Five people rescued from popular tourist attraction
Extraordinary footage has captured the dramatic rescue of five people from a popular tourist attraction in dangerous conditions.
Five people have been dramatically rescued after their hiking trips at popular tourist attractions in Victoria took a dangerous turn.
Police rescued a man and woman from a clifftop ledge at Werribee Gorge, 70km west of Melbourne, and three children who were trapped on a riverbank in Glenmaggie, 200km to Melbourne’s east.
The two hikers, who had earlier set out to walk to Falcons Lookout, became stranded on a ledge 150m high about 10.40pm.
The hikers raised the alarm after setting off around 8pm to the precarious track which, at times, was only 30cm wide with degrading edges.
Police said the couple, a 25-year-old man from Mill Park and a 36 year-old woman from Doncaster, wandered from the main track onto a trail with no handrails and sheer drops unable to find their way back down in the dark and rough terrain.
Local police unsuccessfully attempted to reach the pair by foot before the chopper arrived and winched them to safety.
In the second incident, three children were staying with family at a Gells Road campground when they launched an inflatable donut into the Macalister river about 7pm.
The inflatable got caught in the flow of the river and was taken down stream and caught on a rock.
The trio, aged 15, 13 and 10-years-old, were all able to climb onto the opposite riverbank.
They walked upstream until they could see their campsite across the water but due to difficult terrain couldn’t leave the area.
Police also couldn’t make their way to the children on foot and family members were unable to reach them due to swift flowing water and slippery rocks.
Local officers attended along with the water police and airwing to co-ordinate the rescue.
All three children, from Melbourne’s south east, were safely rescued by chopper and reunited with their families.
In dramatic vision shared, police aircrew can be seen lifting two people from the dangerous gorge.
One person is seen clinging to a police officer in strong winds, while a second looked exhausted after the rescue.
No one was injured in the incidents.
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