The cold snap had snow-lovers rejoicing, with light falls in low-lying areas on Friday.
Tourists and community members in Walhalla experienced the village’s first snow drop in 14 years about 7.30pm.
“It was kind of funny, I would describe the weather as bleak and there was people up here but they were all inside the cafes,” Walhalla and Mountain Rivers Tourism Association president Michael Leaney said.
“Then when it started to snow everyone just came out into the street, it was fabulous.”
As of this morning, Mount Baw Baw had 50 centimetres of snow.
Latrobe Highway Patrol Sergeant Clint Wilson said he was impressed with driver behaviour considering extreme weather conditions on Thursday and Friday.
Sgt Wilson said a few vehicles hit fallen or falling trees, but there were no serious injuries as a result.
The State Emergency Service thanked residents for their patience and resilience in last week’s wild weather, as authorities worked to get through hundreds of calls for help.
Between Thursday morning and Friday afternoon the Gippsland SES received 601 calls for assistance, with 324 relating to trees on roads and 176 for building damage, including trees on houses.
Occupants of five homes in Yarram, Traralgon, Moe South, Newborough and Cowwarr had to be relocated after their roofs blew off.
The SES was aware of only one injury during the event – a 50 year-old woman was taken to hospital with facial injuries when a tree fell on her car at Lardner.
Regional Duty Officer Micah Spedding thanked all volunteers, including those in the Country Fire Authority who joined the mammoth effort.
“A lot of roads were cleared by the community before we got to them and they were patient, they understood,” he said.
