Looks like it was quite a rescue mission...
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/epic- ... vc4xc.htmlEpic rescue mission sees crew of 30 save hikers trapped on Mount Disappointment
When a trio of hikers were too tired to finish their walk at Mount Disappointment on Sunday night, Victoria's finest came to their rescue, and boy, was it crowded up there.
More than 30 emergency service workers rushed to the scene at Strath Creek and Tunnel Falls, including eight police officers, 10 firefighters, two CFA and SES units and two ambulances in what police have described as a "particularly unusual" rescue and an "emergency services meet fest".
Three fire trucks, eight police, two ambulances and two SES and CFA units were at the six-hour rescue.
It's understood Kilmore SES also hit a kangaroo on the road while responding to the alarm.
A massive six-hour rescue mission ensued on Sunday when the three hikers became trapped about 7.30pm during a 14 kilometre hike at the state forest 80 kilometres from Melbourne.
Victoria police rescue team Sergeant Paul Bartlett said the circumstances of the hiking misadventure were "particularly unusual".
He said due to the size and complexity of the rescue mission, a multi-agency emergency services response of more than 30 people was required.
The bill for rescuing the unlucky hikers is estimated to total more than $10,000 per hiker.
Three MFB trucks from West Melbourne and Richmond rushed to the rural township of Clonbinane, 80 kilometres from the CBD, carrying specialist rescue equipment.
A police media spokeswoman described the rescue as an "emergency services meet fest".
Sergeant Bartlett said trouble began for the group of five hikers after they undertook the high-intensity 14 kilometre trek at Strath Creek and Tunnel Falls circuit, which ended at the base of the Strath Creek Falls at about 7.30pm on Sunday night.
He said three of the hikers were fatigued and not capable of hiking back up the trail in the dark, so the other two hikers trekked back up to the top of the falls where they regained phone reception and called triple zero.
At about 8.30pm, MFB lead a sophisticated high-angle abseiling rescue operation where each hiker was individually brought up from the base of the embankment by rope.
The last hiker was rescued just after midnight. No one was injured. A cautionary tale for any hiker, the operation is expected to have cost tens of thousands of dollars, with rescue police from the city resting in the regional township overnight.
The MFB charges $522 per appliance, or truck, for every 15 minutes it is called out to a false alarm, which equates to $2000 an hour.
While this is not directly comparable to a real rescue mission, that fee only takes into account standard pumper trucks and not the highly-advanced rescue units.
MFB spokeswoman Meg Rayner said the trapped hikers were sent blankets, food and water.
A 24-year-old woman, a 25-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were rescued during the operation.
The ambitious hiking expedition took place on the coldest morning since October last year, with temperatures dropping below 11 degrees on Sunday night.
Sergeant Bartlett said while hiking misadventures were common across the state, to his knowledge, it was the first rescue mission of its kind at the Strath Creek Falls.
He urged other hikers to take caution.
"Always make sure you research your trip and make sure it is within your capabilities," Sergeant Bartlett said.
"By the time all the hikers were rescued it was midnight. They were in good spirits, and had water and blankets sent down to them, but they weren't dressed in warm clothes so if they had been stuck there all night it would have been a very uncomfortable night for them."
The trail the group were walking is considered by hiking experts to be advanced and only suitable only for experienced hikers.