There’s been another tragic death in a remote part of Australia.
The body of a 33-year-old man has been recovered in Mutawintji National Park, about 150km north of Broken Hill. He had been travelling with two friends in the NSW Outback when their Hyundai Excel crashed. A 21-year old male and a 24-year-old woman were both later found alive and taken to hospital.
The woman had managed to telephone emergency services on Tuesday afternoon to say the group, from country Victoria, were lost. According to media reports, her Triple-0 call dropped out before she could provide full details. Emergency crews used GPS co-ordinates to trace the call to inside the national park but, by the time they found the car, it had been abandoned.
The woman eventually walked to a sheep station in Acacia Downs, almost 20km away from her vehicle, to raise the alarm. Police said she appeared to be in “reasonable health”. She told officers she had left her two male companions at a water hole. The men were found five hours later at separate locations. The 33-year-old man was found dead near the waterhole and the 21-year-old was located 15km north-east of the Bondi water tank suffering from exposure and severe dehydration.
Last week, a man died and another found close to death – after their 4WD became bogged in the Simpson Desert in southwest Queensland.
The 25-year-old station worker died after leaving his vehicle to try to walk to safety in 45 degree heat. His companion was found just in time and has been taken to the Mt Isa Hospital suffering from extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion. Police say the two men did not have enough water with them.
Both tragedies are a reminder of the need for grey nomads and all travellers to take extreme care when embarking on any adventurous journey, whether it be a bush walk or an Outback drive. Adequate preparation and planning are absolutely critical.
