Lakes freeze across Tasmania as temperatures plummet

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An isolated town in Tasmania has recorded Australia’s coldest temperature so far this year. Liawenee in the central highlands got down to minus 12.9 overnight. It's also the third coldest temperature ever recorded in Tasmania.

Transcript

00:00Biweeni is a tiny little town up in Tasmania's central highlands.

00:06It's got a permanent population of two, which is a police officer and an inland fisheries

00:12officer.

00:13So not many people live there, but it's got the claim to being Australia's coldest town

00:17that isn't an alpine area.

00:20And look, it just looked absolutely beautiful.

00:22There was snow and ice on the side of the road.

00:26All the gum trees had ice in them.

00:28We passed a lake that was just absolutely frozen solid and white.

00:32And there were a few swans on it trying to sort of find a tiny patch of water that wasn't

00:38frozen over.

00:39So look, it was a beautiful trip up.

00:41The Bureau of Meteorology says it's caused by a cold system that came over southern Australia

00:46over the weekend.

00:47But Tasmania actually has a high pressure system over it at the moment, which is what

00:51brings this just gorgeous, stable weather.

00:54There's not a breath of wind.

00:57And look, the locals tell me that they don't feel the difference between minus six or minus

01:0112.

01:02And look, they're pretty used to it.

01:05But I called in to the Great Lake Hotel on our way to Liweeny.

01:10And they've actually had some strife overnight because these icy temperatures actually caused

01:14their plumbing to burst.

01:16So they had to shut up shop today.

01:19And so they invited us in and they had the fire going and they were trying to get it

01:22all fixed, hoping to open later today.

01:25And they told me that they've got some tourists from Indonesia coming tonight to stay in their

01:29accommodation because the cold temperatures up here are actually a real drawcard.

01:34People want to experience it.

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