on the top ski resorts, what might surprise you is it has snowed in every Australian state and territory, and most of our capitals.

Falls in Sydney? Not since 1836, despite some rumours. What about Adelaide? Brisbane? Uluru?

Here are some of the more surprising locations outside the Australian Alps that have seen snow, and whether stories of falls in some of our major cities are actually just white lies.

Queensland

Stanthorpe on 17 July 2015, following the heaviest snowfall in decades. (ABC News)

The Granite Belt and higher ranges near the NSW border are the only regions of Queensland that regularly see snow – a light dusting each year or two.

Occasionally, the region is blanketed by a moderate fall, most recently in July 2015, and on the odd occasion, including in July 1984, snow will spread further north to around Toowoomba.

The state’s most extraordinary snowfall came in July 1965 at Dalrymple Heights, which is 65km west of Mackay.

This is the only tropical snowfall location on record in Australia.

There have been several unconfirmed reports of snow falling in Brisbane during the 20th century, including in 1984 and 1958.

The minimum temperature recorded during these events was well above 5°C, indicating the snow was most likely mistaken for small hail or sago, or possibly just a few melting flakes mixed in with rain.

A more plausible snowfall in Brisbane occurred on 27 July 1882.

The nearby town of Clifton – at an elevation of just above 400m – observed two inches of snow on the ground, which suggests the reported snow in the Brisbane Courier newspaper was accurate.

New South Wales

Lithgow following heavy snowfall in July 1910. 
Lithgow following heavy snowfall in July 1910. (Supplied: The Sun Newspaper)

Australia’s highest mountains lie in southern NSW and snow will generally cover the alpine region for at least four months each year.

Outside of the ski resorts, several snowfalls each year will also reach subalpine stretches of the southern and central ranges, along with the Barrington Tops.

A dusting of snow also reaches the higher northern ranges at least once a year and occasionally snow descends the Great Divide to the western slopes and plains.

NSW has a snow advantage over other southern states as numerous large towns lie high enough on the tablelands to see at least one snowfall per year, including the cities of Orange, Lithgow, and Armidale.

Snow along the NSW ranges can be heavy and numerous events through the 19th and 20th centuries dumped around half a metre, including across the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney.

A black and white photo of a snow plow in 1965
Snow at Katoomba in 1965. (Supplied: Blue Mountains City Library)
A train in deep snow
Snow in the upper Hunter in July 1965. (Supplied: Australian Railway Historical Society NSW Digest)

One of the state’s most unusual falls happened in July 1900, when 25cm was reported at Forbes, at an elevation of just 245m, and nearly 1m fell around Bathurst and the Blue Mountains.

There are numerous accounts of snowflakes in Sydney, but the only confirmed settled snowfall occurred way back in 1836.

A black and white image of a weather report in a newspaper
A weather report from The Sydney Morning Herald in July 1836. (Supplied)

Eyewitness reports from the time are supported by the weather observations in The Sydney Morning Herald, which state “snow” as the observed weather at 6am on Tuesday 28 June.

The corresponding temperature of 3°C also supports the snowfall.

ACT

canberra snow in 1965
Canberra under a few centimetres of snow in 1965. (ABC News)
Football players in the snow
Canberra Raiders play the West Tigers in Canberra in a kick-off temperature of 1°C on May 28, 2000. (ABC News)

The Brindabella ranges, just south of Canberra, hold a snow cover each winter and in the 20th century there was even a chalet on Mt Franklin supporting downhill skiing.

Canberra receives a light snowfall every few years, and in May 2000, the last significant fall, NRL players had to play through the cold.

The city’s heaviest snowfalls were in 1929 and 1949, when newspaper reports indicated falls of up to around five inches.

Victoria

The second highest mountains in Australia, located in the alpine region of Victoria, support several major ski resorts.

Away from the Alps, the Great Dividing Range will typically see several snowfalls per year above an elevation of about 500m and, occasionally, snow will descend to lower levels.

Unlike NSW, no major towns lie on the higher parts of the Victorian ranges, however, numerous small towns lie sit between 500m and 700m, sufficiently high for a snowfall in most years.

The only Victorian city which has a long history of snow is Ballarat, where a dusting typically occurs every couple of years, with the last heavy fall in September 2020.

A black and white picture of Ballarat
Snowfall in Ballarat in June 1887. (Supplied: City of Ballarat)

In 1882, snow was reported form Melbourne, Hamilton, Horsham and everywhere in between during a cold snap in July.

Indeed, Melbourne has several confirmed instances of snow. The eastern suburbs receive a light dusting each year, but for most of the city, the last snowfall was July 1986, although a few flurries were observed in August 2005.

Melbourne’s CBD missed out in 1986, but it did receive a brief snowfall in July 1951.

Black and white photo of snow falling in Melbourne
Snow falling in Melbourne’s CBD on 9 August 1951. The temperature range that day of 1.9°C to 7.7°C verifies the fall. (Source unknown)

Melbourne’s heaviest snow on record was in August 1849 when snow was reported up to 30cm deep.

Tasmania

Australia’s most southern state sees regular snowfalls, although it is surprisingly rare at sea level where the larger towns are located.

Most of the small inland towns see a snowfall at least once per year, including higher southern suburbs of Hobart on the slopes of Mount Wellington/Kunanyi.

The last fall in the centre of Hobart was in August 2015 and the most recent major fall was back in 1986 when 2-3cm briefly shut down the city.

The heaviest snow in Hobart on record was in August 1921 when several inches accumulated.

A recent Launceston snowfall in August 2020 could take the prize for the state’s most extraordinary snow event, with up to 20cm falling across the city and suburbs.

Launceston blanketed in snow
Launceston woke under white on 5 August 2020. (Supplied: Cameron Jones Visuals)

South Australia

The mountains in South Australia are not as high as the eastern states, however, every few years snow falls on the Mount Lofty Ranges just east of Adelaide.

Snow and trees
Willow Springs Station in August 2020. (Supplied: Skytrek Willow Springs Station)

Roughly every decade or so, a light fall will also dust the ranges further north running up to the Flinders, most recently in August and September 2020 when several towns were blanketed in a few centimetres.

There is no record of snow falling in the centre of Adelaide, although a 1951 newspaper article mentions a fall in the suburb of Golden Grove, which has an elevation of 200m.

Snow on the Mount Lofty Ranges in September 1919.
Snow on the Mount Lofty Ranges in September 1919. (Supplied: State Library)

One issue that may prevent the accurate reporting of snow in the capital is the proximity of the Adelaide Hills, which tend to get most of the attention in snow events.

Western Australia

Snow in Western Australia in recent decades is extremely rare apart from on the Stirling ranges just north of Albany where each year typically brings one or two falls.

It is evident from newspaper reports that snow was more common in the past with regular mentions in the higher South West, which sit at around 300 to 400 metres elevation.

One source even suggests snow in Geraldton, in the state’s mid-west, in June 1956. The lowest temperature in the town that month was 4.5°C, and occurred on a day when no precipitation was observed.

GRACEFIELD1908KOJONUP
A snowfall of up to two inches was observed at Kojonup in 1908. (Source unknown)

A 1908 fall could be one of the most widespread in WA’s history, when snow settled in many towns including Kojonup, Katanning and Broomehill.

There are no confirmed snowfalls in the centre of Perth, however, numerous reports from the 20th century mention falls in the Perth Hills, although photo evidence is lacking.

Northern Territory

Somewhat of an unknown is that the southern Northern Territory is quite elevated and is therefore cooler than other parts of outback Australia.

The hottest ever temperature in Alice Springs of 45.7°C is actually below Sydney and Melbourne’s hottest days.

As a result, snow while exceptionally uncommon, has been observed.

It snowed at Uluru on 11 July, 1997, although it did not settle.

That day, the nearby town of Yulara recorded a maximum temperature of just 5.9°C.

Darwin’s coldest temperature on record is 10.4°C, and that was during clear skies.

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