Story generously shared by Liesbeth Long, Founding President - Central Goldfields Bushwalking & Hiking Club Inc and Board Member - Bushwalking Victoria
In a split second our August monthly club hike in the Grampians went from a fantastic day exploring remote and rugged caves, to one I won’t forget in a hurry, when it turned into a major rescue operation after a rockfall left one of our hikers trapped and another seriously injured.
Our Central Goldfields Bushwalking and Hiking Club Inc had planned to visit a series of caves at Hollow Mountain in the Victoria Range as part of our monthly hike.
There was absolutely no anticipation that morning that anything would go wrong. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, absolutely stunning. There was a bit of dew on the ground, but nothing major.
I was the sweep, so the last person making sure no one was left behind. As we got to the top of the mountain near the cave, I came around the last bend and heard an almighty scream, followed by a cloud of dust and stones, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, something serious has happened.’
While trying to enter the cave, the Hike Leader had accidentally dislodged a huge boulder. It rolled down and pinned a woman behind him, crushing her foot.
Then a second boulder knocked him off his feet. It landed on his chest, rolled onto his stomach and sat there, pinning him down.
He was just moaning and groaning. Two other hikers rushed up and managed to lift the rock off him. He sat up and was as white as a sheet. One of our members is a nurse and she stepped up and checked his vitals.
We looked at each other and I knew straight away that this was a serious incident and that we needed help immediately, so I pushed the button on the club’s Personal Location Beacons, (PLBs). Ours is a small yellow device (rescueME PLB Personal Locator Beacon) that sends a distress signal by satellite to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra. This can then alert emergency services to your exact location in an emergency.
Our two club’s PLBs were donated through a grant from the Community Bank Avoca, Maryborough, St Arnaud when the club was founded 3 years ago, but they can also be purchased from outdoor and camping stores. PLBs are only to be used in grave danger. They are serious devices and its only one-way communication. The device is registered to our club, so our treasurer received a phone call at home asking, ‘One of your PLBs has gone off, what’s going on?’ She told them that the club had gone hiking in the Grampians.
I checked my phone and realised we had some mobile phone reception, so I then called Triple Zero and liaised with Emergency Services to co-ordinate a rescue of the injured hiker. An ambulance was immediately dispatched from Horsham.
From there, my actions prompted a cascade of emergency service responses. It became a multi-agency response involving Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, the State Emergency Service (SES), Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and six Country Fire Authority (CFA) units, including specialised rescue equipment brought in from Ballarat.
But of course, I didn't know any of this was happening at the time.
Once I explained what had happened, an Air Ambulance Victoria (HEMS4) helicopter was sent from Warrnambool. I knew we’d only a tiny spec to them, so asked people what they had in their packs to attract attention. We put down two aluminium foil thermal blankets on a ledge not far from us and started waving a bright coloured red jacket. They spotted us and made a beeline for us.
As soon as the Paramedic had rappelled down, a police officer appeared out of nowhere. He was from Hamilton and had run up the mountain to find us. He was super fit, absolutely lathered in sweat, and had nothing on him except two bottles of water.
I was in constant contact with Emergency Services and they requested that two bushwalkers hike back to camp to meet with the rescue team so that they could show them where we were located. I called a ‘meeting’ and appointed the two most suitable people. It was challenging and I certainly had to think fast on my feet. It was so counter intuitive to split up our bushwalking group.
The Paramedic spent an hour with the injured man, administering IV pain meds and the ‘Green Whistle’. Meanwhile, the helicopter was hovering in a valley nearby. Once stable, the injured man was placed in a harness and gently walked down to the ledge following an impromptu path cleared by all of our hikers. The helicopter returned and they were both winched up. With a big sweeping bend they flew straight to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
The accident happened at about 11am. I set off the PLB 15 mins later and rang 000 at 11.20am, the helicopter arrived at 12.30pm, and the injured man was hoisted out at 1.30pm. I honestly thought we would be there until dark, but it was only two and a half hours until he was in the air.
Two local CFA members then turned up. They had gone to the other ‘Hollow Mountain’ and that’s why they were so late. But between them and the police officer, they led our ‘somewhat bewildered’ party back down. When we eventually returned where we were base camping, we were met by four ambulances, two police cars and a CFA truck. There were people in uniform everywhere!
Paramedics went up to every single member of our group and asked, ‘What’s your name? What is your date of birth? Are you okay? Do you need anything?’
That night, there were seven of us left at camp and I thought everyone would just pack up and go home. Instead, everyone decided to stay. We sat around the fire, chatted and debriefed, which was really good for everyone and the group’s morale.
The next day, I floated the idea of going on a couple of small walks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, because I didn’t want the previous day’s events to be the only memory of our weekend. Everyone agreed whole heartedly.
As confronting as the whole experience was, I don't think it should deter people from getting outdoors. Nature can be unpredictable, and this was a freak accident. Nobody was at fault and nobody was being careless.
What it did reinforce for me was the importance of being prepared for rare incidents like this. Even when there is mobile phone coverage, our club (and me personally), carry a PLB always and everywhere. It’s peace of mind for you and also your family.
As distressing as it was seeing people hurt, it was also fascinating to see how the emergency response system works. More importantly, it gave me real peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong, there are systems in place to keep people safe.
Even so, I don't think you could ever really be prepared for something like this. I drew on all my leadership skills and then some, but everyone brought something to the table. I am incredibly proud of our group and the resilience and camaraderie everyone showed. People remained calm and followed instructions. Everyone worked together.
The injured man spent 4 days in ICU at the Alfred and is still recovering from seven broken ribs, a broken sternum, internal bleeding and two broken vertebrae in his back.
The other injured bushwalker suffered several broken bones in her foot but luckily didn’t require surgery – just a Moon Boot. She managed to hobble back down the mountain where she was assessed by paramedics.
Since then, we have all been ringing everyone to ask how we’re are going. That’s what our bushwalking club is about - being there for each other and supporting one another.
When I came home from our September club walk, my husband asked me how it went. I replied “It was great!” To which he responded, “What, no helicopters this time?”
No, but if I did need one, I know they are there at a moment’s notice - thanks to our incredible and dedicated emergency services!
Liesbeth Long
Founding President - Central Goldfields Bushwalking & Hiking Club Inc.
Board Member – Bushwalking Victoria
