A news reporter was filmed slipping over after he tried to jump onto a broken pier while reporting on the wild weather in Melbourne.
Channel 9 reporter Mark Santomartino had spotted a broken wooden walkway while reporting at a beach in Frankston on Friday.
Rough waves had ripped the walkway from nearby Frankston Pier earlier in the morning as wind gusts of up to 90 to 100km/h swept through the city.
Despite waves crashing over the damaged bit of wood, Santomartino made a dash into the water.
After attempting to leap onto the chunk of boardwalk he slipped and fell onto his backside.
A news reporter was filmed slipping over after he tried to jump onto a broken pier while reporting on the wild weather that continues to batter Melbourne
Rough waves had ripped off the walkway from nearby Frankston Pier earlier in the morning as wind gusts of up to 90 to 100k/h swept through the city’s south-east
He immediately springs to his feet as he tries to regain his balance.
‘Huge mistake,’ he said in a Twitter post.
Hail and thunderstorms ripped through Melbourne with the city freezing through a top of 12C though with the apparent temperature feeling much cooler.
The apparent temperature dropped to -6C at Melbourne Airport and -5C at Essendon earlier today.
Ferocious winds, from a polar vortex moving up the east coast, have already brought a tree down on top of a car in Victoria, left a child fighting for life and forced delays at Melbourne Airport.
Up to 25 domestic services were cancelled at the airport this morning with delays and cancellations easing further into the day.
One local described to Herald Sun the sheer force of the wind and even compared it to a natural disaster.
‘These weather conditions I would describe as cyclonic — extreme winds.’
Statewide, the State Emergency Service received 424 calls for help across Victoria in 24 hours, with the Mornington Peninsula and Bass Coast bearing the brunt of the damage on Friday morning.
Ambulance Victoria said three had been rescued from a car in the Yarra Ranges after high winds brought a tree down on top of them.
Two helicopters were sent to the Black Spur after the 9.40am crash, taking a child in a critical condition and another child in a stable condition to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
A severe weather warning remains in place for the damaging winds covering most of the state, as gusts hit 120km/h.
Despite waves crashing over the damaged bit of wood, Santomartino made a dash into the water
Channel 9 reporter Mark Santomartino had spotted a broken wooden walkway while reporting at a beach in Frankston, Melbourne’s south-east, on Friday
‘Be aware of potential hazards caused by the severe weather. Hazards include damaged buildings, trees down, fallen power lines, debris and coastal erosion,’ the warning reads.
Blizzard conditions are expected across alpine areas, with snow expected above 500 metres and flurries possible for the Dandenong Ranges.
Elsewhere across Victoria, Ballarat was forecast to reach just 7C and Mount Dandenong to reach 4C.
Vigorous westerly winds are also affecting much of New South Wales, especially the southeast including Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter region, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
‘It appears that today is the peak of the wind event,’ a bureau spokesman said.
Dozens of elderly residents are lucky to be alive after the roof of their aged care home was torn off.
About 30 people were evacuated from the Presbyterian Aged Care facility at Stockton, in Newcastle, about 10am on Friday morning.
Some were picked up by family, while others were transferred to nearby medical facilities, according to NSW Ambulance.
Ferocious winds, from a polar vortex moving up the east coast, have already brought a tree down on top of a car in Victoria, left a child fighting for life and forced delays at Melbourne Airport (pictured, the coastline along Brighton was battered with a huge waves and wind gusts of up to 87k/h)
This map shows the massive cold air mass heading towards Australia from the Southern Ocean
‘Everybody is incredibly lucky to be safe and alive … there are no injuries and no-one has been killed,’ Inspector Joel De Zuna said in a statement.
‘This could have ended in disaster.’
A severe weather warning is in place for large sections of eastern NSW, from the Victorian border up to the Northern Tablelands – including Sydney.
Gusts of more than 90km/h were recorded around Wollongong and Newcastle on Friday morning, while overnight Thredbo posted a gust of 118km/h.
Blizzard conditions are also forecast for Alpine areas above 1500 metres.
The vigorous winds are being driven by a series of cold fronts cross Australia’s south east.
Conditions are expected to ease by late Friday night but authorities are urging people to remain vigilant.
‘It’ll still be windy on Saturday, especially in the Blue Mountains, but not as bad as Friday,’ NSW SES spokeswoman Ilana Pender-Rose said.
By 2.30pm on Friday, the SES had received more than 470 requests for help around NSW.
Most jobs related to fallen trees and branches, with some reporting roof damage.
More than 120 domestic flights in and out of Sydney Airport had been cancelled by 3pm, with the airport down to a single runway.
The average delay for domestic flights is about an hour, and about 45 minutes for international flights.
The airport is urging travellers to contact their airline for specific information and arrive with plenty of time to spare.
Vigorous westerly winds are also affecting much of New South Wales, especially the southeast including Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter region (pictured, strong winds caused choppy waters at Botany Bay in Sydney on Friday)
A ship is guided through rough seas at Botany Bay in Sydney on Friday