One of the coldest fronts in years already dubbed as an Antarctic vortex brought snow to Canberra's doorstep on Sunday and smiles to the faces of many children.
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Hundreds of Canberrans packed into cars to sample the snow on the Brindabellas with a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman reporting snowfall down to 800m.
For four-year-old Ella Feuerheardt, her first time seeing snow at Corin Forest was a mixture of excitement and confusion.
Her father Joel said, "It was snowing for the majority of the time we were there which was really great as it was the first time Ella had seen snow.
"That's the first time we've been up to Corin Forest and I think we nailed the day because it wasn't all that cold, it was snowing, and we were home by early afternoon."
Corin Forest spokesman Andrew Snell said the area received 5cm of fresh snow overnight and he was hopeful more would fall on Sunday night and Monday.
"At the moment we've got a steady flow of people coming up to see the snow although the road is only open to those with chains or four-wheel drive vehicles," he said.
"Our snow play sessions were sold out today and we expect a good 1000 or so people came up here."
Reports of snowfall on Black Mountain were registered with the Bureau although snow was unlikely to settle on the ground below 800m.
"There is still snow falling in some parts but it has eased off in the last couple of hours. Certainly we are expecting further falls today continuing tonight and through Monday," a Bureau spokesman said.
For resorts on the Snowy Mountains, the snowfall was welcome news after a relatively dry start to the season.
Perisher received the most snow over the week with the bureau reporting close to 25cm in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.
A Thredbo spokeswoman said the resort had recorded 15cm of fresh snow on Saturday night with 70 centimetres expected before the snowstorm ended.
"It's all been accumulating over the last 24 hours although we've had about 25cm since the storm hit on Friday so everything is looking stunning and beautiful," she said.
"There's more snow on the way tonight [Sunday], then again on Monday and Friday, so it's setting us up nicely for the rest of the season."
A spokesman for the ACT State Emergency Service said volunteers were on a heightened state of alert on Sunday.
"The main concern for the ACT SES, based on the weather information from the bureau, is very strong winds in the urban area of Canberra," the spokesman said.
Snowfall has closed Bendora Dam Road and Mount Franklin Road at Bulls Head with Brindabella and Boboyan Roads restricted to four-wheel drive vehicles.
Chilly conditions will continue on Monday in Canberra with temperatures forecast to drop to minus 1 in the morning before reaching 11 degrees in the afternoon.
