Dead British tourist failed to take precautions: police
Dec 13th 2003, 12:16 pm
#1
Dutch expat/Aus citizen
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Dead British tourist failed to take precautions: police
http://abc.net.au/news/australia/wa/...3dec2003-1.htm
Posted: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 3:17am AWST
Dead British tourist failed to take precautions: police
A British tourist who died trying to cross the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia was ill-prepared for such a hazardous journey, having failed to take the proper emergency equipment.
He was attempting to drive thousands of kilometres to New South Wales.
Two motorists discovered the man's car on Thursday where it became bogged, about 60 kilometres east of the Punmu Aboriginal Community, in the Pilbara region of northern West Australia , but a sandstorm force them to abandon the search.
The man, believed to be 35, was found alive on Friday after he had walked about 40 kilometres towards Punmu, but died shortly afterwards at the community's nursing post.
"The unfortunate thing was he didn't have a satellite phone or EPRIB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and I guess it's a timely reminder to let people know when you are in a country where it's quite extreme and the temperatures reach 43 it's that you must go prepared," Constable Cindy Morgan from Marble Bar said.
The man was also travelling with a limited water supply.
Police have stressed the importance of people staying with their cars if they run into trouble while travelling through isolated areas.
"If a situation does arise where the vehicle does get stuck the best and safest area to be is actually with your vehicle."
His family is still to be notified.
Punmu is an Aboriginal Community, situated on the most eastern finger of Lake Dora in the Rudall River National Park in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia
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and :lecture:
I lived in/near that area for a while by the way. Middle of nowhere. Don't know why a tourist, alone, would be out there.
And everyone in Oz learns: NEVER leave the car, even if you don't have much water there, they can see your car easier than you if they're searching!
And I read in another article that he even had enough water in the car to survive a while, so....
Posted: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 3:17am AWST
Dead British tourist failed to take precautions: police
A British tourist who died trying to cross the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia was ill-prepared for such a hazardous journey, having failed to take the proper emergency equipment.
He was attempting to drive thousands of kilometres to New South Wales.
Two motorists discovered the man's car on Thursday where it became bogged, about 60 kilometres east of the Punmu Aboriginal Community, in the Pilbara region of northern West Australia , but a sandstorm force them to abandon the search.
The man, believed to be 35, was found alive on Friday after he had walked about 40 kilometres towards Punmu, but died shortly afterwards at the community's nursing post.
"The unfortunate thing was he didn't have a satellite phone or EPRIB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and I guess it's a timely reminder to let people know when you are in a country where it's quite extreme and the temperatures reach 43 it's that you must go prepared," Constable Cindy Morgan from Marble Bar said.
The man was also travelling with a limited water supply.
Police have stressed the importance of people staying with their cars if they run into trouble while travelling through isolated areas.
"If a situation does arise where the vehicle does get stuck the best and safest area to be is actually with your vehicle."
His family is still to be notified.
Punmu is an Aboriginal Community, situated on the most eastern finger of Lake Dora in the Rudall River National Park in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia
------------------------------------------------------------------------
and :lecture: I lived in/near that area for a while by the way. Middle of nowhere. Don't know why a tourist, alone, would be out there.
And everyone in Oz learns: NEVER leave the car, even if you don't have much water there, they can see your car easier than you if they're searching!
And I read in another article that he even had enough water in the car to survive a while, so....
Dec 13th 2003, 12:19 pm
#2
Dutch expat/Aus citizen
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Joined: Apr 2003
Location: South East, Perth (was Holland)
Posts: 5,789
Oh, and people going across the Nullabor and stuff: this is completley different. This is completley middle of nowhere. Nullabor is a busy highway in comparison. And there's roadhouses every so often.
Don't want to scare anyone, just thought this was an interesting article to post, people can't have enough :lecture:
Don't want to scare anyone, just thought this was an interesting article to post, people can't have enough :lecture:
Dec 13th 2003, 12:23 pm
#3
Good to be back in UK
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Back in UK
Posts: 750
Originally posted by Simone82
Oh, and people going across the Nullabor and stuff: this is completley different. This is completley middle of nowhere. Nullabor is a busy highway in comparison. And there's roadhouses every so often.
Don't want to scare anyone, just thought this was an interesting article to post, people can't have enough :lecture:
Oh, and people going across the Nullabor and stuff: this is completley different. This is completley middle of nowhere. Nullabor is a busy highway in comparison. And there's roadhouses every so often.
Don't want to scare anyone, just thought this was an interesting article to post, people can't have enough :lecture:
The heat is a killer, I had assumed he was somewhere much more remote than we will be crossing the Nullabor. And now we know the van runs out of petrol before the indicator reaches red.
Dec 13th 2003, 12:26 pm
#4
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Uhhm, we double posted (pollster beat me to it! )
I'd delete this one, but then Donna has to copy her post into the other thread first! Otherwise it'll disapear!
)I'd delete this one, but then Donna has to copy her post into the other thread first! Otherwise it'll disapear!
Dec 13th 2003, 12:31 pm
#5
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Joined: Oct 2003
Location: New Plymouth, NZ
Posts: 1,647
Great minds!!
I have tried to delete mine but for some reason it won't let me so we will have to double up unless you can delete yours Simone.
Jirrupin, can you move your post over? And I ran out of petrol today - luckily Harrow isn't too short of petrol stations!
I have tried to delete mine but for some reason it won't let me so we will have to double up unless you can delete yours Simone.
Jirrupin, can you move your post over? And I ran out of petrol today - luckily Harrow isn't too short of petrol stations!
Dec 13th 2003, 12:40 pm
#6
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Location: New Plymouth, NZ
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There is also a story about a guy who wrote an SOS in the sand and got rescued by Aussie customs - can't find it on the web though.
Dec 13th 2003, 9:45 pm
#7
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
I spent many years exploring northern Australia and know the Pilbara area well.
The biggest killer is being underprepared through inexperience, the second biggest killer is panic.
I imagine that had the British tourist had a good shovel, stuck with his vehicle and dug it out, he may have had the inconvenience of of a few hours tiring work, not a life time dead.
Travel through the Great Sandy Desert is for experienced people. Doing it in summer is severely tempting fate.
Coroners Inquest into the death of Gabriele Grossmueller
The biggest killer is being underprepared through inexperience, the second biggest killer is panic.
I imagine that had the British tourist had a good shovel, stuck with his vehicle and dug it out, he may have had the inconvenience of of a few hours tiring work, not a life time dead.
Travel through the Great Sandy Desert is for experienced people. Doing it in summer is severely tempting fate.
Coroners Inquest into the death of Gabriele Grossmueller
Dec 14th 2003, 12:33 am
#8
Tyke and now an Aussie
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Bondi, Sydney
Posts: 62
The movies are too full of examples of people who wander off in search of help and just find it in time... gives people bad ideas.
Dec 14th 2003, 8:01 am
#9
Be true to your skew
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Wanneroo, WA
Posts: 373
Originally posted by Pollster
There is also a story about a guy who wrote an SOS in the sand and got rescued by Aussie customs - can't find it on the web though.
There is also a story about a guy who wrote an SOS in the sand and got rescued by Aussie customs - can't find it on the web though.
Dec 14th 2003, 8:03 am
#10
Be true to your skew
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Wanneroo, WA
Posts: 373
Originally posted by Pookin
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...p?story=472814
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...p?story=472814
http://www.allbookstores.com/book/1864365250
