On Monday the town of Bombala, in New South Wales, recorded its first summer snow since records began in 1965.
Cooma, also in New South Wales, saw its first summer snow since the Bureau of Meteorology started keeping weather records in the town in 1973.
Unusual flurries of snow fell to around 900 metres (3,000 feet) above sea level across alpine southeast Australia.
Forecasters said that snowfall at such low levels was unusual at any time of year, let alone during summer when temperatures can be uncomfortably high even in the Snowy Mountains.
The snow was not heavy enough to cause any disruption, but prompted tourists heading out to climb in the Snowy Mountains to rent ski clothing from the Thredbo ski resort, where snow fell for more than three hours.
Just one week earlier visitors were reportedly riding Thredbo's chairlifts dressed in shorts and flip-flops, as temperatures in parts of southeastern Australia exceeded 45°C (113°F).
Normal summer temperatures are expected to return to the region around midweek.
2009 was Australia's second-hottest year since reliable records began in 1910, and ended the country's hottest decade on record.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/home/n ... 465238.stm
