Member - Warfer (VIC) replied:

Hiya TerraFirma

It makes you feel like going for a looksee yourself doesnt it....Not that search and rescue/police didnt try hard...

It only takes missing the body by 1 metre,cuddled up because he is cold and thats it....

Tree canopy coverage will stop your GPS dead....Simple as that...Even if you hav a small clearing,It depends where the sat is too at the time...


Cheers

Oh

*Anyone got any theories or beliefs on his dissappearance*

Theres always plenty of speculates lol

HGMonaro replied:

no idea about your last paragraph but regarding the GPS. I've used mine under cover and it can drop out and won't get a signal again until it gets a decent look at the sky. Add some cloud into the equation and there's less chance. You can walk somewhere so it can get a lock, but that's not going to help you if your incapacitated for some reason (fell over and broke your leg, etc). Guess it's the reason most people using GPSs as navigation recommend a compass and maps (and a knowledge of how to read them) as backup.

Nige.

Mike Harding replied:

I spend quite a bit of time in the Vic forests and use my GPS regularly, it's an aged Garmin 12XL and has the original Rockwell chip set (8 channel iirc). Heavy tree cover can be a problem but it has never stopped me getting a signal - just takes a bit longer. Find out where you are and the bearing you need to follow back to camp them use a compass checking with the GPS occasionally.

It's easy to become confused in terrain without reference points in the distance and one may be tempted to "follow our instincts" and take a direction contrary to the compass/GPS which can be a dangerous thing to do - deserts are bad for this - even people experienced in these areas of navigation can fall prey.

As for finding a body; in most of our dense forests unless it were on/close to a track - very difficult, and if he had snuggled up in the base of a tree, or similar, to keep out of the weather almost impossible.

Like you, TerraFirma, I do feel for the family - a loved one gone with no explanation, very hard to cope with.

Mike Harding

Member - Kim M (VIC) replied:

You need to take a walk in the area around Dom Dom and the Black Spur to understand how thick the bush can be in some areas.

I spent a lot of time in that country and it doesn't take much to get disoriented if you left the track, or mistakenly followed an old map.

If he wandered off more than 250m, the chances of finding the body would be minuscule (given the search area).

Regards

Kim

l

Member - Tim - Stratford (VIC) replied:

This was sent to me by a mate that used to work in the area.



Thick bush and bad tracks.

Robin Miller replied:

Hi Terra

Even my new srf111 chipset gps loses signal up there , and I never yet plotted a continuous track over the Black Spur. Hills are steep and lots of wet trees and fog.

I have been in a least 3 situations where people have got lost within 2-300m and loose the ability to think rationally.

Their have also ben cases where someone has been lost forever in a known 700m wide area (thinking of boy at top of Wilson Prom here) .

So I would think it perfectly possible that the most likely just happened.
I.E. He got off track , and got dissabled for some reason , and just ran out of time in the end.