Australia in the grip of a disturbing rise in summer drownings

Australia has faced an increasing number of drownings this summer compared with other years.

Australia is in the grip of a disturbing rise in summer drownings with growing fears the tragic numbers could rise further as sweltering heat push more Australians to water.

Royal Life Saving Australia’s summer fatal drowning toll, which records every drowning death in the country from December to February, hit 35 on January 2, a 13 per cent rise compared to the 2022-23.

The figure is two deaths below the five-year average of 37 and Royal Life Saving senior research and policy officer Lauren Miller warned it was “not a good star to the year”.

People flock to St Kilda beach in Melbourne. January 2 is on average the worst day for drownings across Australia as people flock to the beaches during the summer season. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

“This is not a good year,” she said, adding it was possible the number could move above the five-year average as the summer rolled on.

“It depends on the weather and it depends on what people are doing when they are dealing with the hot weather,” she said.

“When we are dealing with really hot months and flooding, it’s usually an equation for disaster.”

Floods have already taken the lives of several Australians, including nine-year-old Mia Holland-McCormack, who tragically drowned near Brisbane on Boxing Day.

Outdoor adventure enthusiasts Tanya Hehir, 46, and Helen Bradford, 40, drowned on the same day when they were swept into the Mary River near Gympie in Queensland.

Tanya Hehir (left) and Helen Bradford drowned in a flood event near Gympie on Boxing Day in 2023. Picture: Supplied

“All drowning is really unfortunate but the flooding has just amplified it (this year),” Ms Miller said.

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Perth were also marred by the tragic drowning deaths of two children in the Swan River.

About 5.25pm, police were called to the Swan River in Burswood near the CBD on reports a four-year-old girl and six-year-old boy had been pulled unresponsive from the water.

The children, who were unrelated but known to each other, died while being rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital.

The families of the two young children are believed to be Syrian refugees who had come to Australia to escape their country’s brutal civil war.

WA Opposition Leader Libby Mettam has called for an independent review into the deaths and whether the safety concerns raised over the fencing of the nearby Burswood Park playground had been ignored.

On December 31, 2023 two children were pulled unconscious from the Swan River. Picture: ABC News

While the playground is fenced off, the three entry gates don’t have lockable latches and are able to be easily opened.

The most recent recorded drowning happened at Anglesea Beach in Victoria on Monday afternoon.

A man was pulled unresponsive from the water at Hut Gully Beach off Great Ocean Road and he died at the scene.

Victorian Police were told the man appeared to be in difficulty just prior to being pulled from the water.

Royal Life Saving says there are five key tips to reduce drowning risk: supervise children around water, avoid alcohol around water, wear a lifejacket when boating and fishing, avoid going alone and know the conditions.

Ms Miller also said weather could be “unpredictable” and it was important to “be prepared ahead of time.”