Snow and ice force road closures in New South Wales country region

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Snow and ice has banked up on roads in country New South Wales, forcing the closure of stretches of highway.

The Great Western Highway between Yetholme and Marangaroo, west of Lithgow, was closed, as well as local roads in Oberon and Jenolan.

The New England Highway between Armidale and Glen Innes was also shut to traffic.

Ski resorts in the state have been celebrating the arrival of fresh snow on the slopes as a strong cold front moved across the state.

The Alpine region had received a 40cm dumping of snow at Thredbo Resort and 35cm at Perisher Resort on Thursday night.

In Melbourne on Friday, snow had fallen near Lorne and Ballarat as the city shivered through one of its coldest June days in 20 years.

The organisers of Falls Festival posted video footage online of the festival grounds at Erskine Falls blanketed in white.

“Surf or snowboard?” Surf Coast resident David Rae asked on Instagram.

Sprinkles of snow and sleet had also been reported at Mount Macedon, Ballarat and in the Dandenongs.

Not a common sight anywhere near Sydney. Actual snow on the ground pic.twitter.com/UQgzoK4hz7

Melbourne was expecting a maximum of 13C on Saturday and 12C on Sunday. Overnight lows were forecast at 5C and 4C respectively.

The mercury won’t head higher again until Tuesday when 14C is forecast for the city.