Family that got ‘lost in snow’ during day trip walk to spend another night in Tasmanian wilderness

July 15 2024

A group of bushwalkers who became stranded in the remote Tasmanian Highlands overnight after a day walk went wrong will spend another night in the wilderness.

The trio activated a personal locator beacon around 4:30pm on Sunday, alerting emergency services to their situation.

Inspector Michael Johnston said the family, which includes two adults and a child, were “overpowered by the conditions they faced”.

“Authorities were notified that the trio had become lost in snow near Cathedral Mountain and the child was believed to be suffering from hypothermia,” he said.

“The inclement weather conditions meant the Tasmania Police Westpac Rescue Helicopter was not able to fly and a ground crew was organised instead.”

A group of eight police, SES and Ambulance Tasmania personnel walked into the area last night, reaching the bushwalkers around 2:30am on Monday.

“Thankfully with the provision of food and warmth, the child’s condition improved overnight,” Johnston said.

“Challenging weather conditions meant the helicopter was still not able to fly into the area today and walking out was not advisable given the challenges posed by the weather.”