Police have found an interstate hiker who went missing while attempting a solo hike in Tasmania’s far south-west.
The man, aged in his 50s, was reported missing on Thursday night and was last seen trying to walk from Cockle Creek on the South Coast Trail and never returned.
Police said he was found “safe and in good condition.” He was found by a rescue helicopter around 9am on Friday and airlifted from the area.
Cockle Creek is the starting point for many hiking routes in the area, including Fishers Cape, South Cape Bay (Australia’s southernmost point) and the seven-day South Coast Walk. It is also the southernmost point in Australia that can be reached by car.
Two interstate hikers trying to hike in Freycinet National Park were successfully rescued on Thursday.
Police said the two walkers, aged in their 20s, were rescued after being alerted at around 5pm on Thursday that the walkers, aged in their 20s, were “in danger and unable to progress in the steep terrain”.
A rescue helicopter sent search and rescue teams to the area, where they searched for the two hikers.
The hikers were rescued early Friday morning. Neither man was injured.
The final week of 2024 has been a challenging time for Tasmania’s search and rescue teams after three hikers died in separate incidents.
Police say a man in his 30s fell to his death while climbing Confederation Peak, and two others died as a result of “medical accidents.” Other bushwalkers found both men unresponsive.
In New South Wales, the search for Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old hiker who disappeared while hiking in Kosciuszko National Park, is entering its ninth day.
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Nazari’s friends raised the alarm after they failed to arrive at the campsite where they had arranged to meet on Boxing Day.
Since then, NSW Police, National Parks and Wildlife Service, State Emergency Service, NSW Ambulance and volunteer rescuers have been searching for Nazari.
Trash and hiking poles believed to belong to Nazari were found late Tuesday, but he has yet to be found.
Police said he was believed to have had a modest amount of water and camping gear, but was not carrying a personal locator beacon.