A 77-year-old Queensland woman has died in extreme heat at the base of one of the Gascoyne region’s most notorious hiking trails — the fifth death in six years at the site.
The woman arrived at the Mt Augustus Tourist Park at lunchtime on Saturday set off to do the hike about 3pm.
Staff at the tourist park were concerned when she failed to return in a reasonable amount of time and began their own search.
They found her vehicle bogged on a stretch of road around the base of Mt Augustus but no sign of her. Police joined the search to no avail on Saturday night.
A more thorough search was launched at first light on Sunday morning assisted by drones and the woman’s body was discovered at 8.45am, under a tree about 20m off the road.
Police believe she became bogged in the sand and attempted to walk back to the caravan park several kilometres away. But she became severely dehydrated, sought shade and succumbed to the high temperatures which pushed 47C on Sunday.
The woman was a regular hiker who described herself as fit and healthy for her age.
She had driven from Queensland to Western Australia with the intention of hiking the Mt Augustus summit trail.
Despite temperatures in the high 40Cs, the trail officially being closed from November to February and several warnings from locals advising the woman not to head out, police say she still intended to hike the trail.
The woman’s death is the latest in a horror run at the site.
In November 2019, German tourist Hans-Juergen Busk, 69, died on his way to the summit from heart disease and environmental exposure.
In September 2020, Perth resident Anne Maree Pollard, 53, and married couple Thelma and Brian Green, aged 66 and 70 respectively, died from heat stroke within a few days of each other attempting to hike the summit trail.
All four hikers succumbed to hyperthermia (abnormally high body temperature) in the sweltering conditions.
A coronial inquest into the deaths was held, with Deputy State Coroner Sarah Linton recommending the summit trail be closed after 7am in March, April, September and October and shut completely between November and February.
All four previous victims were all said to be seasoned hikers.
Mid West-Gascoyne Police Insp. Scott Morrissey said this incident was yet another warning for tourists to take official warnings and advice seriously.
“All members of the public should follow official advice and warnings as they are there for a reason,” he said.
“If you are going out hiking, especially in such harsh terrain, let someone know where you are going, what time you expect to get there and check in with them once you arrive.”
Insp. Morrissey recommended taking twice as much water you may think you need and carrying a personal locator beacon in case of emergencies.
“If you become stranded on the road, it is critical you stay with your vehicle. Do not walk away from it,” he said.