CANYONING 23 November to 26 November 2002 - Lost group, fatality, Bubblebath/Bungleboori Creek. Blue Mountains, NSW
Lucas Trihey
Bubblebath/Bungleboori Creek. Blue Mountains, NSW
A group of three men aged in their late 20s and early 30s set out to do
a canyon on Saturday 23/11/02. They parked their vehicle at the Hole in
the Wall car park area. When they did not return home relatives raised
the alarm and a search was commenced that was co-ordinated by Lithgow
VRA and Lithgow Police. Monday saw search crews on motorbikes checking
the vehicle tracks and some walking tracks in the area while a
helicopter searched the region including the major watercourses. On
Monday night a plan was made to initiate a ground search for Tuesday
26/11/02. At 7am ground crews including local emergency services,
volunteer groups and the police started searching. Fresh footprints
were found in Bubblebath Canyon and then heading downstream in
Bungleboori Creek (north branch). Late in the afternoon a helicopter
search of the area downstream of the footprints found the group about
two kilometres downstream of the junction with Bungleboori (south
branch). One person had died at some time during the journey. The group
was lifted out by helicopter. As at 27/11/02 it is unclear what the
objectives of the group were (including whether they intended to do
Bubblebath) and why they continued downstream so far in Bungleboori.
The cause of death has not been established.
LEVEL 4 REPORT.
More information. 29/11/02
Because this incident looks like being the subject of a coronial
inquest we are a bit limited in what we can report at this stage.
However after speaking with various authorities and people on the scene
we can add the following:
The group did not do Bubblebath canyon intentionally, they were
planning on doing Hole in the Wall. The decision to turn downstream
into the Bungleboori instead of upstream was because they were lost. On
Saturday 23/11 it appears that the group of three was attempting to
find an exit gully out of the Bungleboori (downstream of the north
arm/south arm junction) when the accident happened. Reports still vary
but it does seem that while abseiling down after attempting to climb
out of a gully the group's rope became jammed and the group cut the
rope in order to continue their abseils. While abseiling on the shorter
rope one member of the group (the second down) slid off the end of the
rope and injured his ankle. The fatal injury occurred soon after when
the last abseiler appears to have attached his descender to just one of
the ropes on the double rope abseil and fell approx 20 metres. He was
unconscious immediately after the fall and despite the efforts of his
friends he passed away later that evening. They then spent Sunday and
Monday in the area before being rescued.