Aussies wake up with shiver on Wednesday

Australian's have woken up with a chill on Wednesday as an icy freeze hits the nation's southeast, brining with it snow and damaging winds.

The wild weather has already caused havoc in Victoria state with two people being treated for injuries from car crashes related to the snow and wild winds, but the worst is yet to come for New South Wales (NSW) state as the front moves north, causing balmy winter temperatures to plummet from icy winds.

"Sydney, we need to talk about this wind, it's just not on," one commuter complained on social media on Wednesday as the mercury dipped to 10-degree Celsius, but felt like 1-degree Celsius with the wind factor.

"With the progress of this front, we'll have a pretty decent wind chill," Australian Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster David Grant told Fairfax Media.

"It will feel like it's single digits."

Australia's weather bureau has issued warnings for strong winds and freezing conditions across most of the state, while the nation's prestigious ski slopes are bracing for possible blizzards. Thredbo ski resort in the Snowy Mountains as already reported an "incredible" 70 centimeters of new snow.

Key NSW farming regions and the nation's capital of Canberra have already experienced snow overnight and more is expected to fall further north towards regional centers Bathurst and Orange, and potentially to the outskirts of Sydney in the Blue Mountains.

Authorities across Australia's southeast have responded to numerous calls for help from the wild, chilly weather, though those calls have largely dropped of as people take increased precautions.

But record breaking wind speeds in Tasmania state had left 7,000 homes and businesses without power from falling trees, while a similar situation in South Australia state had 5,000 homes still without power early on Wednesday. Endit