VISITORS enjoyed a long weekend at Cradle Mountain after heavy snow closed roads.
Cradle Mountain had snowfalls down to 500 metres and near-freezing temperatures over the weekend.
Cradle Mountain Hotel front office manager Todd Roberts said the snow was causing long delays for motorists.
"People came for a day trip over the weekend and have been snowed in since," Mr Roberts said.
"We have seen an increase in guests and some of them are stranded here."
Mr Roberts said many of the hotel's staff lived on-site so were fortunately not affected by the snowfall.
"I have been here for nine months now and I have never seen this muchsnow here."
Many of the long-term staff had not seen such an amount of snow for quite a while, he said.
"Snow is fun. Families are building snowmen and we have been holding competitions."
The snow is expected to continue for the rest of the week.
RACT member assist general manager Darren Moody recommended people travelling to the mountain only drive in all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicles.
"Ice makes the roads wet, which can make someone lose control. Tyres can't grip when the roads are icy," Mr Moody said.
"Really, it's all about driving carefully."
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Matthew Thomas said the cold front was caused by a low pressure system that passed across the south over the weekend.
He said snow fell down to 500 metres.
"It's completely normal for this time of year; it could also happen in spring or autumn," Mr Thomas said.
"We had some vigorous winds over the weekend, with gusts up to 139km/h at Cape Grim on Sunday afternoon."
Temperatures are decreasing in the next week, with more days below zero degrees expected.
Story courtesy of The Advocate
