Schoolchildren rescued from snow
A group of hikers had to be rescued from freezing conditions in Victoria's high country following heavy early snowfalls.
*************************** The school group of 57 hikers returned to
Mansfield about 2pm today after a convoy of four-wheel-drives was called in to rescue them from the Alpine National Park. ***************************
The group, from Girton Grammar school in the Victorian city of
Bendigo, was forced to abort a five-day hike to Mount Howitt when unseasonal, icy weather set in a day before the trip was due to end.
Rural Ambulance Victoria spokesman
John Mullen said rescue crews reached the hikers - including 52 year nine students and five teachers - at Lovick's Hut, east of the Mt Buller ski resort about 11.30am.
It took about 2-1/2 hours to transport the group back to
Mansfield, with the vehicles negotiating 15cm of snow.
"They were given something nice and warm to eat and drink ... and are due back in
Bendigo about 7-8 o'clock tonight," Mr Mullen said.
"They were cold and miserable but I think they were glad to get back down to
Mansfield and get something nice and warm to eat."
Paramedics assessed the group but none - including a student with suspected hypothermia - needed treatment.
The rescue came after one of the party, a 14-year-old girl, was airlifted to
Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital yesterday afternoon, suffering an unspecified abdominal problem.
The hike is an annual event on the school's outdoor education calendar and the group was
well-prepared.
Deputy principal Robyn MacCulloch said the students were safe and
well and some were even disappointed to be rescued.
"They're tucking into pizza and soup as we speak," she said.
Ms MacCulloch downplayed the emergency, saying the hikers were never stranded.
"I think the whole thing is a little inflated because they were never really in any difficulty - it was just a decision that was made (to bring them out).
"They were never snowed in, they were never stranded, they could have just walked out, it was just a simple decision they don't have to, why put them through it?"
Ms MacCulloch said the hiking trip had been running for 20 years and would be reviewed this year but blamed the incident on unseasonal weather.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Geoff Kitchen said temperatures in the region dropped below zero for almost a day.
"It's -1 degree Celsius at the minute, so it's below freezing now, and it will have been below freezing since the cold front came through yesterday," he said.
Visibility was down to less than 15 metres at Mount Buller today.
AAP