Body of missing Nomad found in the Outback

Happywanderer · The Master

Body of missing Nomad found in the Outback

justjo · Senior Member

Sorry for Peter and his family, but I don't feel it is necessary to travel in convoy if single over the Nullabor or any other long highway.

Accidents happen anywhere and if you are sensible and make as sure as you can that your vehicle is good, then it's really no different to any long solo drive. I did the Nullabor on my own last year in a Mazda SP25 and I'm a 64 yo female. Hoping to do it again in the Hi-ace on my return to WA in a year or two.

Jo

Happywanderer · The Master

I was just thinking along the lines that it seems he got bogged on the side of the road, presuming it was the Stuart Hwy. He then left the vehicle.
I wonder if he had been travelling with other vehicles at the time he would have had some help on hand.

DeBe · Guru

Very unfortunate but the cardinal rule is never leave the vehicle in remote locations if brokendown or boged. Also if traveling in remote locations carry a EPIRB plenty have been rescued using these.

lilly31 · Guru

Make you wonder ""WHY "" they leave the vehicle .surley if travelling you would have enought supplys to keep your going for few days till some help comes if you dont realy should you be out there in the first place maybe he was unwell and didnt have his bearing and got confused ... i suppose time will tell
My thought are with his family with there sad lose .....

milo · Guru

i wonder why.. poor guy.. should we get an epirp heading to marree and alice springs?

Cruising Granny · Guru

If he was bogged on the side of the highway other motorists would help him out. He must have been out of the way a bit. If he did walk he should have stuck to the highway for a chance to be picked up.
Not even experienced off-roaders would take on the Simpson by themselves. If they leave home alone they usually meet up with fellow travellers and work together to get everyone through as a convoy.
Even huge oversize trucks help each other through a creek on the Strezlecki Track. It took 5 trucks 3 days to push/pull each other through the soggy creek.
We don't know what sort of vehicle the driver had. He was 71, but we don't know what his health was like.
He may have chosen to go bush with poor health to save his family some long-term care duties. We don't know enough.
The rule is NEVER leave the vehicle.
Heat exhaustion and blisters don't look very good, if they survive.
It's easier to spot a vehicle from the air than an individual on foot.

Vic · Guru

Is there a link to the story, I haven't seen it anywhere?

If he died near a main roadway, the only thing I can think of perhaps he went for a walk and got lost or maybe had a heart attack.

I tried to find the story and came up with this old one instead about a naked nomad;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-559618/Naked-nomad-rejected-civilization-wander-outback-leaves-multi-million-pound-estate-sister.html

-- Edited by Vic on Wednesday 27th of July 2011 09:38:46 PM

Happywanderer · The Master

Its here on the front page of the greynomads site. Don't you go through there to get to the forums. One of Cindys front page stories.

Happywanderer · The Master

If you can't find it, go to the top of this page, left hand side and click on "Click here for the Grey Nomads website"

Vic · Guru

Thanks HW, no my link takes me straight to the forum, will have a look.... hmm biggrin

Dunco · Senior Member

From the photo he appeared to be a few hundred metres off the highway in a strange spot, not a rest area or anything ? Perhaps he had a medical condition that made him drive off the road into the scrub and he got bogged and was disorientated. Just supposition as it does seem a little odd. Poor bugger. Sad

Diabetes can do that to you if you miss your meds as I have seen a driver lose all rational thought patterns and started driving into fences etc...didn't remember a thing later.

My suggestion to those that do have concerns is to stop at a service station and if there is a long stint ahead of you, ask another caravan couple if you could follow them for safety. I am sure they would accommodate you

Happywanderer · The Master

I think that is a very good suggestion, makes sense.

I do something similiar when I free camp. If there is someone there I go over and ask them if they are staying the night and explain I will feel more comfortable knowing there is someone nearby. They have always been very friendly and keep an eye on me. Usually one or the other of us will move to a better position so we have each other in sight.

blaze · Guru

I carry epirb, uhf, hf, and sat phone and have done a lot of remote, real remote travel solo. Certaily sad, suppose there will be an inquest and the answer will come out.
If I gotta go though its not a bad place to end it, I think your soul would rest easy.
blaze

Vic · Guru

This is not here, it is in the USA, but also a sad end to a traveller...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8514271/Man-in-a-van-kept-two-month-diary-of-life-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-until-he-died.html

-- Edited by Vic on Wednesday 27th of July 2011 11:01:06 PM

BobnBev · Senior Member

HW, The Nulla is a very busy place and you would get help in min. if you were in trouble, The best little bit of gear is a UHF radio, You can call a trucky for help on ch40. We have one fitted in the van as well as the tug..They are good for a few Ks. if you go of the road for a quite camp...Its that easy...
Bob n Bev

Zoomtopz · Guru

As Vic's last post indicates , this bloke survived in snow for a fair while .

I reckon most of us travel with some food & water . If we travel in remote

areas , We TELL someone our plans AND stick to them , or update our contact , s .

Would this bloke had of survived had he stayed with his vehicle , ???

I was tempted to walk 20k to the cattle station in NT where I was heading for

when I broke down . I was younger , fit , the 20k would have only taken me 3hrs.

So I thought , an aboriginal man at the station told me I would have only got 12/15k,

even he would not have made it from where I was . I said , hey you are aboriginal ,

you look like a desert man , he interupted me & said , "I have been living with

white people for 30yrs , to do that you HAVE to be living that way ALL th time"

People Knew where I was - I thought - big communication breakdown . And some

people drove past me when I tried to wave them down . So what do you do .

STAY with your Vehicle , at least you have shade . I don't care how hot it is ,

I've been in 55degree heat , without air-con . STAY inside . I thought I would only

have to wait an hour or two before somebody came out to see why I had not made

it to th station , instead I was there for two and a half days . Then had my boss

asking why I was late getting to Darwin. Yes I am saddened to see th old bloke

perish , it still teaches me th lesson - STAY WITH th Vehicle .

Richo

JRH · Guru

BobnBev wrote:
HW, The Nulla is a very busy place and you would get help in min. if you were in trouble, The best little bit of gear is a UHF radio, You can call a trucky for help on ch40. We have one fitted in the van as well as the tug..They are good for a few Ks. if you go of the road for a quite camp...Its that easy...
Bob n Bev

In 2004 we travelled from Perth to Adelaide and from Balladonia to the Border we could have stopped in the middle of the road and had lunch without any fear of traffic of any kind. I shudder to think how long we would have had to wait for help in the event of a breakdown.

The Nulla can be very busy but at other times it can be very quiet.

Dunco · Senior Member

You are spot on JRH.

Went across earlier this year and the place was like George Street in Sydney with all the trucks.

When I came back a couple of months later, I stopped about 5pm at a camp spot and one truck went passed about an hour later, and nothing else passed until about 9pm !!
Was a peaceful night for me

wendyv · Guru

HW,
You should be fine, solo, on major roads in this country, including ones like the Stuart Highway and Nullarbor. Just remember that there is less traffic on these in the summer months, and usually less traffic at night (apart from trucks). You should only plan to travel in daylight hours anyway.
A sat phone would be a good investment for peace of mind, and an eperb as a last ditch safety net.

Happywanderer · The Master

I'm not worried about me as at this stage not heading in that direction and might not for some years, have too much of the east coast to see. Thought it was timely warning for everyone out there to take the precautions necessary to keep themselves safe.
I see they found the body of the Ballarat man not too far from his vehicle in the outback of SA.
I wonder why the truckie didn't help or report the situation when he saw him acting strangely when he waved the truckie down and spoke to him. I'm not blaming the truckie at all, just wondering what was going on in the poor guys head that caused all this to happen.

jack biggles · Senior Member

Cruising Granny wrote:
If he was bogged on the side of the highway other motorists would help him out. He must have been out of the way a bit. If he did walk he should have stuck to the highway for a chance to be picked up.
Not even experienced off-roaders would take on the Simpson by themselves. If they leave home alone they usually meet up with fellow travellers and work together to get everyone through as a convoy.
Even huge oversize trucks help each other through a creek on the Strezlecki Track. It took 5 trucks 3 days to push/pull each other through the soggy creek.
We don't know what sort of vehicle the driver had. He was 71, but we don't know what his health was like.
He may have chosen to go bush with poor health to save his family some long-term care duties. We don't know enough.
The rule is NEVER leave the vehicle.
Heat exhaustion and blisters don't look very good, if they survive.
It's easier to spot a vehicle from the air than an individual on foot.

Not trying to argue cg but I consider myself experienced & I have crossed the Simpson on 4 occasions & 3 of those were alone. I mostly travel alone and often very remotely. I am very prepared, I get myself in andd out of the poo. RIP to the deceased and my thoughts are with his loved ones

-- Edited by jack biggles on Tuesday 2nd of August 2011 06:33:36 PM

Cruising Granny · Guru

No arguement taken Jack B. Everyone does it their way, and lone travellers are everywhere. There are the wise doing what you do, but there are also the foolish who believe they have a 4WD which will take them everywhere anytime. They don't take extra fuel, believe there's a roadhouse on every bend and over every ridge, and don't carry parts and water.
4WD's are only as good as the operator is prepared, and then treat the terrain with respect and be prepared for any contingency.
There are a lot of tracks out there I'd love to explore. Following rail lines, the dog fence, survey lines and lots of tracks I've seen from the air, wondering where they go to and come from and what terrain they traverse. Are we there yet?

Dunco · Senior Member

We should not be talking about the demise of this gentleman as we do not really know what happened.

As I wrote above, his car appeared to be a little way off the highway (in the photo) and in a very strange place. He may well have had a medical condition that caused this, which also may have disorientated him.

None of us are experts, we just think we are and we all make mistakes and errors of judgement.

jack biggles · Senior Member

Cruising Granny wrote:
No arguement taken Jack B. Everyone does it their way, and lone travellers are everywhere. There are the wise doing what you do, but there are also the foolish who believe they have a 4WD which will take them everywhere anytime. They don't take extra fuel, believe there's a roadhouse on every bend and over every ridge, and don't carry parts and water.
4WD's are only as good as the operator is prepared, and then treat the terrain with respect and be prepared for any contingency.
There are a lot of tracks out there I'd love to explore. Following rail lines, the dog fence, survey lines and lots of tracks I've seen from the air, wondering where they go to and come from and what terrain they traverse. Are we there yet?

Your comment ring so true cv. I understand what dunco is also saying regarding commenting on regarding this mans demise.