Rescue Stories
Rescue efforts deserve high praise
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Tasmania has commended all those involved in ensuring the safety and rescue of those impacted by the adverse weather in the Tasmanian highlands over the past week. The police search and rescue teams, helicopter pilots, paramedics and medical staff, SES...
The Slippery Slope
Colleen, her husband, and their adult son and daughter were part of a group walking the Overland track. It was day five of a 6-day walk, and the guide warned them about the slippery and potentially dangerous conditions. Colleen, a physiotherapist from Sydney, was a naturally...
Heart Attack In The Snow
Josie was fit and active, and had spent some time preparing for her walk on the Overland track. She was in a group of seven walkers, with two guides, at the start of a six-day hike. It was early October, there was residual snow on the ground, but...
A Night In The Bush
Tania and her family have a little shack on a large parcel of land east of Ross. Their fifteen-year-old son, Alex, loves exploring the tracks and learning bush survival skills, and knows the area well. However, while out with his cousin late one afternoon Alex caught scent of a...
Off The Bike And Into The Ditch
Celia’s dream had been to get her motorbike license when she turned 50, and she had her husband were members of a local social riding group. Celia calls herself a fair-weather rider, not one to take unnecessary risks. On the day of the accident, on a ride from Richmond to Bothwell,...
Over the Cliff's Edge
Rod is part of a bushwalking group who get together once a month for various walks. On the day of the accident the group were up behind Brighton, when about half way through the walk Rod said to the fellow behind, “just be careful, this rock’s a little loose.” As he went to move it...
Mountain of Pain
Wendy was preparing for a camel trek in Central Australia when she had the accident. Her training regime was strict, and this particular day she and two girlfriends had decided to walk the Mills track on Mount Wellington. Despite it being mid-Summer there was mist down at the...
Three Days from Anywhere - Dav's Story
In March of 2017 Dav and his wife Kelly began their much-anticipated 8-day Overland track walk. On the third day, with just 3 kilometres further to go, Dav tripped over an exposed tree root. With the weight of his pack propelling him forward he didn’t have time put his hand or...
The Wrong River
Leanne and her partner Jon, an experienced outdoorsman, had been exploring the West Coast in their 4WD when they stopped for what was meant to be a quick 5-minute walk to an old water diversion tunnel. “On the way back we were laughing and joking”, Leanne says, “and not really...
Snowy Range Blizzard Stops Walker in his Tracks
On Saturday 24th September 2016, Ian Cantle, an experienced solo walker, embarked on a weekend bush walk/snow trip, complete with snow shoes. Ian knew this walk and its challenges.He was due back the next day, Sunday.Before long, Ian was in the middle of a white out blizzard and 100...
