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More than half a metre of snow will blanket parts of Australia by Friday amid an icy Antarctic blast.

Skiiers and snowboarders will be licking their lips as 57cm of the white stuff hits Charlotte Falls, the country's highest resort.

Thredbo will see 47cm of snow by Friday while Perisher will also get a 57cm dump starting on Tuesday night. 

The first snowfall of the season comes a healthy two weeks before lifts open as temperatures at the ski fields drop to as low as -6C overnight.

And the mountain regions are not the only areas bracing for winter weather this week.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued wind warnings for parts of New South Wales between Sydney and Canberra where gusts could get up to 90km/h. 

More than half a metre of snow will blanket parts of Australia over the coming days. Pictured: The Victorian Alps

Skiiers and snowboarders will be licking their lips as 57cm of the white stuff hits Charlotte Falls, the country's highest resort

Thredbo will see 47cm of snow by Friday while Perisher will also get a 57cm dump. Pictured: A bike covered in snow

It comes as a cold blast of wintry weather hits Australia's east coast with antarctic winds bringing snow to at least four eastern states by Wednesday

After the blizzard conditions that set in on Monday morning, Perisher (pictured) has received another 20cm of snow overnight

The first snowfall of the season comes a healthy two weeks before lifts open as temperatures at the ski fields drop to as low as -6C overnight. Pictured: Perisher 

Two children play in the snow in Perisher as winter conditions sweep parts of New South Wales and Victoria

And the mountain regions are not the only areas bracing for winter weather this week. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued wind warnings for parts of New South Wales between Sydney and Canberra where gusts could get up to 90km/h. Pictured: Perisher

Sydney is forecast to be windy and cloudy on Wednesday with lows of 8C.

Melbourne, meanwhile, will be even colder with rain, cloud and lows of 7C as winter knocks on our doors. 

A wet and windy day was forecast for much of the southeast of the nation with snow and hail in alpine areas caused by a cold front sweeping across the country.

A low pressure trough is also affecting Tasmania and southern parts of Victoria with both states experiencing snowfalls.

Victoria's Mount Baw Baw had decent snowfalls on Monday morning and there is more to come over the next few days

One operator in Mount Hotham said on Twitter on Sunday that they had received 25cm, and advised people to fit tyre chains to all vehicles. 

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster for New South Wales Zhi-Weng Chua said snow was expected until Wednesday in elevated areas of NSW and the ACT including the Snowy Mountains and Tablelands districts to about 1,000m.

'A strong low-pressure system south of Tasmania is bringing air from the Antarctic region up to New South Wales,' he said. 

Chair lifts stand ready to transport skiers at Mount Baw Baw, Victoria, on Monday

A Weatherzone forecast model shows cold air sweeping over southeastern Australia for Wednesday. A low pressure system south of Tasmania is sucking Antarctic air as far north as New South Wales

In Sydney daytime temperatures are hovering around 19C until Sunday with possible showers for the weekend. 

Canberra is set to shiver with daytime maximums of 10C, showers and winds until Wednesday. 

Daytime temperatures will rise to 16C by the weekend, the nights will freeze with a minimum of -4C predicted for Friday. 

Hotham Alpine Resort in Victoria reported a depth check at 25cm and counting on Monday

Snow was falling in Hotham Alpine Resort over the weekend and the snow will continue

One Sydney-sider took to Twitter to voice his dislike of the cold snap on Monday. Sydney temperatures will drop to 9C overnight with daytime temperatures hovering around 19C until Sunday with possible showers for the weekend

Blizzard conditions are forecast for the Alps, with snow set to fall as low as 700 metres in the ACT by Wednesday.

Melbourne suffered a rainy 13C day on Monday but temperatures are forecast to fall further to 12C on Wednesday. 

Snow is forecast for Victoria through to Wednesday with the hills around Ballarat expected to get a dusting down to about 600m.

Ballarat is forecast to fall to a chilly 6C by Wednesday as the antarctic blast sets in. 

Mount Hotham, Victoria, had snow falls over the weekend with more forecast until Wednesday

Perisher got a snow dump over the weekend bringing cold weather joy and expectations of good skiing to come this winter

Snow fell on Sunday night in Tasmania with Hobart shivering in 6C temperatures on Monday. It is set to get both colder and windier as the cold front moves across the state with the coldest air to hit by Wednesday. 

Bureau of Meteorology national duty forecaster and extreme weather meteorologist Jackson Browne told Daily Mail Australia the cold weather was not exceptionable.

'It's not a notable cold snap so there's no records broken,' he said. 'It's run-of-the-mill winter conditions.'