Barrington devils wake up to dusting of snow

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Tasmanian devils in the Barrington Tops have woken up to a dusting of snow.

Aussie Ark rangers spotted the animals in the winter wonderland on Wednesday morning.

It's estimated around 20 to 30cm of snow fell across the Tops, which sit around 1,350 metres above sea level.

Rangers say both the endangered devils and the eastern quolls homed at the conservation site are likely to love the weather.

Travellers urged to take care as snow possible at Barrington Tops

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Authorities are reminding the public to be prepared, with strong winds and possibly snow forecast across the Barrington Tops for the next three days.

Access from Gloucester is currently closed, due to an unstable road in the Barrington Tops State Forest, which was damaged during rain in March last year.

Hunter Valley Police District Chief Inspector Guy Guiana says travellers need to take care.

“While access to the Barrington Tops from Scone is currently available, the unsealed road section is steep, narrow and winding, and ice and snow can make driving here extremely dangerous, even for 4WDs," he said.

“With strong winds, there is also potential for trees and branches to fall, posing a direct risk to visitors, and possibly blocking access into and out of the area.”

Mobile phone reception can be spotty, so visitors are also being urged to check conditions and road closures ahead of time.

Conditions could change rapidly, including rain, snow, strong winds, and sub-zero temperatures.

Barrington Tops Road Closure A Snag for Snow Chasers

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Snow chasers could have their dreams dashed this winter, with a major road closure at Gloucester blocking access to the Barrington Tops.

Barrington Tops Forest Road was shut for structural damage suffered in the March floods earlier this year, and there's concern the road could collapse at any moment.

Accomodation Gloucester owner Trudy Schultz said the road is likely to remain out of action for the whole season.

"We are going to have quite a lot of snow this weekend, I would say," Ms Schultz said.

"You can access the snow via Gloucester Tops, because apparently it's going to be snowing down to six hundred metres, but please don't access the Barrington Tops via Gloucester side and don't try and take backroads because you're going put people's lives at risk." 

While local businesses are usually preparing for peak tourism season, Ms Schultz said accommodation properties like hers are coming in under capacity.

Ms Schultz said the Forestry Corporation needs to sort the road out sooner rather than later.

"We've been through a drought, where Gloucester ran put of water, we were trucking in water," Ms Schultz said.

"We've had the bushfires, we've had major flood back in March and now we have a road that can't access the Barrington Tops."

"I know it's going to take a lot to do, but instead of just talking about it, we really need to start, because it's going to effect the whole Gloucester district, right down to Stroud, the whole area."

Image credit: https://barringtoncoast.com.au/

Snow Chasers Advised To Give The Barringtons A Miss

 BY IAN CROUCH

Snow chasers are being advised to give the Barrington Tops a miss this winter due to poor road conditions.

The Forestry Commission says the Barrington Tops Forest Road, which is the main access point from the coast, remains closed after major structural damage was sustained during the March floods.

Work is under way to repair the road but it's not expected to be finished before next winter.

Forestry says other roads in the area just can't cope with the volume of traffic.

If you're looking an alternative, areas to the north such as Nundle, Walcha and Guyra are expecting good snow falls this week.

 

Snow Chasers Urged To Stay Away From Barrington Tops Picture portnews.com.au

Snow On The Barrington Tops As Hunter Braces For Wild Weather

BY IAN CROUCH

Frigid temperatures and rain have combined to produce snow showers on the Barrington Tops overnight.

Reports suggest a couple of centimetres has fallen, with more snow expected to fall above 800 metres today and above 1500 metres tomorrow.

Elsewhere, the mercury has plunged across the Hunter.

While it's 7-point-6 degrees at Williamtown,  the wind chill is making it feel like minus point 4.

Further north, there are reports of snow falls at Walcha north west of Tamworth and Armidale, where the temperature is point 2 of a degree at the airport, but it feels like minus 7-point-5.

A Severe Weather warning is current for the Hunter, with potentially destructive winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour expected later this morning or early afternoon in Newcastle.

Snow Is Falling On The Barrington Tops Pictures: Justin Lawrence