After rescuing three motorbike riders who had become stranded in the Simpson Desert last week, police have hit out at travellers who put their lives – and that of others – at risk by not making proper preparations.
The Sydney Morning Herald reportst that, in his eight years stationed at Birdsville, Senior Constable Neale McShane has made about 20 mercy dashes to save people caught without food and water in the searing heat of the desert.
Constable McShane said between six and eight travelling parties are stranded in the desert each year.
He said most failed to take the proper precautions, putting themselves in danger.
“It’s dangerous for us too, because you’re going over sandhill after sandhill and you’re travelling through the night,” he told the SMH. “The nurse has to come out and there’s only one nurse in Birdsville … that takes the ambulance and the nurse out of Birdsville, plus the police officer.”
The three motorcyclists who had to be rescued last week were from Victoria. When one of them crashed and injured his back outside Birdsville, the group activated an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon.
A Dornier aircraft, which costs taxpayers $50,000 with each deployment, was dispatched from Melbourne to locate the trio. The plane dropped survival kits containing water, food, a satellite phone and radio to the bikers.
“These guys were very poorly prepared, they had very little water with them – less than two litres each – they had no satellite phone and they had no UHF radios,” Constable McShane, said. “And they had all their gear on the bikes – fuel, water, food, camping equipment, tools, spares – so the bikes were too laden.”
Experts say the human body can succumb to the elements of the harsh Australian outback in just three hours. Once core body temperature exceeds 40 degrees the blood thickens, stressing vital organs. Heat stroke follows and soon death.
