Tragically Unprepared – One Dead, Cradle Mountain Rescue

An overnight rescue operation at Cradle Mountain National Park concluded with one female member of a walking group confirmed deceased.

Emergency services were alerted late Friday afternoon by a separate walking party who found the group of Chinese nationals in distress and suffering from the extreme cold. The severe weather conditions prevented a helicopter deployment, requiring Police Search and Rescue, SES, PWS and Ambulance Tasmania to undertake a challenging ground walk-in to reach the party.

Media release – Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management, 27 September 2025

An overnight operation to rescue a group of walkers at Cradle Mountain National Park is now complete.

Emergency services were contacted about 15:30 Friday afternoon by another walking party, who found the group in difficulties and suffering from the cold. The group are Chinese nationals visiting Tasmania.

Sadly, one female member of the group is confirmed deceased.

Weather conditions are extreme and prevented a helicopter deployment. Police Search and Rescue members, SES, PWS and Ambulance Tasmania walked in late yesterday afternoon to locate the group.

They camped with the group last night and the search and rescue party assisted them to walk out this morning. The other members of the group are in good condition.

“This is a tragic outcome for a group of visitors to Tasmania. Unfortunately, they were not prepared for bushwalking and found themselves overwhelmed by the extreme weather conditions,” said Inspector Steve Jones.

“The group did not have appropriate equipment including a personal locator beacon and were unable to call for assistance when they first realised they needed help.

“Fortunately, another group of walkers found them and rendered valuable assistance with the limited supplies they had.”

“Tasmania’s weather can change very quickly, particularly in the alpine areas. This means there are times such as this when we can’t deploy the helicopter and it takes time for a ground search and rescue team to walk into remote areas,” he said.

The assistance of other walking parties, along with SES, PWS and Ambulance Tasmania, has been invaluable in preventing further fatalities.

Advice for bushwalkers

Tasmania Police offers the following advice in reminding bushwalkers of the potential risks in the Tasmanian wilderness.

Police strongly advise bushwalkers to ensure they carry sufficient warm clothing and food, and emergency communication devices. A Personal Locator Beacon and preferably also a two-way messaging emergency device (known as a ‘SEND’ – Satellite Emergency Notification Device) should also be carried. Take sufficient resources even if you are only undertaking a day walk.

Ensure you’re prepared with appropriate equipment – take a map and torch, clothing and footwear to suit any conditions. Have a waterproof jacket; adequate food and water and first-aid kit.

Research your intended trip. Ensure the trip is within your abilities and fitness level, and you have a route plan, map and check the expected weather forecast. Note that some walks are extremely demanding and should not be conducted without sufficient experience, and ensure you are mentally and physically prepared.

Check for weather warnings and if there is inclement weather on the way, please reconsider your plans.

Let someone know before you go. Ensure someone knows your route and expected return time.

Always carry a fully charged mobile phone and consider a portable charger to extend battery life. Batteries do not last as long when cold and mobile navigation apps deplete batteries quicker than other apps.

Be aware that a PLB is a one-way communication device only and the nature of the emergency will not be known by rescue authorities.

Be mindful that assistance may take some time to arrive depending on the location and weather. You must be prepared to survive until assistance arrives.

Be flexible and have a contingency plan. Be prepared to turn back or change plans if severe weather is forecast or eventuates during the walk, or the trip is harder than you thought. Making the decision to push on when you should turn back can put you in danger.

Images courtesy Tasmania Police.

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