MELBOURNE • Australia's Sunshine State, Queensland, is quickly turning into a frosty one, thanks to an icy cold snap moving across the south-east of the country, according to reports yesterday.

Temperatures in the capital Brisbane dipped to a low of 11 deg C last Saturday, with the mercury expected to drop to 7 deg C today and tomorrow and to 5 deg C on Wednesday, said The Australian daily.

Snowfall was sighted within 20km of the Queensland-New South Wales border over the weekend, the Brisbane Times reported. This portends Queensland's first possible snow in two years.

Further south in the country, in Victoria, the capital city Melbourne was drenched in downpours brought about by the so-called Antarctic vortex as ski resorts across the state welcomed the heavy snowfalls caused by the cold blast after a poor start to the season.

Residents of south-eastern Australia were treated to a dramatic and rare celestial display overnight on Saturday as the massive cold front collided with summery storm conditions to create "thundersnow" in an unusual combination, 9news reported on its website.