Snow on Mount Buffalo (2019), part 2

Our next snowy visit to Mount Buffalo was mid-August 2019. When a snowstorm brought a decent amount of snow, we rented some snowshoes and some chains for the weekend, packed ourselves some muffins and some biscuits, the portable stove to heat water for coffee, and off we went.

It is pretty unreal to see eucalyptus boughs heavy with snow and of course it was magical to be walking in a quiet, snowy forest after such a long time. Since we went up first thing in the morning, the tracks we walked were pretty quiet (we only saw a group of cross country skiers on the track around Lake Catani) and it felt like we had the forest all to ourselves.

As it happens we had a bit of snow here last weekend, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions the park is closed. This year we had to make do with looking up at the snowy mountain (when it would come out behind the cloud) and remember our snowy winter experience from last year.

Snow on Mount Buffalo (2019), part 1

Only a week after we moved here last year, we drove up to Mount Buffalo for a bit of sightseeing—not only because it was an easy activity (a relatively quick jaunt up the road) but also because the days of constant rain brought snow at higher elevations, and it had been five years since we had seen any snow more than the light dustings we had experienced in the New England.

Given its name from some early British-Australian explorers to its resemblance to a reclining buffalo, Mount Buffalo is a granite plateau within the Australian Alps mountain range. The park was established in 1898, which makes it one of the oldest established National Parks in Australia and is often heard referred to as the “Family Mountain” due to its long-standing accessibility and popularity. We are conveniently located about five minutes from the park entrance, however the winding road up to the plateau is approximately a 45 minute drive, more or less depending on conditions and the number of cyclists on the road (it is a very popular cycling route.)

The granite outcrop.

The view from the top looking north east. On clear days you can see Mount Kosciusko (NSW), Australia’s highest peak, 134km away.

Looking down into the Buffalo Valley below toward Porepunkah.

Paraglider launch pad.

Pepperberry plants under snow.

The sparsely snow-covered plateau at Cresta Valley.

Looking toward The Horn, the highest point of Mount Buffalo.

Australian alpine winter colours.

Snow Day

Second day of snow.  Today the New England Highway was
closed from Glen Innes to Bendemeer (170km)

It was cold enough overnight for the snow to stick to the grass.

Gray day of first-rate 'wintery mix'

Winter wonderland.. (or something like that.)

We've heard a couple people say it was going to snow this weekend, but didn't really believe it until we saw it this morning.  It's just after 10am now and it's all melted, of course.  Today's forecast for the tablelands calls for 60% showers west of the ranges and snow possible above 800m, and it's currently around 1.5° Celsius.  It'll be a good day for some cocoa.

Snow on the Berlingo.  It didn't stick to the ground or plants, but cars,
rubbish bins, and fences had a little accumulation.

The forecast called for .1mm per hour - which ended up to be pretty accurate.

Through the light snow, blue skies could be seen to the southwest.

Snow in July

Rather unexpectedly, it snowed this morning.  The sun came out, it clouded up and snowed some more, repeat.  (The flowers outside did not seem too happy about this change in the weather.)

It also hailed earlier in the week, which apparently is colloquially called "sago snow" due to the fact that it looks like the seeds of the sago palm, but the hail seems much less interesting than actual snow in Australia (outside the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania of course).

Today, the second snowfall accumulated more than the first and the third combined, but everything evaporated pretty much instantaneously when the sun came out.  It's been a bit fresh* these past couple days, but it looks like it's going to be warm next week!

*Fresh is also a new weather term for us.  I don't know if I ever used this or heard it in American English. In addition to general temperatures, it also seems to be used to describe winds that specifically are somewhat more brisk than moderate.

I do not really know what "snowfalls clearing" is supposed to mean, exactly.

I took a picture of the blowing snow on our street but as to be expected, the snow itself is nearly impossible to see it looks like just another dreary day in Armidale NSW.  Because I feel like my blog posts are boring without a picture, here is a picture of the weather forecast instead.  Yes, that's right, we're looking forward to "warm" weather with highs in the teens (upper 50s Fahrenheit.)  Enjoy your summer!