With more and more grey nomads deciding to make bushwalking a key part of their Big Lap adventure, there are ongoing warnings for hikers to prepare properly for the rigours of the pursuit.
In Tasmania alone, there were 240 search-and-rescue operations carried out in 2014-15. That’s an average of more than four a week.
The high numbers of rescues is being put down to the surge in interest in bushwalking … and a lack of preparation.
“As people get older and retire with a little bit more money they like to go bushwalking, and a 60-year-old body doesn’t function the same as it did when it was 25,” Sergeant Paul Steane told the ABC. “Most people, they’re just ordinary people who set out with the best of intent to have a good holiday, and through one reason or another things haven’t worked out.”
Sergeant Steane said most of the rescues were for relatively minor incidents because emergency services “tend to go earlier rather than later, because it’s far better to nip the problem in the bud than wait until it potentially gets to be a large problem”.
On a positive note, police said wider phone coverage and the fact that more people were carrying beacons was making the job of rescuers a lot more straightforward.
The ABC reports that, in its latest budget, the State Government allocated an extra $8 million for infrastructure upgrades in Tasmania’s parks and reserves. The money will be put towards new and improved signage and upgrades to tracks, roads and car parks.
However, Sergeant Steane, said it was still up to individuals to be prepared.
“Signs are always problematic in that sometimes they’re there, sometimes they’re not. I would stress on people to do their homework,” he told the ABC. “If you’re going to those more minor routes, do your homework, make sure you’re experienced for it, get your maps … and certainly make sure you’re fit enough, do some warm-up walks.”
* Have you ever been ‘caught out’ while bushwalking? What sort of preparations do you make before setting off on a hike? Do you think bushwalking signage is adequate? Comment below.
Yes, always carry water and phone and stick to tracks.