Hours from anywhere, this couple’s quick thinking saved their lives

A stranded husband and wife found themselves at the centre of a complex rescue effort from a remote four-wheel-drive track in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, after their car caught fire while driving.

The pair were driving the Talawana Track, a notorious 596 kilometre-long track that stretches from Windy Corner on the Gary Highway to Newman.

The husband and wife with the emergency service workers who saved their lives. Credit: WA Police

They were about 120 kilometres east of the Canning Stock Route, when around 10.30am their vehicle caught fire and was destroyed.

Well-prepared for travel into remote areas, the couple used their satellite phone, which they were able to remove from the burning car in time, to call triple-zero.

Due to their remoteness, the call was sent through to the South Australian Police who then passed on the information to WA authorities.

Contact was made with the couple and it was confirmed they had a small portable charging device to keep their satellite phone charged.

Arrangements were made for regular check-in phone calls to be made at set times overnight.

The initial plan was to deploy officers from Jigalong Police, at a remote community of only a few hundred people in the remote Pilbara region.

But this was reconsidered due to the travel distance – a 12 to 16-hour round trip depending on terrain – and the safety risks associated with some of the track conditions.

Police Air Wing then engaged the services of the BHP Air Ambulance based in the Pilbara mining town of Newman.

The helicopter left Newman about 5.30am on Tuesday morning, expecting a six-hour round trip.

They arrived to rescue the couple about 9.00am and then returned to Newman, where officers from Newman Police met them and took them into town.

A WA Police spokesman said the rescue was made possible due to the couple’s forward planning.

“We encourage anyone travelling in regional and remote areas to carry safety equipment with them, particularly Personal Locator Beacons, or PLBs, or other equipment such as satellite phones to help alert authorities to emergency situations,” he said.

“On this occasion not only were the stranded couple able to alert authorities to their situation via their satellite phone, it was possible for local police to maintain contact with them to monitor their condition and continually re-assess the level or urgency required in the rescue operation. They also had sufficient water supplies to sustain them while they awaited the arrival of rescuers.”

Police also acknowledged the support provided by several businesses to the rescued couple.

“The support shown by locals in Newman was outstanding, with gifts such as clothing from the local SportsPower store making a real difference,” he said.

“Further to that, after having to make an unplanned trip to Perth without any accommodation booked, the kindness of Novotel Perth Langley to put them up for a few nights while they regroup and work out their next steps shows the community spirit Western Australia is known for.”