Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo

Gippsland welcomes a winter wonderland

17 August 2005

For the first time in 20 years, snow fell on the Gippsland campus last week, covering the landscape in a thick blanket of white.

Much of south-eastern Victoria was blanketed in snow last week, and the Gippsland campus at Churchill was no exception.

Although a cold snap affected most of the state, Gippsland was the only Monash campus to have snowfall, a welcome experience for staff and students.

Ms Loretta Hambly, director of strategic planning at Gippsland, said the campus had received a good cover of snow with flakes falling for several hours, making it more widespread and thicker than the last snowfall at the campus in the mid-1980s.

"It was a most unusual occurrence. Although we were warned by the weather bureau of the possibility of snow, we were still pleasantly surprised when it began falling," she said.

"We pride ourselves on being a friendly campus -- and that really shone through. Everyone came together to enjoy a very special and unique occasion. It was a festival-like atmosphere with students snowboarding and tobogganing."

Mr Kirk Slywa, education vice-president of the Monash University Gippsland Student Union, said the day would hold a special place in his memory.

"There was such a tremendous feeling about the campus -- it was amazing. Soft flakes of snow were falling and the campus was just beautiful," he said.

Although campus operations were not affected, roads to South Gippsland were closed between 1 pm and 3 pm. In the event that roads did not re-open before close of business, the crisis management plan would have been implemented to accommodate staff or students overnight.

Professor Nigel Tapper, of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, said although the likelihood of it snowing at the Gippsland campus again this winter was extremely low, it should not be ruled out.

"It could easily be another 20 years before snow falls at the Gippsland campus again, but there's the odd chance that it could snow this year or next," he said.