It’s already looking like winter at some of Tasmania’s ski fields, with the weekend set to bring even more snow.
Mount Field National Park is bracing for a major dumping, with snow forecast down to 700 metres on Friday and Saturday nights.
The early winter conditions have local businesses excited, despite a cruise ship visit being cancelled this weekend due to adverse weather.
Rachel Power, owner of Mount Field Retreat and Waterfalls Cafe and Gallery, said it was an exciting time of year.
She is expecting an estimated 15-30 millimetres of snow each night before Sunday.
“Sunday’s gonna be an absolutely spectacular day up the mountain,” she told Pulse.
The snow line at 700 metres means access to Mount Field itself remains “completely fine” for visitors, Power said.
The timing has surprised locals, with Mount Field typically experiencing a race between the first snowfall and the turning of the fagus leaves.
“We’ve actually had about three or four snowfalls this year already, so things are changing,” Power said.
Snow weekends draw visitors from across Australia, particularly Queenslanders experiencing snow for the first time.
“They are like little kids. They really are,” Power said.
“They also don’t own anything [for the] cold weather, so we’ve got the gloves and snow toboggans all ready for people.”
Ben Lomond is also receiving early snow, despite being eight weeks out from the official ski season.
“Winter is on its way,” Ben Lomond Alpine Resort posted on social media.
The resort said the mountain was currently sitting at around minus three degrees with three to four centimetres of fresh snow already on the ground.
Power encouraged visitors not to delay booking their snow escape, saying early season conditions can provide some of the most memorable experiences in the park.
