Rescue leader speaks of kunanyi/Mt Wellington rescue

Setting out to rescue trapped bushwalkers at the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington in blizzard-like conditions was no easy task, just ask Greg Milne. Here’s how the rescue unfolded.

Conditions at the top of kunanyi/ Mt Wellington on Monday felt like a blizzard, Greg Milne says, but the gruelling journey up the mountain in strong winds and low visibility was necessary to save 18 stranded walkers.

The bushland program leader at the City of Hobart said the group of four council workers mobilised to save 13 walkers who had called for assistance.

“We were asked by the police because they were already fully engaged by New Norfolk,” he said.

“We ended up rescuing 18 people, 13 in the observation and five, a couple of kilometres from the summit.

“We didn’t know about them (the group of five) on the way up.”

Hobart City Council workers brave think snow and blizzard conditions on their way to rescue walkers stranded on kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Picture: City of Hobart

It’s understood the group of five were tourists.

Mr Milne said it was a “difficult rescue”.

“It involved operating in an extreme and potentially deadly environment,” he said.

“There were temperatures of minus three at the summit, with the wind chill factor it felt much colder.

“The winds were around 90 – 100 km/hr at the time, it was basically a blizzard.

“It was the driving in the low visibility and the strong wind from the summit down to the springs.”

Hobart City Council workers brave think snow and blizzard conditions on their way to rescue walkers stranded on kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Picture: City of Hobart

He said the group went up in a convoy of three four wheel drives, fitted with chains, which were led by a tractor.

“We reached the observation shelter we took up all emergency supplies and warm equipment,” Mr Milne said.
“We put them in vehicles and safely drove back down the mountain, we got them from the summit back down to the springs.

“Some people we rescued were well prepared, other people weren’t.

“It was pretty extreme where we found them and some of the party were very cold.”

He said it was rewarding to help people, but it was unfortunate the groups had become stranded.

He said they had likely been fooled by relatively calm conditions at the springs.

Hobart City Council workers brave think snow and blizzard conditions on their way to rescue walkers stranded on kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Picture: City of Hobart

“They were all incredibly grateful,” he said.

“We just don’t want people to be in that situation in the first place.

“There’s a lot of warnings in place at a statewide level, we’d always encourage people to take that into account.

“It’s great people are adventurous but we want them to do it safely.

“The wilderness can be beautiful one minute, deadly the next.”

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds echoed the sentiment.

“People need to respect the fact that this is a wild place and just use common sense,” she said.

“Everyone does make mistakes, the important thing is that we learn.

“Human life is precious and when people do make mistakes we aim to rescue them and bring them back home to safety.”

Ms Reynolds said the council contributed most of the resources to manage the mountain.

“We’ve called for many years for there to be a greater sharing of resources on the mountain,” she said.

“It is a highly visited place, people love it, there’s a need for more facilities.”

Originally published as Rescue leader speaks of kunanyi/Mt Wellington rescue