Malt, I may be wrong but I think there was a signet out for severe icing over the divide from Sydney south to melbourne. That is on top of low cloud, Rain (4000m or less vis), Thunderstorms, moderate turbulence and snow showers.
‘’There is no way in hell that any VFR aircraft was going to get over the divide that day. I think you might have needed an IFR aircraft capable of entering icing conditions, but I don’t know enough to know. except that it wasn’t VFR for me in the same region.