blizzard

Eight people were rescued in a blizzard on a Tasmanian mountain authorities said, as extreme weather wreaked havoc across the state.

Authorities said two of the walkers, a 27-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl, were 'very lucky to be alive' and are currently being treated in hospital for hypothermia.

The cold front is travelling north up the Australian mainland, causing large swells along the coast