Warning after man’s disastrous gorge jump

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy has been flown from West MacDonnell National Park with serious injuries after jumping from a gorge face into Ellery Creek Big Hole.

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A 17-YEAR-OLD boy has been flown from West MacDonnell National Park with serious injuries sustained after jumping from a gorge face into Ellery Creek Big Hole, a popular swimming spot in Central Australia.

The same spot claimed the life of a man several years ago after he tried to use a rope swing to enter the water.

Police said the incident happened at about 10.30am on Thursday after the man leapt 20 metres from a rock face into the swimming hole, about 80km west of Alice Springs..

It is estimated the 17-year-old landed in water that was just a metre deep. He badly injured his back and shoulder in the jump. Friends who were in the swimming hole at the time worked to get him out of the water and safely onto the bank.

District Manager Parks Central Australia West, Gary Weir, said there were Parks and Wildlife Commission signs around the swimming spot warning people not to jump from the gorge face into the water.

Mr Weir said a Personal Location Beacon was activated following the accident and when park rangers arrived, the young man’s friends had him stabilised in a flat position on the sand beside the waterhole.

Rangers worked to help keep him warm until medical assistance arrived.

“A helicopter then came and extracted him,” Mr Weir said. “We take the safety of visitors to our parks very seriously. It’s our priority.

“But we just ask people to take some personal responsibility,” Mr Weir said.

“It’s an unnecessary risk to put yourself through for the sake of a thrill. The signs are there for a reason.”

He urged people to think about their actions in national parks because of their ­remoteness .