Millions of people across southern and eastern Australia should expect a mixed bag of weather today, including 100km/h winds and temperatures nudging 40 degrees.

A strong low pressure system in the Southern Ocean is the driving force behind the mish-mash of heat and cold, Weatherzone reports.

"As polar air surges northwards, warm air from the interior of the continent is being dragged southwards in strong north-westerly winds, as air flows naturally from areas of high pressure to low pressure."

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Feeling like winter in three states

The Bureau of Meteorology says the wintry change was first felt by residents in Tasmania overnight.

Maximum temperatures for the Apple Isle are about 17 degrees, but with the wind chill it will feel much colder – probably around 10 degrees for most of today.

There will also be showers across the entire state, with the chance of hail and snow in western parts.

When the polar air moves across the Tasman Sea in coming hours, Victoria and southern NSW can expect much of the same conditions.

A damaging wind warning has been issued for the state's eastern ranges, with gusts of 110km/h forecast for Alpine regions.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/2042049427863388641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Heat is on in the east

Meanwhile, mid-autumn will feel like high summer for parts of eastern NSW and South-East Queensland.

Brisbane is set for a sunny day with temperatures in the centre of the city reaching a top temperature of 30 degrees, while in the western suburbs the mercury will soar to 37 degrees.

NSW residents should expect similar temperatures, with some parts pushing for record temperatures.

Central Sydney is forecast for a top of 33 degrees, with the city's west will be two degrees warmer.

Similar maximum temperatures are also set for the regional cities of Wollongong, Newcastle and Maitland. It will be even hotter through the north-west, with Bourke up to 39 degrees.

Forecasters say the hot conditions in NSW will be over by tomorrow as the cooler air moves north later today.

With the polar conditions tightening their grip, there'll be snowfalls in the Victorian high country, the Snowy Mountains of NSW, and higher parts of Tasmania.

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For many Australians, home ownership is slipping further out of reach – but in outback Queensland, $400,000 will buy you an entire town.

Cooladdi, around nine hours west of Brisbane, is for sale at less than half the average unit price in Queensland's capital.

The listing includes a four-bedroom home, the Foxtrap Roadhouse and the township itself.

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Carol Yarrow and Jo Cornel run the roadhouse and are the town's only residents.

It acts as the town's post office, pub, café and general store, welcoming a steady run of travellers and graziers from surrounding properties.

"It's never lonely as there are locals and travellers who drop in on a daily basis," Carol tells nine.com.au.

"We often say there is never a dull moment."

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Carol and Jo are ending a three-year tenure in Cooladdi.

"I am ready to retire, and Jo would like to return to Brisbane to be closer to family," Carol said.

Keeping the place going means covering a bit of everything – the Foxtrap handles food, accommodation, and the day-to-day running of the town, as well as practical tasks such as ensuring deliveries reach nearby properties.

Asked her favourite memory from the past three years, Yarrow couldn't choose just one.

She recalled evenings when locals and travellers gathered for State of Origin and Australia Day, enjoying Giant Jenga as music and laughter filled the venue.

Cooladdi hasn't always been so small. It was once a railway town with around 270 residents, complete with a school, a police station, and a butcher.

These days, however, the Foxtrap remains the hub for the wider district.

"Cooladdi is a special place to a lot of people," Carol says, pointing to both its role in the community and its history.

For anyone thinking about taking it on, it comes down to attitude.

"Whoever comes in needs to have a love of the outback or be able to adapt – and a happy disposition at the bar is always important," she says.

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The success or failure of One Nation's first federal test could hinge on two major elements: gas and water.

One Nation is hot on the heels of the Liberals in the crowded Farrer by-election next month, where the twin issues of gas exports and the health of the Murray-Darling Basin loom large for voters.

Pauline Hanson said she was confident the major parties had lost the respect of voters in the south-western NSW seat over the federal government's controversial plan to buy back more water out of the Murray-Darling Basin.

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"I think both major political parties have a lot to answer about the water issue," Hanson told Nine.com.au.

"That has never been sorted out.

"I believe that we need a royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin and how that's been handled."

Hanson said Labor and the Coalition were "not in tune with grassroots Australians".

She said the government's mismanagement of resources was pushing voters away, particularly in regional areas.

The hot contest for Farrer may be One Nation's golden opportunity to capitalise on this fatigue.

Farrer, made vacant by former opposition leader Sussan Ley, could become a neck-and-neck battle between One Nation candidate David Farley and Independent Michelle Milthorpe.

The Liberal Party has selected lawyer Raissa Butkowski to run for Ley's open seat, while Labor has yet to field a candidate.

Water reform is a key pillar of One Nation candidate Farley's campaign.

The former jackaroo, irrigation specialist and cotton farmer said he would prioritise "disciplined" water management if elected.

However, The Australia Institute co-chief executive Dr Richard Denniss said One Nation's climate policy misalignment with rural voters might pose a challenge for the right-wing party.

Denniss said "anger" about the federal government's water management wasn't quite enough for struggling farmers.

"Farmers know that climate change is real, and while they may share Pauline Hanson's anger at the major parties, they know that anger won't bring the river back to good health," he explained.

Farley's reputation could prove to be another barrier.

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Minor party Family First announced it would not preference One Nation this election due to "serious concerns about the conduct and record" of Farley.

Farley was accused of sharing erotic posts by OnlyFans creators on Instagram and criticised for previous comments he made about former prime minister Julia Gillard, likening her to an "old cow".

Farley said at the time that his remarks about Gillard were "tongue-in-cheek" and had been taken out of context.

"Politics should be about lifting standards, not lowering them. The character of candidates matters," Family First national director Lyle Shelton said.

"Comments previously attributed to Mr Farley about former prime minister Julia Gillard were offensive and demeaning – not just to her, but to all women.

"This points to a deeper problem."

Denniss said he had "no doubt" Family First's decision to disendorse a One Nation candidate could impact Farley's chances at attracting voters away from the LNP and independents.

Farrer's election result is dependent on complicated preference flows.

"But ultimately it's important for each voter to understand that it is the individual with the pencil in their hand that decides where their preferences go, not any political party," he told Nine.com.au.

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The issue of Australia's gas exports is just as crucial as the Basin for the farming communities in the rural NSW seat.

More than 77 per cent of those surveyed agreed that Australia exports too much gas.

"What our polling makes clear is that a strong majority of all voters in Farrer, and an even stronger majority of One Nation voters, want Australia to get a fairer share of the profits from the enormous amount of gas we export," Denniss said.

"I'm sure that for some voters the health of the Murray is a more pressing problem than the fact that Australia gives so much gas away for free, but the issues aren't unrelated."

A March poll conducted by The Australia Institute found Farley was narrowly leading Milthorpe on primary votes.

Of the 1000 Farrer voters surveyed, 28.7 per cent said One Nation would receive their first preference vote, ahead of the independents at 23.3 per cent and the LNP at 19.1 per cent.

Farley declined to comment when contacted by Nine.com.au.

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