Police officer, student latest deaths for Blue Mountains bushwalking club

The heroic police officer and international student who were killed by a freak whirlpool at the weekend were new members of a club that lost a man in a cliff fall just months earlier.

The police officer and international student drowned by a whirlpool in a Blue Mountains canyon were new members of a bushwalking club that lost another beloved adventurer in a cliff fall just months earlier.

The tragic revelation comes as Senior Constable Kelly Foster is recommended for a posthumous bravery award by her devastated colleagues in the NSW Police force.

Snr Const. Foster lost her life when she heroically jumped into a surging whirlpool that had opened up beneath a 24-year-old international student who was floating through Wollangambe Canyon One on Saturday.

Both women died.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster, whose body was recovered from Wollangambe Canyon in Mount Wilson after she and another woman were swept into a whirlpool.

The canyon is popular among locals and groups of international visitors who post videos and pictures lounging on inflatable pool toys and drifting down the remote stretch of water.

It is also frequented by intrepid social groups including the Upper Blue Mountains Bushwalking Club.

Their website warns canyoning is physically demanding and takes members through rugged terrain. But Wollangambe One is considered to be “medium” difficulty and suitable for “fit beginners”

“Come and join us on a lazy day floating or swimming down the Wollangambe at Mt Wilson,” the club wrote in the lead up to the ill-fated trek.

“There are long swims and rock scrambling below magnificent cliff walls. No abseils or ropes are involved.”

Among those beginners were Snr Const. Foster and the as-yet unidentified Chinese student from Chiswick and eight others of various skill levels including a veteran leader.

The pair were found in Wollangambe Canyon at Mount Wilson near the Bluie Mountains. Picture: ABC News

The club was one of a few groups working its way through the canyon on Saturday when the water transformed into a vortex.

One theory, which those close to the investigation are said to be considering, is that heavy rain in December shifted boulders beneath the water or knocked others into the river.

That may have created unknown currents and ultimately the whirlpool that appeared so quickly it was able to suck the two women down into the rocks and end their lives in seconds while the other canyoners were left unscathed.

The Daily Telegraph understands devastated witnesses from the club have spoken with police and provided statements to investigators.

Police during the search for the missing canyoners. Picture: Adam Yip

The bushwalking club declined to comment publicly as the police investigation takes place.

Numerous members of canyoning and bushwalking groups online expressed shock and disbelief that the “introductory” hike claimed two lives.

The news has been even more difficult for the volunteer run club because another member fell to his death while abseiling just a few months earlier.

A fatal incident report published by the Australian Canyoning Association in mid-December named Roy Barlow as a 65-year-old climber who fell to his death in the Wolgan Valley on September 2.

“The casualty was a competent canyoner who was experienced in setting and leading abseils… the exact manner of how the casualty fell is unclear,” the report says.

Police pilot returning to his helicopter to go and collect the bodies. Picture: Adam Yip

The club undertook a detailed investigation of Mr Barlow‘s death including how bushfires had affected the well-known route he and others were traversing.

It also made numerous recommendations about the use of ropes and safety techniques in the report.

The canyon at the centre of the latest tragedy, which is just a few kilometres from the scene of the abseiling death, has been closed indefinitely by NSW National Parks.

“Recent heavy rains have caused water levels to rise and conditions in the canyon to change,” an alert says.

“A dangerous whirlpool has formed mid way through the canyon.”

Friends of one of the victims at the base where a search was conducted. Picture: Damian Shaw

It’s expected the bushwalking club will investigate what went wrong in the tragic loss of the two women once authorities have finished their formal work.

Meanwhile the police stationed at Lithgow have asked NSW Police top brass to consider Snr Constable Foster for a posthumous commendation for her bravery in trying to save the student.

Senior police have penned numerous tributes to Snr Const. Foster for giving her life so selflessly.

The identity of the student has yet to be released because her family in China are still being notified.