FOR six hours they walk, 30 volunteers trekking through hostile terrain in a place often described as paradise. 

Wimmera’s iconic Grampians National Park, Gariwerd, is a sacred place, untouched and wild – it’s also a place where a sprained ankle can quickly turn into a 12-hour rescue operation.

Halls Gap Sergeant Scott Olsen said this year had been particularly bad.

“Reported rescues are up 100 per cent on last year,” he said.

“From 16 in 2015 to 35 this year, and we’ve still got a month to go.”

Another rescue occurred days after these figures were given. 

Sergeant Olsen said rescues, night or day, took a toll on the emergency services. 

He said about 90 per cent of those who called for help, didn’t know their location or how to read a map – making it extremely difficult for emergency services.

“The incidents were sprains mostly, a few compound fractures where a bone’s popped out,” he said.

 “Of the 35 so far we’ve had three people who came to the park to commit suicide, two children who have fallen seriously and four to five incidents involving school groups, including the children. 

“Of the rest, some were heat exposure but the majority were breaks and strains.”

Strains and other minor injuries require a mammoth effort from emergency service volunteers, who must carry the injured person from the scene. 

While helicopters can be used in serious incidents, in most cases they must be prioritised in case of other emergencies. 

“Rescues can be physically tough,” Sergeant Olsen said.

“You can’t walk back for the Pinnacle with a strain, but it’s a difficult area to stretcher.

“From top to bottom of Mount Rosea carrying someone out is anywhere from six to seven hours involving 30 people.

“It’s quite physically challenging to carry a stretcher over any amount of time and in that territory it’s very difficult. The terrain is quite rocky and hostile.”

While tourists are drawn to the tranquil sights and isolation of the Grampians, in treacherous conditions that remoteness can have its consequences. 

On October 23 Moama Anglican Grammar student Faith Butt, on a school trip with classmates, fell six metres head-first down a Grampians cliff and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

At the time Sergeant Olsen said it took first responders an hour and a half to reach the 13-year-old.

She was airlifted from the gorge before the helicopter landed a short distance away where emergency services intubated and put her in an induced coma. 

Five hours after police received the call Faith, a teenage member of Mensa Society, was in a helicopter headed to hospital, where in November doctors were still struggling to give a definitive prognosis.

The rescue was a mammoth effort by the Warrnambool Country Fire Authority high-angle rescue unit, Hamilton CFA, Ararat State Emergency Services high-angle rescue specialists, Stawell SES, Laharum CFA, Horsham CFA and Halls Gap police.

Police are the incident controllers and primary response agency for land rescues and rely on other organisations, paramedics and volunteers for support. 

“We couldn’t pull together 30 police officers so we rely heavily on the SES, CFA and their additional resources,” Sergeant Olsen said. 

“It’s certainly tough – on one particular job we started cycling in SES units.

“People would arrive and go to a staging area and we’d send up five or 10 people to carry the stretcher and swap out.”

Sergeant Olsen said this year there was a huge increase in reported rescues mostly from popular walks the Pinnacle, MacKenzie Falls, and Mount Rosea. 

He said five rescues occurred in January, four in February, three in March, two in April and three in June.

Emergency services attended six rescues in July, one in August, three in September, three in October and five in November.  

In the first week of December, police had already been tasked to a rescue, but Sergeant Olsen expects more over the peak summer period. 

He said the increase in rescues related to a tourism boost and a wet year where Halls Gap received almost 500 millimetres more rain than last year.

“You can see a bit of a spike around July and June, when it was wet and the school holidays,” he said.

“It’s amazing – a shower of rain and you get a rescue as a result of a slip.

“When the Grampians Peak Trail comes online in the next four to five years we expect an increase in visitor numbers and an increase in injuries along with that.”

Sergeant Olsen said those rescued were often visitors to the region and were unaware of conditions or unprepared. 

He said he did not want to discourage people from visiting the Grampians but asked visitors to be aware of conditions, to carry phone power packs, supplies, wear adequate shoes and clothes and download the Emergency Plus app.