missing people inKarajini

Duh · Guru

missing people inKarajini

kandagal · Guru

Wonder why an elderly couple would wander away from the tour group. Especially in such an isolated region. As a sometimes volunteer with WA Nat. Parks I can imagine all the activity going on to find them & i hope they do soon. Perhaps one of them slipped & fell. Just hoping for a happy conclusion to this event.

Cupie · Guru

Some people just don't have an inbuilt sense of direction.

I think that I do & have spent lots of time in my youth chasing wild pigs on big runs & could always find my way to a fence or such that lead back to camp. But even so, a couple of times I have become dis-orientated for a bit ... scary ... but basic bush craft got me back. I just love wandering in the bush solo (risky I know). Used to chase pigs solo with a dog & knife ... got the adrenilan pumping, but very risky & not to be recommended.

My biggest challenge these days is finding the car in the multi level car parks at shopping centres. On one memorable occasion I even lost the car park in a Canberra shopping centre & the 2hr parking limit was running out.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Good news that they've been found, thanks to all those wonderful people who came out at 9pm to help, leaving their own warm beds.

Cupie, I also was searching for my car in the wrong carpark at that shopping centre! How could anyone possible keep their bearings in such a concrete jungle!

tonyd · Guru

This has apparently ended happily, but you wonder why the other people waited until 9pm to calll the police. I'd like to think most of us would be on the phone as darkness fell, i.e. about 6pm.
Cheers, Tony

gypsy rover · Senior Member

My biggest challenge these days is finding the car in the multi level car parks at shopping centres. On one memorable occasion I even lost the car park in a Canberra shopping centre & the 2hr parking limit was running out.

biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

Chris

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Good news that the missing people were found, presumably safe and well. Karijini was one of the coldest places I have camped - absolutely freezing overnight, and pitch black - so to be lost out there at night would be extremely frightening.

Getting lost in carparks - knew a woman who reported her car stolen from a multi story carpark - it was found on another floor, apparently she always parked in the same area, and when her car wasn't there, of course it had been stolen!!!!!!!

AmandaJayne · Guru

we have a hand held gps to make our way back to our bus... also take uhf radios with myself if I go by my own plus my phone.... hubby does not always go on walks with me while I'm photographing and he wants to know where I am at all times just in case.... it's really common sense when your in the bush tho, some places you can go 50 meters and loose sight of your vehicle...

Nicholstones · Guru

It all sounds rather strange, according to the update on the grey nomads home page the couple were in a group of 6, including 2 park rangers. That's a park ranger for each couple, how could one of them wander away from the group without a ranger staying with them?

I lost my car in a car park once, I forgot to check which level I was on until I was in the lift going down, looked up just before the doors closed and saw a sign saying '8'. Came back to get the car later and it wasn't on level 8, started to panic then realised that the sign opposite the lift was the speed limit, 8 kmh, so had to walk up and down every level until I found the right one!

Cupie · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
Good news that they've been found, thanks to all those wonderful people who came out at 9pm to help, leaving their own warm beds.

Cupie, I also was searching for my car in the wrong carpark at that shopping centre! How could anyone possible keep their bearings in such a concrete jungle!

As I recall the Shopping centre was ringed with small carparks with foliage screening them off ..... After wandering thru the centre & going out from a different exit, I had no idea in which general direction our car park section was & to make matters worse it was raining & cold & we were dressed for the sunny conditions when we entered the place.

Just beat the parking police to the overparked tug then went back to pick up SWMBO who had just finished her coffee ... "What do you mean... couldn't find the car ? Get away from me, you'll all wet ! ".

It is great news that the couple were found, whatever the circumstances of their situation.

Duh · Guru

I didn't want to dob you in John, but thanks for sharing your experience with us all here, a timely warning for us all to be careful.

I also did a trek in that area years ago but with a guide, and other than edging along a high cliff face and wading through some water it was very uneventful, so know the area well too.

I still maintain that a compass is worth of taking if trekking, GPS is fine but not much good if the battery goes flat!

-- Edited by Duh on Thursday 2nd of August 2012 08:54:41 PM

yeoeleven · Guru

Duh wrote:

No names, no pack drill, but I know a certain GN that was up that way fairly recently that got momentarily lost also (not me) but found their way back to their vehicle eventually......

-- Edited by Duh on Tuesday 31st of July 2012 01:49:52 PM

Vic was referring to my experiences whilst lost in Karjini as reported on my blog, very lucky to get out of that situation so I have some idea what was going through those elderly person's mind whilst lost in Karijini. Glad that all ended well.

http://yeoeleven.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/lost-in-karijini.html