Mountains Mishaps: Death and Misadventure in the Blue Mountains of NSW: Blue Mountains Search and Rescue History, #1

By Christopher F Webber

Every year in the Blue Mountains, up to 400 visitors get lost or need rescuing, with many spending an unexpected night in the bush. Most incidents happen in the same locations, within a few kilometres of civilisation. Readers will not only enjoy some gripping adventures, but also learn how to enjoy their trip in the Blue Mountains to the maximum. The over 620 episodes cover from the 1860s to the present day. Most people survived, but there were over 240 untimely deaths. There are in excess of 200 colour photographs and many maps. For the first time, all the Blue Mountains canyons are mapped together, and all the storms and snowfalls are catalogued.

The Blue Mountains National Park has the highest visitation of any National Park in Australia, more than 4 million visitors per annum. In the Blue Mountains, the numbers are uncertain, as only about 20% of incidents are reported to the public. Through Freedom of Information requests and interviews with local people, this book aims to help break the silence. Between 2004 and 2007 nearly 400 people were reported missing in the Blue Mountains and surrounding area, which led to 200 search and rescue operations.

These incidents may have a wide effect on the local community and tourist industry. Up to nine organisations may be involved searching for a single man. For example, one 2013 search involved 1,000 people and lasted four weeks. Another search resulted in a miraculous survival and payment of $200,000 to the survivor, who suffered permanent injuries. One man survived an air crash and a week of freezing temperatures without food in some of the most rugged terrain to found his own airline. A couple got lost in the same place twice in the same weekend, and had to be rescued each time. Another man tried to cross the rugged, 150 km wide Wollemi National park with only some potatoes and naan bread in his back pack. 99% of missing persons are found, but there are several mysterious disappearances.

The book has a chapter for each cause of injury or death – 12 in all, plus a Preface, Introduction, and four appendices. Each chapter starts with some personal stories, followed by a description of the hazard, and instructions on how to avoid it. This is followed by other stories arranged in chronological and geographical order.

 The focus of the book is on incidents that occur in the bush, but there are some of the more remarkable incidents on the roads, in the air, and on the railways, too. There have been 40 air crashes, for instance. Readers will learn of the incidence of snow, storms, floods, landslides, and tremors. There is also a local history of the geology, railways and the local emergency services. The heroism and selfless dedication of both professional and volunteer rescuers is highlighted. Blue Mountains rescuers have received many awards for their bravery.

This is an important and unique book, featuring prize-winning research, which anybody with an interest in in emergency situations, cars, trains, planes, canyoning, bushwalking, mountain biking, swimming, liloing, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities should read. It could save your life, or at least save you from an embarrassing night in the bush. This book will tell you where to go, what to take, and when. This is a non-academic study that can easily be read in small stages.

 This book is sponsored by the NSW Government through Create NSW and by the State Emergency Services Volunteers Association.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carmarthen Hills Press
• Release date: Dec 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9780645809916

Christopher F Webber

Christopher Webber was born in England and lived in Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka before moving to Australia.  He has been a member of Blue Mountains SES since he moved to the Blue Mountains in 2001 and has been an SES member for 25 years. During that time, he has been involved in many searches for missing persons as well as other dramatic events described in the book.  He is the recipient of the National Medal, the 2019-2020 Bushfire Citation, the NSW SES Long Service Medal, and other awards.  He has been bushwalking in Australia for 50 years, and led walks for the All Nations Bushwalking Club. He has published two military history books, many articles about ancient and modern military history, and a World War 2 hex -and-counter type historical simulation game.  He also made significant contributions to the ancient and medieval historical strategy game Field of Glory 2.    He published ground breaking research on the Thracians after making three visits to Bulgaria and taking part in archaeological digs.   He worked in the IT industry as a trainer, project manager, software tester, website content editor, and IT support technician for over 30 years.    After 15 years’ service with TAFE and the Department of Education., he was made redundant, and decided to write a book about a more relevant issue.  

Book preview

Preface

Since European settlement, the same kind of incidents have been happening at the same locations in the Blue Mountains repeatedly, but visitors seem unaware of the danger. I hope this book will help people by showing how to enjoy the Blue Mountains safely and avoid becoming involved in one of those incidents.

I have been a member of SES for more than 25 years, mostly with Blue Mountains SES, and participated in many searches for missing persons and forensic searches. I have been a keen bushwalker all my life, and used to lead walks for the All Nations Bushwalkers. During that time I also published two history books. When I was made redundant in January 2020, I decided to try writing a book that might help people. It seems the Australian rescue services think I succeeded, as I won first prize at the AFAC21 conference for my poster presentation about this book even before it was completed.

The most lethal Blue Mountains activity by far is driving a motor vehicle: there were 147 people killed on roads in 2018/2019 alone. Far more people die and get injured that way than through some outdoor adventure. Perhaps a case could be made that, until we solve the former problem, it’s not worth putting a lot of effort into the latter. However, it is easier and cheaper to prevent outdoor adventure incidents than road crashes. There are some simple things people can do that will help. Preventing road crashes is a lot more complex problem.

This book is divided into chapters about each type of misadventure that may befall visitors to the Blue Mountains. In addition, there are appendices to help you with information about personal locator beacons, the search and rescue organisations, weather events, natural disasters, and abbreviations. This book also includes general information about the local area, and what you can do to prevent an accident or an unanticipated overnight stay.

I am very grateful to some individual members of the RFS and SES for their generous assistance, particularly Peter Raines, Deputy Captain of Mount Wilson/Mt Irvine RFS and David Parsons, Blue Mountains SES Planning Officer.

Although I am a member of Blue Mountains SES, and have access to some SES files, I did not directly source any SES information. I obtained the SES operational information as de-identified data the same way as any member of the public would, via a GIPA request. While I have received a small expenses sponsorship from the SES Volunteers Association, the NSW SES does not support the publication in any way and this is not an official publication of the NSW SES.

This project was supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

I would also like to thank Alan Sheehan, Rescue Officer from Oberon SES, for his article about probabilistic search techniques and his help in preparing the Kanangra information. Ian Bennett Captain of Lithgow VRA was also very helpful in providing information about the Wollemi National Park and Newnes and Wolgan canyons. The RAAF were kind enough to provide what information they had about helicopter operations. Peter Jamieson gave permission to use the maps from his father’s book Canyons Near Sydney but this proved unnecessary as Scott Osborne offered to draw them from scratch, and did a fabulous job. Andy Macqueen allowed me to use stories from his book Back from the Brink and provided additional information. I would like to thank Jeanette Learned, President of the Springwood Bushwalking Club, for her help and support. Many other individuals have kindly contributed their stories and I thank them also, e.g. Bushra Moussa, Janette Asche, Bruce Cameron. Weather information was provided by David Parsons (Blue Mountains SES Planning Officer) and Lee Graham from Blackheath Weather (attempts to contact MasterNASA were unsuccessful though). Matt U’Brien, former Blue Mountains Police Rescue officer, also offered his support.

Most information had to be gleaned from media reports and inquiry documents. Therefore, many incidents have been left out and this is not a comprehensive list. The editorial policy of newspapers has changed over time, as has the content of police reporting, so that in some years the only incidents mentioned in their publications are car accidents or incidents where somebody dies. The book should be seen only as a fair sample of what has happened. In some years, as little as 10% of incidents are reported in the media. Modern media only rarely include the names of people involved, but I have tried to mention the names of the rescuers and the rescued where possible.

I should like to thank the Blue Mountains Historical Society for their assistance. Newspaper articles are not available online after 1954 and there is a large gap between then and more recent services, which only permit access via a paywall. This is why there are some decades with more incidents listed than others. For the newspapers after 1954, I have been able to search through the Blue Mountains Gazette and Blue Mountains Echo copies stored in the Historical Society library. The now moribund Australian Accident Register was also a very useful source of incidents. I would like to thank Lucas Trihey, Ian Brown, and Richard Delaney for the use of reports from that database.

Canyoning is inherently dangerous and is the deadliest adventure activity. However, canyoning incidents may be over-represented because they are recorded on an incident database, reported on canyoning web sites, they are newsworthy, and because Mount Wilson RFS reports many of their canyon rescues on their web page.

Note: The correct name for Katoomba Hospital is Blue Mountains District ANZAC Memorial Hospital. Rather than write that out over and over again, and to make the location more easily understood, I have abbreviated it to Katoomba Hospital.

DISCLAIMER – Information provided in this book

Outdoor adventure activities, including recreational bushwalking, canyoning, and rock climbing, can be dangerous and undertaking these activities beyond your capabilities or without you having adequate experience, skill, regard to safety, and suitable equipment can result in serious injury or death.

This book aims to provide you with information which can assist you – as a recreational bushwalker – to undertake your activity safely and with enhanced enjoyment.

Information is provided on the basis that, as a person reading this book, you undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance of information provided to your circumstances and needs. You use the information at your own discretion and risk. You are and remain responsible for the decisions you make, and you will be solely responsible for any damage or loss whatsoever that results from such use.

The author, contributors, and publisher:

disclaim to the fullest extent permitted by law all guarantees, warranties or representations of acceptable quality and fitness for any purpose, security, reliability, completeness and accuracy of this book and any of its contents;

take no responsibility for any error, omission or defect;

do not accept liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense you or others might incur as a result of the information provided or incorporated into this book by reference; and

This book does not:

set out requirements or information for commercial operators, or school or youth groups or any other groups with special needs;

provide competency-based training and associated standards;

provide detailed instructions on use of specific equipment and first aid; or

provide legal advice.

Content Warning

This book contains accounts of people who have died or suffered trauma.

Photo credits

Thanks to the following people and organisations for generously allowing me to use their photographs: Dorian Alegria, Janette Asche, Dennis Bainbridge, Peter Belshaw, Tom Brennan, Ian Brown, Julie Burton, Nigel Foote, Trevor Gunter, Gary Hayes, James Johnston, Clive Keenan, Jeanette Learned, Samantha Marriott, Peter Medbury, Colin Menger, Jim Mitchell, David Noble, Sylvia Orellana, Shane Sanford, Alan Sheehan, Andrew Smith, Fiona Sweeting, Will Turner, Jason Wheeler, Blue Mountains City Library, Blue Mountains City Council, NSW Ambulance, CareFlight, Toll Ambulance Rescue, NSW Police, Blue Mountains Police Rescue, NSW Fire & Rescue, Blue Mountains Historical Society, Blue Mountains SES, Oberon SES, SES Volunteers Association, Bushwalking Wilderness Rescue, Wentworth Falls RFS, Top Notch Video, Blue Mountains Gazette, Lithgow Mercury, 7 News, ABC News, 9 News, Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, National Parks & Wildlife Service, Transport for NSW, Police Media, Sydney University Bushwalkers, University of NSW Outdoor Club, Heritage NSW.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Blue Mountains are located within the Country of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples. I recognise that Dharug and Gundungurra Traditional Owners have a continuous and deep connection to their Country and that this is of great cultural significance to Aboriginal people, both locally and in the region.

For Dharug and Gundungurra People, Ngurra (Country) takes in everything within the physical, cultural and spiritual landscape – landforms, waters, air, trees, rocks, plants, animals, foods, medicines, minerals, stories and special places. It includes cultural practice, kinship, knowledge, songs, stories and art, as well as spiritual beings, and people: past, present and future.

I pay respect to Elders past and present while recognising the strength, capacity and resilience of past and present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Blue Mountains region.

Map of Blue Mountains Towns (Map courtesy of Andrew Springell, Stralia Web)

Map I – Katoomba, Leura, and Wentworth Falls: Lookouts and Landmarks (by Scott Osborne)

Introduction

Around midday on Sunday 23 August 2020, 20-year-old friends Jana and Leila, from south-western Sydney, left their car in the car park at Evans Lookout and went down the Grand Canyon track, expecting a two-hour walk. It had snowed the day before, and this was one of the coldest days of the year. They were wearing thin full exercise/gym gear that completely covered their body, arms and legs. When they got to the bottom of the stairs and reached the creek that runs through the canyon, instead of turning right and going back to Neates Glen as intended, they didn’t see any signs, and turned left into Rodriguez Pass.

From there, it is a demanding six-hour walk back to Govetts Leap, descending and climbing 600-800m, but they didn’t know it. All they were carrying was a bottle of water and an apple. They had seen some warnings about bush fire damage and became worried when they saw many fallen trees and found themselves on the edge of high cliffs on a faint and narrow track. They were expecting to find themselves going in a circle and arriving back at their car no later than 3 pm. So around 3 pm they turned back, and tried to use their phones to call for help. However, they found that they had no reception. They found themselves walking towards a waterfall (possibly Beauchamp Falls) and on a trail that ended in a muddy puddle. They tried using the maps on their phone but kept ending up at cliff edges and dead ends that weren’t apparent on the map. They then made the decision to stay the night, as there was no way they were going to make it back to the top with clear vision and were worried they might fall off the cliffs.

So, they walked back down as they believed the lower they went, the warmer it would be. Darkness falls early inside the valleys/canyons because of the shadows from the cliffs. When it started to get dark, they found a level spot not far from the cliff edges that offered a little shelter. The temperature started to drop, but luckily there was very little wind and no rain. They told each other jokes to keep up their spirits and moved around a bit to stay warm, but nightfall found them at the same spot.

By this time, the police had been advised that they were missing. At around 10 pm they heard a helicopter and jumped for joy, hugging each other, and tried signalling to the helicopter with their phone light. The helicopter hovered right above them but didn’t seem to see them and didn’t have any lights on. They were very cold and afraid to go to sleep. They stayed where they were though, and when the sun came up, they saw a landmark they had been looking for, and the path leading to it, and (using the phone as a compass) followed the path upwards.

Early in the morning on Monday 24 August 2020, their friend Bushra Moussa put an appeal on a Facebook bushwalking group for people to look out for the two girls. The girls’ families drove up to Evans Lookout, split into groups and, despite police warnings to the contrary, went looking for them. Soon the girls were overjoyed to hear the voice of their uncle shouting their names, and were able to walk out with him. Somehow, though they had lots of bruises and scratches, they were safe and well.

About four million tourists visit the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains every year.[1] This number has risen sharply over recent years, though numbers fell during the COVID crisis. It is Australia’s second most popular tourist attraction and the busiest National Park in NSW. There is very little reliable visitor data available on use of walking tracks, but use is estimated to range from several thousand on a typical informal track providing access to a significant feature such as a canyon, to 300,000 walkers per annum on a typical cliff-top track on the Jamison Valley escarpment.[2] Since only about 10-20% of incidents are reported in the media, few people realise the nature of the risks they are taking. They may think the risks are negligible or at least publicly managed without need for personal effort. My research suggests there are now about 200 people being rescued each year. Every year until 2013, around 130 bushwalkers got lost or needed rescuing, of which about 20 spent an unexpected night in the bush.[3] That’s about one every three days, but most happen during peak visitation times: weekends (especially on long weekends) and holiday periods.

For instance, 12 people were rescued in the Blue Mountains in the two weeks between 28 December 2012 and 9 January 2013. In the first six weeks of 2010, the Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad had 51 bush search and rescue jobs[4]. Seven rescues occurred over the Easter long weekend 2009. Over the Australia Day long weekend in 2011, there were eight rescue operations, including two for the same couple who got lost twice in the same place on the same weekend (see the lost and found chapter), and five on 26 January. Five people were rescued in three separate operations in less than 24 hours starting 9 pm Wednesday 18 January 2012. A week later, there were five rescues in 24 hours on 25-26 January 2012, the Australia Day public holiday.[5]

Visitors and locals alike should be able to enjoy our Blue Mountains wonderland to the full, and without mishap. They should be able to go to the lookouts, admire the waterfalls, cycle the fire trails, climb the cliffs, abseil the canyons and spend many hours or days hiking. Unfortunately, accidents do happen and some people over-estimate their abilities.

Even an ordinary weekend can be busy. There were three incidents on Saturday 28 May 2011 - two mountain bikers who fell off their bikes, and a bushwalker who hurt his leg.[6] Possibly the worst weekend was 10-12 June 2000: on that long weekend, two bushwalkers and two canyoners died, in separate incidents.[7] This book lists more than 621 incidents causing 236 deaths. It is hoped that this book will help prevent people from becoming one of those statistics.

To keep this record up to date, I am attempting to setup an accompanying incident database web page (a revived Australian Accident Register). Alternatively, the University of the Sunshine Coast UPLOADS study could be expanded to include anybody involved in an outdoor activity, rather than just those involved in outdoor educational activity groups as they are at the moment. The UPLOADS study includes the provision of a phone app on which to record incidents that would be very useful for recording wider data.

Several organisations may be involved in a rescue operation, but although the police are in charge, all have a different idea of the frequency and seriousness of incidents, and have differing reporting requirements. This combines with patient confidentiality regulations, privacy considerations, fears of legal action, and a reluctance to alarm the public, to promote a false image of park safety.

In 2018, the Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad attended to around 133 incidents relating to outdoor recreation and:

71 SAR (Search and Rescue) incidents (injured persons due to outdoor recreation misadventure);

14 Vertical (cliff) rescues;

97 Land search incidents, of which perhaps 50% relate to lost bushwalkers (the other half are for missing persons, wandering dementia patients, forensic searches, or as part of normal police operations).

I am aware that these figures do not add up. There may be incidents that fit more than one category. This is how the figures were provided to me in response to my Freedom of Information (GIPA) request.

In 2019, they had an increase in nearly all categories mentioned above. They responded to approximately 172 incidents relating to outdoor recreation in the region for which Blue Mountains Police Area Command is responsible. Out of these, there were approximately

106 SAR incidents (injured persons due to outdoor recreation misadventure);

19 Vertical (cliff) rescues;

95 Land search incidents, of which perhaps 50% related to lost bushwalkers.[8];

Despite the bush fires and COVID-19 lockdown, it seems likely there was an increase in the numbers of incidents again in 2020, as the total number of incidents of all types they responded to increased from 900 in 2019, to 1000 in 2020. Visitor numbers also rose dramatically after the COVID lockdown ended.[9]

The Police figures of 133 incidents in 2018 and 172 incidents in 2019 may be compared to the number of incidents from those years that are described in this book: 14 in 2018, and 19 in 2019. There were probably more but even so, close to 10% of the incidents that actually occurred are included in this book. That is not intentional. Those are simply all the incidents that I could find that were mentioned in the media, on websites, Facebook pages, etc.

It is no wonder, then, that this magnificent environment often turns out to be more powerful and unpredictable than people expect. Much of the park is remote and difficult to access, except on foot. There are rare cases where people decide to escape the hustle of normal life, and disappear into the mountains, where they may survive for years in a cave, while family and friends search for them. Sometimes people have to be rescued because they are sick, but at other times it’s because of lack of preparation. It is often for a simple reason, like a twisted ankle, not knowing when dusk will fall, missing the last Scenic Railway trip out of the valley, or not taking water on a hot day.

On Wednesday 26 December 2012, a 29-year-old Victorian man was dropped off by friends at Newnes in the northern end of the Wolgan Valley. Walking along the river from Newnes is one of the few easy ways to enter the Wollemi National Park wilderness, a maze of cliffs and canyons. He planned to take just three days to do the 150 km trek from one side of the Wollemi National Park to the other, at Colo Heights. When he didn’t reach the rendezvous point on Saturday 29 December, his friends contacted police, and a search began that day. The search was conducted by two police helicopters and volunteers from the Lithgow Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and Lithgow State Emergency Service (SES). The VRA searched from the western side, while the SES searched from the eastern side. A total of 23 people were involved.

Four hours later, at 7:35 pm, The Polair 2 helicopter spotted the man in the Wolgan Valley after he lit a smokey fire to draw their attention. Polair 3 was then able to winch him to safety. At the time all he had in his pack was a kilogram of potatoes and some naan bread. He didn’t even have any camping equipment. He had sustained a minor ankle injury and was taken to Katoomba Police Station after refusing treatment. He was issued with a rarely imposed $500 infringement notice for engage in activity that risks the safety of self/others under the NPWS regulations. There is no direct route across the extremely rugged southern Wollemi wilderness and navigation is extremely difficult. It would have taken him at least a week to accomplish the crossing, which would have required special equipment such as ropes and/or a lilo.[10]

Such incidents are not always the fault of the visitor. This book also hopes to show that such incidents could be reduced if there were better tracks, and better standards of track maintenance and signage. Jana and Leila, in the story above, are not alone in missing a sign. According to Goh, 20-50% of park visitors fail to notice signage.[11] People may go off-track or lose the track because the track was not maintained properly and they took a wrong turn. Funding cuts to the National Parks Service may mean that there are fewer people to maintain tracks, enforce regulations and advise visitors, which may result in increased injuries and deaths amongst visitors to the National Park. The provision of adequate signposting, visitor orientation and interpretive material is essential to enhance visitor experiences and assist in visitor management.[12]

Jana and Leila’s story at the beginning of this chapter also shows how you can’t rely on your phone to save you. Having a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) can save your life and prevent permanent injuries. Appendix A describes beacons and how to get one, free. In 2012, about 1,700 beacons were triggered in Australia. About 270 resulted in searches, with only 109 found to be genuine emergencies. Some people activated the devices after encountering minor car problems, as a virtual roadside service. The design of the beacon sometimes leads to accidental activations when they get squashed down into a pack or the pack hits something. Some beacons are being triggered in capital cities and urban areas. By 2012, there had been 400 inadvertent activations and 21 confirmed hoaxes.[13]

22 March 2009: David Tritton, a father of two from Faulconbridge, slipped and fell six metres off a rock, shattering his left ankle before landing in water. He was on the second day of his three-day trek along the Upper Kowmung River, in the Kanangra Boyd National Park. One section of bone protruded from his skin and the rest was shattered, causing his leg to wobble like jelly as he swam to safety with the help of his friend James Goodwin. He activated a personal locator beacon, a decision that may have saved his leg. His friends estimate that if they had not been not carrying the beacons that they borrowed from Springwood police station, Mr Goodwin would have had to walk out of the bush after sleeping overnight and Mr Tritton would not have been rescued for about 36 hours. By that time, an infection that he developed due to his open wound being exposed to water could have become septic. Instead, he was rescued by helicopter in less than five hours.[14]

Chapter 13 describes the 14 rescue and helicopter services that may be involved with a Blue Mountains rescue operation. Rescue operations involving helicopters may cost $10,000 per hour (including staff and based on the hiring rate for a police helicopter to the public) but many of the staff involved are volunteers who give their time freely, or are full -time staff whose salaries are paid whether or not a rescue happens. Rescue helicopters are now held on standby 24 hours and paid for by government contracts. Also, we don’t charge smokers and morbidly obese people more for public health care. Suggestions that people should pay for their rescue costs are usually rejected on the grounds that this would make people reluctant to call for help, resulting in worse loss of life and injuries. The costs would be too high for an individual to pay.

If a person is not rescued quickly, additional medical costs could be imposed on the community and the individual. There would also be a need for additional medical resources, as people who are not rescued quickly will not get the treatment they need fast enough, to prevent further complications. So, a simple broken leg could result in a permanent disability. A good example is the 2019 rescue of 17- year- old Isaac Ebeling (described in the chapter on cliff falls). Not only did he survive falling off Lincolns Rock (despite very serious injuries), thanks to a quick response, he was running around playing sport only six months later.

Adventure activities often involve the exposure of participants to risks inherent in natural environments, such as falling and floods. The Natural and Wilderness settings of national parks are suitable venues for this type of challenging, nature-based activity and it is appropriate that opportunities for responsible but sometimes hazardous participation are maintained. It is necessary for participants in adventure recreation activities to accept responsibility for their own safety.[15]

How to enjoy the Mountains without Mishaps

Most tragedies are due to incorrect decision making. This can happen at any time but remember that the decision-making process can be adversely affected by the local weather, thirst, hunger, fatigue, terrain, and the proximity of food, shelter, or water. People have been known to do anything from take the wrong track to jump off cliffs if they are thirsty enough and there is water below.

Having someone with you can improve your odds of making the right decision, at the right time, immensely. Most tragedies happen to young, fit, males who are ALONE. If possible, try to have at least four people in your group. Make sure there’s at least one experienced person in the group who can guide and assist others. If there is an emergency, two can go for help, while the other stays with the injured or ill person. If you are young, male, and alone you are probably very confident but you are in the highest risk category. Take every precaution. If you know somebody who is in that category, please get them to read some of the stories in this book.

Make sure your activity is something which all participants in your group are able to do. There are many ways technology can help keep you safe in national parks, but it’s still important to plan and prepare for all conditions. Many parts of the Blue Mountains national parks don’t have mobile phone coverage.

A good example of the benefit of walking in a group occurred 4 November 2020, when a 50-year-old Sydney woman was rescued from Dargan, in the Wollemi National Park. She fell and injured her ankle shortly before midday while bushwalking from Gooches Crater to Dargan Arch. Fortunately, she was with a well-prepared group of seven from a Sydney Bushwalking Club. Some of her companions gave first aid, while one of them walked to higher ground to enable mobile phone reception. They also activated an EPIRB. Shortly afterwards, Blue Mountains Police Rescue and Lithgow VRA rushed towards their location. At the same time the Toll Rescue 207 Helicopter arrived and lowered a paramedic into the accident site. The injured woman was stabilised before being winched up to the waiting helicopter and flown to Liverpool Hospital. She was reportedly in a stable condition upon arrival.[16]

Basically, think before you T-R-E-K:

Take – Register – Emergency – Keep

TAKE enough water, food, equipment and first aid supplies. Pack extra food and water in case of unexpected delays.

☑  TAKE At least two litres (four pints) of water per person per day. David Iredale died from hyperthermia and thirst only a few kilometres from Katoomba in December 2006. It was very hot, so he took two litres with him, expecting to find more water in a creek on top of a mountain, but not unsurprisingly, the creek was dry. His story is in the chapter on hyperthermia (heat stress). Other walkers may find themselves in distress and vomiting as they walk out of the valley on a hot day if they are unprepared or push themselves too hard. You must take regular breaks when walking, and drink whether you are thirsty or not. Don’t drink too much, though, that causes hyponatremia, which is a life-threatening condition caused by low sodium levels.

☑  TAKE Waterproof and windproof clothing to keep you warm. Wear long sleeved shirt and loose long trousers – these protect you from the sun, prickly and scratchy plants, sharp rocks, insects, and snakes. Wearing walking boots will protect you from getting a strained ankle, a common injury.

☑  TAKE a wide brimmed hat, sun glasses, and sunscreen. UV radiation increases by about 10% for every 1000m, so you get 10% more sunlight in the Blue Mountains than sitting on a beach.

☑  TAKE a 1:25000 Topographic map and compass (know how to use them). You can get free topographic maps from SIX Maps (maps.six.nsw.gov.au). Choose your map, download it, then print it yourself. Some hiking shops will print them for you, for a fee, or you can ask a printing shop to print one for you. You can also download them to your device if it has a pdf reader on it. If you don’t have a map, bring a GPS with spare batteries.

☑  TAKE Matches and a torch, first aid kit, whistle, a space blanket. In winter, temperatures may drop to zero degrees Celsius at night. It also starts to get dark in the valleys early, around 4:30 pm.

☑  TAKE Your mobile phone or a satellite phone. Make sure it is fully charged before you go.

These are just the basics for a day walk or hike. If you intend to stay overnight you will also need a sleeping bag, tent, stove, and other items. During the summer there is quite often a fire ban, so bring a small gas or spirit stove

REGISTER your trip

Tell your family or friends where you’re going, when you expect to return and who is with you. Fill in a trip intention form when you pick up your beacon, or online. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your emergency contact (friend or family) can notify NSW Police if you don’t return on time. The online form is on the NSW National Parks web page www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au. If you have told someone you will be coming back at a certain time, you will need to let them know exactly when it is time to call the emergency services. Is it ½ day, one day, two days, or more? You will need to clearly spell out when it is time to worry.

In 2002, 24 drama students from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst were able to be rescued from the Kanangra Boyd wilderness only because they had left a message with a friend to call police if they didn’t return on time – otherwise nobody would have known they had gone, or where to look. You can read their story, Australia’s largest helicopter winch rescue, in the chapter on Canyons.

.In 2009, Jamie Neale, a British tourist, became lost not far from Katoomba, but he hadn’t told anybody where he was going or registered his trip. Nobody knew he was missing until three days later, when a room-mate noticed his phone was still in his room, charging. More than 400 people searched for him, for nine days, but he could not be found as nobody knew where he was supposed to be. Incredibly, he survived without food or shelter for 12 days in freezing conditions, but suffered permanent injuries. You can read his story in the chapter on missing and lost people.

EMERGENCY Personal Locator Beacon (PLB/EPIRB)

You can borrow a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) for free, from the visitor information centres at Echo Point, Glenbrook, and Oberon; the NPWS information centre at Govetts Leap (Blackheath), or police stations at Katoomba, Windsor, and Springwood.

KEEP to your planned route. Walking tracks in NSW National Parks are not always signposted or maintained (declared wilderness areas have no signposts or maintained tracks), so it’s easy to get lost if you leave the track. Allow plenty of time to finish the activity in daylight.

Before you go:

Check the NSW National Parks and the Blue Mountains City Council web pages for track closures. You must check both, as they control different parts of the parks but the BMCC has made it easy by putting all track and road closures on one web page, their Emergency Dashboard https://emergency.bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Check the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) web page for weather,