Missing Bushwalker Found in Kimberley Area

SA, WA & NT specific bushwalking discussion.
Forum rules
SA, WA & NT specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.

Missing Bushwalker Found in Kimberley Area

Postby Overlandman » Sat 18 Jul, 2015 10:59 am

From ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-17/m ... section=wa

A South Australian man has been found alive after three nights lost in the remote outback of Western Australia.

The man was separated from a group of European tourists while they were bushwalking in the Mitchell Plateau area of the Kimberley on Tuesday.

The alarm was not raised until last night, when the rest of the group reached their campsite.

None of the men had a satellite phone, and they left their emergency response beacon in their car.

Police said the man was found, near Mitchell Falls just before midday yesterday, exhausted and suffering from cuts and bruises but otherwise in good health.

"Fortunately he ran into some other tourists who raised the alarm and he was flown out by one of the tourist choppers at Mitchell Falls camp," Inspector Peter Foley said.

It is understood there were four men in the bushwalking group, including three friends of the man from the Czech Republic.

If they're going to go remote and go hiking they should consider a sat phone [and] EPIRBs.
WA Police Inspector Peter Foley

They were on a private bushwalk, and were not part of a commercially run tour group.

Inspector Foley, who helped coordinate the search, said it appeared miscommunication led to the man becoming lost.

"It left him by himself ... he got a little bit off-track from his intended route and from there, he's continued walking and continued to try and get himself back to Mitchell Falls, but it took a little longer than he thought it did," he said.
Hikers urged to go prepared

Inspector Foley said the incident highlighted the need for people to be prepared when venturing into the outback.

"There's a significant message to be told to all people travelling through all remote parts of the state, including the Kimberley, to take alternate forms of communication with them," he said.

"If they're going to go remote and go hiking they should consider a sat phone [and] EPIRBs, and obviously have emergency plans and advise rangers stations and other people of intended ETA's."

He said if hikers became separated from their group, they should stay put.

"Obviously water and food are paramount, so conserve your energy and we'll set about to come and find you," Inspector Foley said.

Russell Willis, who runs Willis's Walkabouts, a bushwalking company in the Kimberley, described the terrain in the area as extremely challenging.

"If you don't know what you're doing it's tough country," he said.

"And it's a bit chilly at the moment."

Mr Willis said he expected the alarm would have been raised sooner if the man had been taking part in a commercial tour.

"I'm just sort of amazed that if somebody went missing, and the alarm's only just been raised, that they didn't say something before," he said.

"If someone [in one of our groups] had gone missing on Tuesday and we didn't manage to find them ourselves very quickly, I certainly would have raised the alarm on Wednesday morning."
Whatever, Wherever, Whenever
Overlandman
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Athrotaxis selaginoides
 
Posts: 1564
Joined: Sun 13 Nov, 2011 5:22 pm
Location: Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Return to South Australia, Western Australia & Northern Territory

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests