Dutch and Australian experts accompanied by a team of international monitors on Thursday reached the crash site of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 after days of fierce fighting that had stopped them reaching the area.

Reporting from eastern Ukraine, SBS journalist Nick Lazaredes said the small team carried out a reconaissance mission and had reached the site.

He said there was no update on what they had found and could not confirm if it was safe for larger groups of experts and police to travel to the area.

He said up to 80 bodies, including those of Australians, were yet to be recovered.

The news was later confimred by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's monitoring mission in charge of facilitating the international probe in a Twitter post.

"Monitors reach MH17 crash site for 1st time in almost week, accompanied by 4 Dutch, Australian experts. Used new route to access," the OSCE account tweeted.