G'day Adventurers
Sad as it really is, another person has 'done a perish' last Sunday in the West Australian outback and once again
Mount Augustus is in the headlines.
An adventurous Lady from Queensland has paid the ultimate price, death by misadventure or possibly by not knowing the real risks when it comes to being 'out and about' in 45 degrees plus temperatures, I can testify to how energy sapping the current extreme weather cycle is across Western Australia is right now and as to how fickle Nature (weather) can be, in a very short time frame ~ just today Tuesday 4/2/2025 ~ day time temperature topped 45C ~ brutally hot with the wind coming from
the Desert or more to the point, an east/south east direction, there were a few fluffy clouds over the spine of the Ohpthalmia Range just to the north of town, within 40 minutes give or take, the wind picked up, then a mighty lightening bolt and crack of thunder, followed by a wind driven rain storm, that managed to leave 3.5 mil in the rain gauge, this was just another quick violent Wet Season moment in the inland
Pilbara, not a daily occurrence admittedly, though not unusual either.
I can't say if this 77 year old Lady was a
well travelled person and I do not know if she knew the risks of heat exposure, but I am very sure she would have had information on being at or being on
Mount Augustus at this time of the year, more so because just a few years back (2022) from memory, several people perished in fairly quick succession in the Gascoyne/Murchison, which gave
Mount Augustus a rather unfortunate title as being a deadly place to visit.
Her bogged vehicle was located after a search ~ she was staying at the local camp/caravan
park, she was found some distance from her vehicle, it appears she tried to walk back to the
camp ground.
I am very tempted to say 'here we go ~ again' But I won't.
Safe travels : Joe Fury