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Winter snow earliest, heaviest since 2000

Snow covers the mountains surrounding Mount Hotham in Victoria after heavy snowfalls in the area. - ABC

Victoria is experiencing its best start to the snow season in a decade.

There is 56 centimetres of snow at Mt Buller and about 40 centimetres at Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and Lake Mountain.

Snow reporter, Maureen Gearon, says there will be eight lifts open at Mt Buller this weekend and six lifts will be operating at other resorts.

"These are the earliest and heaviest snow falls we've had since 2000," she said.

"[While] 2007 and 2003 were great ... this is just spectacular, so we're sitting around, average base of about 50 centimetres around most of the resorts."

- ABC

© ABC 2009

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