Coroner finds bushwalker James Hugh McLean was ‘woefully ill-equipped’

A bushwalker who disappeared without a trace in the South West National Park had a history of needing to be rescued, as a coroner reveals what may have happened in the man’s final days.

A 76-YEAR-OLD bushwalker was “woefully ill-equipped” and had a lengthy history of landing himself in “challenging” outdoor situations when he disappeared without a trace in the South West National Park.

Coroner Simon Cooper’s findings into the death of James Hugh McLean were published online on Friday.

James Hugh McLean, 76, of Flinders Island.

Mr Cooper said he was “satisfied” the Flinders Island man died on or after November 13, 2018, but could not determine the cause, circumstances or place of his death.

He said no trace of Mr McLean was ever found, despite police searching well into January 2019.

MORE NEWS:

• Restriction changes to be staged regardless of cases
• Revealed: the sports club that broke covid-19 rules
• Tassie suburbs with the worst smoking rates in australia

Mr McLean was reported missing on December 14, 2018, after failing to return from a month-long solo bushwalk from Tahune to Melaleuca.

“Despite extensive police inquiries, there is no evidence of anyone seeing Mr McLean again after late morning on November 13, 2018, when he was seen by the river guide,” Mr Cooper said.

“The guide said that when he saw Mr McLean he was ill, vomiting and coughing, and that he ‘didn’t seem to be in a stable mind frame’.

“He described Mr McLean as wearing a pair of dark trousers and flannelette shirt. The guide said the equipment Mr McLean had with him was inadequate for the walk he was about to undertake, describing it as cheap and of poor quality.”

The South West National Park. Picture: CHRISTOPHER PLUNKETT

Mr Cooper said the area where Mr McLean went walking was “notorious for cold and unpredictable weather”, with low temperatures and several large-scale rain and snow events recorded during November 2018.

He did not rule out natural causes, but said the weather was “likely to have been a factor contributing to his death”, possibly due to hypothermia.

“Mr McLean was inappropriately prepared for his walk with a low-quality tent and sleeping bag, as well as inadequate clothing and wet weather equipment,” Mr Cooper said

“He did not have a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), despite urgings of his family.”

Mr McLean’s “eccentric and ill-considered behaviour” had resulted in him needing to be rescued on a number of occasions.

The most significant of these occurred a few weeks before his disappearance when, on October 22, 2018, Mr McLean was found exhausted, disorientated, injured and malnourished, by Parks and Wildlife Service personnel at Melaleuca.

He was two weeks overdue on the walk he was undertaking, and had run out of food and gas for his cooker.

Mr Cooper said one of the PWS officers later told investigators that Mr McLean was “insistent that his compass was malfunctioning when clearly it was not”.

Mr Cooper did not make any recommendations but said all walkers in Tasmania should heed advice to carry PLBs.

[e-mail]