Helicopter Rescues in Tasmania

[Overlandman]

On Tuesday 15 April 2014 the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to attend Waterfall Valley Hut near Cradle Mountain for a walker suffering from a cardiac condition.

The helicopter flew to the area, landed and transported the male back to Hobart. He is in a satisfactory condition.

[Overlandman]

Not sure where the snippet of information comes from,
Googled but no further information found.

This was in today's Advocate.

There were more Search & Rescue operations in the
North - West between May 2013 & April 2014, than the year before.
Tasmanian Police recorded 47 Operations in the year before April.
There was an increase from 25 the previous year.

[DanShell]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24619985/fr ... -tas-bush/

[Mountain Rocket]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24619985/french-tourist-rescued-from-tas-bush/

Tas Police say the following about the incidence:

Yesterday afternoon, Tasmania Police Search and Rescue and Ambulance Tasmania assisted in the rescue of a 20 year old French man at Mount Field.

The man became unconscious during a walk from Lake Dobson to the Lake Seal lookout.

He was assisted to the ski fields where he was treated by members of the Southern Tasmanian Ski Association who also made the call for assistance.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was able to land nearby and collect the man before flying him to the Royal Hobart Hospital in a stable condition.

10513414_707408186005751_8273268329639044582_n.jpg (47.17 KiB) Viewed 25222 times

[icefest]

The man became unconscious

He was assisted to the ski fields

Wow, understatement of the year?

[Mountain Rocket]

The Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter airlifted a man from the South Coast Track at Deadman’s Bay this morning.
Police responded at 8am to the request for assistance for a 54-year-old man.
He was trying to cross a creek when he fell in the water and became so wet and cold that he felt he was unable to continue his walk.
He did not require hospitalisation.
Tasmania Police would like to remind people going on bush walks and remote outdoor activities that they need to be prepared for all weather conditions.

[Overlandman]

From the Mercury

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasma ... 7062801843

THE Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to Mt Calculation near Cape Pillar this morning after a man working on the Three Capes Track fell ill.

Police say the 55-year-old man became unwell yesterday and when his condition did not improve the helicopter was called in.

He was flown back Hobart in a stable condition.

[Overlandman]

From ABC News
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-21/s ... sh/5758486

Smoke from fire alerts searchers to man missing overnight in Tasmanian bush.

Launceston man John Norrish walks with a police officer after being found in bush in the Narawntapu National Park. Photo: Mr Norrish suffered only minor injuries and some exposure after spending 24 hours in the bush.
Smoke from a fire has helped Tasmanian search crews find a man with a brain injury missing in a national park overnight.
John Norrish, 48, from Launceston was camping with friends at Bakers Point in the Narawntapu National Park when he was reported missing on Saturday.
There were concerns for Mr Norrish who has an acquired brain injury that hampers his navigation skills.
Overnight, searchers used the rescue helicopter with night-vision technology.

About 40 police, SES volunteers and national parks staff resumed the search this morning and he was found safe and well about 11.30am.
Mr Norrish had attempted to light a fire and created smoke, which was spotted by search and rescue personnel.
Senior Sergeant Simon Conroy said he escaped the ordeal with only minor injuries.
"He's cold, he's suffering from minor exposure and he has some minor superficial injuries," he said.
The search effort included people on foot, quad bikes and in surf lifesaving boats scouring the nearby coastline.
Temperatures dropped to 6 degrees Celsius overnight.
"The conditions are survivable, but you never know the variable you have to add in, if he's wet or not if he'd fallen in the creek," Sen. Sgt Conroy said.

From the Advocate

UPDATE: John Norrish has been found during an extensive search and rescue operation at Narawntapu National Park. Mr Norrish, from Launceston, is believed to have been picked up by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/257 ... ark/?cs=87

[Taurë-rana]

We arrived at Pu Park just after he'd been found to go for a wander and a normally very peaceful place was swarming with reporters, orange clad SES volunteers, quad bikes etc. We got to look at the rescue helicopter close up, hopefully the closest I'll ever get!

[Aztec]

anyone have the specs on that helicopter? ie top speed, and range per refuel?

[DanShell]

anyone have the specs on that helicopter? ie top speed, and range per refuel?

http://www.tasmanianairrescuetrust.org/our-aircraft

[whynotwalk]

Another chopper rescue, this time on the South Coast Track.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/2555490/chopper-rescues-tourist-54/

[Strider]

Another chopper rescue, this time on the South Coast Track.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/2555490/chopper-rescues-tourist-54/

This is an old one. See post from Robert H on 12/9.

[whynotwalk]

Oooops Thanks Strider ... note to self: read the date of the media release!

cheers

Peter

[Strider]

Two rescues at Deadmans Bay so close together is what caught my eye!

[Overlandman]

From the Advocate
http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/258 ... ain/?cs=87

A 45-YEAR-OLD woman and her 14-year-old son were air-lifted from Cradle Mountain after the woman suffered from a medical condition.

The woman activated a distress beacon at Kia Ora Hut on the Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair Overland Track.

The Tasmanian Police Westpac Rescue Helicopter was sent to the scene, where the woman was treated by a paramedic.

The woman and her son were sent to Hobart in a satisfactory condition.

It is uncertain what the medical condition the woman experienced was.

From The Mercury

A 45-year-old Queensland mother has been rescued from the Tasmanian highlands today after becoming injured walking the Overland Track.

The Tasmania Police Westpac Rescue Helicopter was today called to the Kia Ora Hut where the year old woman and 14-year-old son had activated an emergency PLB after she was unable to walk further.

The woman was treated at the scene by a paramedic before being flown with her son to Hobart.

She remains a satisfactory condition.

[Overlandman]

From the Advocate
A man who fell on the Overland track on Tuesday was treated by paramedics yesterday. The man dislocated his knee about 2 kilometres from Pelion Hut and activated an emergency beacon. The Westpac Rescue helicopter was unable to access the site due to weather conditions and returned to base. The patient was assisted to New Pelion hut, where he spent the night. The helicopter returned yesterday morning and the man was treated by a flight paramedic before being flown to an Ambulance waiting at Cradle Valley.

[Overlandman]

From the Mercury

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasma ... 7116190510

A BUSHWALKER with a suspected broken ankle has been rescued by helicopter from Freycinet National Park on Tasmania’s East Coast.

Tasmania Police Search and Rescue were alerted about 1.30pm today, with the Westpac Rescue chopper sent to the accident scene on the Hazards track.

The 60-year-old woman from the ACT was treated by a paramedic on the ground before being winched to safety and taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital for treatment.

[Overlandman]

From the Advocate
A 57 year old woman was transported to Hobart by helicopter yesterday after she broke her ankle at Wineglass Bay, in the States South East.

Two ankles in two weeks

[north-north-west]

From the Advocate
A 57 year old woman was transported to Hobart by helicopter yesterday after she broke her ankle at Wineglass Bay, in the States South East.

Two ankles in two weeks

It was not me, OK?

[tigercat]

edited

[DanShell]

Rescue Helicopter was flying around the Never Never/Central Plateau/Lee's Paddock region yesterday for an hour or so, is there any news as to what they were doing?

I was certain they were going to fly down and pick us up at one stage!

[icefest]

Rescue Helicopter was flying around the Never Never/Central Plateau/Lee's Paddock region yesterday for an hour or so, is there any news as to what they were doing?

I was certain they were going to fly down and pick us up at one stage!

Resupplying huts and taking away poop. They also left an old edition of windy ridge at windy ridge.

I say and watched them from castle crag for a good hour.

[Overlandman]

From todays Advocate.
A man had to be airlifted out of the Leven Canyon yesterday after a fall. The man suffered a broken ankle. The Westpac rescue helicopter was sent to retrieve the man at 3.40pm. An intensive care paramedic and police rescue crewman were winched into the canyon to the man who was being treated by police and ambulance officers. The man was then winched into the helicopter and flown to an ambulance at Devonport airport.

[Overlandman]

From todays Advocate newspaper

An American bushwalker with an injured ankle was airlifted by the Tasmanian Police Westpac Rescue Helicopter yesterday from Lake Vera Hut near Frenchmans Cap. The 45 year old woman from Texas was walking with her companion when she fell & injured her ankle on Wednesday. The couple managed to walk slowly throughout the night until meeting other walkers later yesterday who contacted emergency services. The woman was treated at the scene by an Ambulance Tasmania Paramedic and then flown to the Royal Hobart Hospital in a satisfactory condition.
The rescue helicopter was also called out yesterday to assist a family of four bushwalking near Maydena. In the early hours of Wednesday night Police were alerted about a family group overdue from a bushwalk in the South West area of Lake Rhona near Maydena. The group, consisting of two adults and two children were returning when they were unable to cross a section of the Gordon River due to recent rain and the sudden rise of the river. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was dispatched about 10am yesterday. The group was airlifted across the river and conveyed to their nearby vehicle. The party was well prepared, well equipped and not injured. (Well prepared but didn't have an inflatable dingy )

[north-north-west]

(Well prepared but didn't have an inflatable dingy )

Or the sense to warn their family/friends that the river crossing is often problematical after rain and that they might be delayed.

[Overlandman]

Another one for Lake Rhona,
I cant really work this one out, how did the Police know the two were disorientated, were they also overdue?
Did the family in the rescue above, know about this couple, did they tell the Police there were a couple still on the track?
Regards Overlandman

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/279 ... ety/?cs=87

TWO local bushwalkers were rescued by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter today after becoming disorientated on a walk to Lake Rhona in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.At 11am today Tasmania Police Search and Rescue organised an air and land search for the 23-year-old man and 20-year-old female who never returned from the walk.

The pair did not have a personal locator beacon.

Search and rescue parties searched the Lake Rhona track with no result and feared the pair may have fallen into the Gordon River.

At 2pm the helicopter crew spotted the pair on the western bank of the Gordon River, a spot known as the Gordon Bend.

The helicopter crew winched the pair safely from the river bank.

The search and rescue team said today's rescue was a timely reminder for those planning on going for a bushwalk to tell someone about their specific plans for the walk, to carry a personal locator beacon and have recent maps of the area.

[Overlandman]

From the Mercury 6th January 15
Woman, 56, Rescued from Franklin Range in Tasmania's remote South West.

A woman has been airlifted to Hobart after being injured in a fall in Tasmania's remote South West.
Police said the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called out about noon today after an emergency beacon was activated in the Franklin Range.
The chopper crew found a 56 year old woman with a suspected fractured wrist & facial injuries,
She was flown to Hobart in a stable condition.

[Azza]

Another one for Lake Rhona,
I cant really work this one out, how did the Police know the two were disorientated, were they also overdue?
Did the family in the rescue above, know about this couple, did they tell the Police there were a couple still on the track?
Regards Overlandman

I can shed some light on this as my party was camped by the Gordon on NYE trying to cross so that we could access the Spires.
The log book showed two parties went out to Lake Rhona prior to the big rain event on the 28th of Dec.
Apparently the first party never came across the second party and it was a complete mystery as to where they were, seeing they had the same itinerary.

We saw the group of the 4 across the Gordon, the water was well over the log.
Communication was difficult due to the rushing river, but went along the lines of are you okay? Is anyone hurt? Do you have food?
Seeing it was late in the day 5pm - we basically said well your just going to have to sit tight until tomorrow and see if the water levels drops. We're not setting off our PLB since your not in any serious danger.
About 6pm the police showed up to check the Gordon crossing as the party had been reported overdue, they knew what was going on.
Their response was pretty much the same, wait it out till tomorrow and see what happens.
In the morning the police returned, the water level had dropped significantly but to our surprise and perhaps theirs as well management had decided to send in the chopper.
The police had inquired about the second party but they never crossed paths.
By the time the chopper had shown up, the water level had receded enough for a brave soul to cross the log, however it would have still been too dangerous to consider trying to get the stressed out family of 4 over.

Being the water level was dropping we decided to wait it out the next morning, where at 6am the police showed up again looking for the 2nd party which had now been reported overdue. The water level had started to rise rapidly and caught us out (snow melt?).
It was a complete mystery as to where they were and why the other party had not seen them, plus the log was now impassible again. Basically the theory was they might have fallen in the river cross the log, we did think that maybe they ended up down the Gordon Bend, but thought why would you walk a day in the wrong direction to a river cross that isn't any safer?
At this point the police called in the chopper again and the S&R team to walk the track.

We decided things were getting a bit hot around here after waiting 2 days for the river and decided to look for greener pastures.

People who want to go into Lake Rhona really need to understand that the Gordon is a big bad river.. don't head in here when the forecast says 20mm+ of rain and then be surprised when you get stuck. Perhaps even look at the weather forecast - it can save you much grief.

[Overlandman]

Thanks Azza for clearing up my questions.
It would be a good idea if you copy & paste your post and put it in the Lake Rhona Walk topic.
Regards Overlandman