There's only been a scattering of natural snow fall for the start of Australia's snow season but snow machines have ensured that beginners and children can still take to the slopes.
A spokesman for Perisher Valley Resort in NSW said while there had only been a small amount of natural snow, their snow machines had ensured there was enough coverage for one lift to be opened.
"A beginners' area is opened," he said.
"It's perfect for young kids and there's a lot of families up here."
He said the resort had spent $20 million on snow machines in the past seven years, to ensure that it would be open for the entire ski season regardless of whether natural snow had fallen.
"We don't have to rely on Mother Nature," he said.
Selwyn Resort, also in the NSW ski fields, is waiting for cooler conditions to use their snow machines.
The Bureau of Meteorology says there is potential for "a little more than snow dust" to arrive this Friday with snow expected above 1200 metres.
The bureau has blamed the lack of snow on unusually warm weather, with Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide recording their longest stretch of warm autumn days on record.
