Canberra, Jun 4 (IANS): Icy conditions have swept across eastern Australia, bringing rare snowfall to subtropical areas of the country, weather officials said on Tuesday.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology described it as a "rare" sight, noting the state of Queensland had not experienced significant snowfall since 2015, reports the BBC.

Severe weather warnings have also been issued for a 1,000 km stretch of coast which includes Sydney.

People have been urged to stay indoors amid heavy rain and gale-force winds.

Meteorologist Lachlan Stone said the snowfall in Queensland, driven by colder air from the south, was an unusual occurrence in a state with a sub-tropical to tropical climate.

"But in the south of the state, particularly near the New South Wales border, it's quite mountainous and in the elevated areas it can get quite cold," he told the BBC.

Authorities said that snow had fallen near the town of Stanthorpe, 220 km south-west of Brisbane, leading to near-freezing temperatures.

Up to 5 cm of snow also blanketed the Blue Mountains region, west of Sydney, prompting road closures and travel warnings.

June marks the beginning of winter in Australia.

The nation has just experienced its hottest summer on record and recent extreme weather events including drought, floods and bushfires.