“We always encourage people to be as prepared as possible and tap into the up-to-date relevant advice in relation to the conditions they might be entering,” he said.

In the 12 months to the end of February, South Australia’s Police’s Special Tasks and Rescue Group had co-ordinated 12 search or rescue operations in remote locations.

The Adelaide Advertiser reports that various emergency services agencies, private and commercial aviation operators and landowners were called upon to help in those search efforts.

William Creek-based charter pilot Trevor Wright said he found himself jumping into his plane for a search about three to four times a year.

“As borders open up and tourists return, we are going to see numbers in the Outback like we’ve never seen before,” he said. “There will be a spike in these sorts of incidents because there will be all sorts of demographics of people crossing those Outback tracks.”

Mr Wright said the next elected South Australian government needed to urgently address lack of telecommunications.

“When you add up what it costs to conduct these sort of searches and the psychological toll it has on people, then I definitely think it’s meeting a public need,” he said. “There needs to be more education and the tracks need to be regularly maintained up to standard.”

The news of the recent Outback death certainly hit West Australian Orios Zavros hard.

Mr Zavros, his wife Lindsey, and children Zoe and Zane found themselves in a similar situation back in November, when their 4WD camper truck became bogged in South Australia while crossing the Simpson Desert.

Mr Zavros and his family dug through mud for two long days in an attempt to release their vehicle but their efforts were in vain.

The Adelaide Advertiser reports that it was a $350 personal locator beacon, which they decided to activate on the morning of day three, that saved their lives.

“If we didn’t have that beacon, would they have found us in time? Who knows,” he said.

Mr Zavros said ‘every possible option is on the table’ when you become that isolated.

“When the authorities say stay with your vehicle it’s for a reason but I’d be lying if I said leaving to find help didn’t cross my mind,” he said. “We had a little electric scooter and we were only about 100 kilometres from civilisation … my wife shot it down pretty quick, it wasn’t worth the risk.”

Mr Zavros said the ordeal had taught him a few things.

“It’s opened my eyes a bit and there are certainly a few things I would do differently,” he said. “Monitor the weather a bit better and rent or buy a satellite phone are just a few examples.”

Mr Zavros said his experience might help others to take that extra bit of caution.

“If we can get any message out there at all and it can save one person, then that’s great,” he said.

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