The group,which comprised two elders,an adult woman and four children,were spotted waving at the police air wing on Wednesday afternoon beside a bogged vehicle about 220 kilometres south-west of Tjuntjuntjara community.
The travellers were found within hours of police searching in WA’s remote,rain-soaked outback on Wednesday.WA Police
WA Police began a wide-scale search for the travellers on Tuesday,who left Boulder on Sunday in a two-car convoy bound for the remote Aboriginal community about 700 kilometres north-east of Kalgoorlie.
But efforts had been hampered by flooding and wild weather,which had rendered an aerial search for the group too dangerous and prevented authorities from mobilising on the ground.
The group were dropped food,water and blankets on Wednesday evening before WA Police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services convened an urgent meeting to plot their rescue,which involved a helicopter “hot landing” on Thursday.
The group was then flown to Kalgoorlie,where they received a precautionary medical check,and are expected to complete their trip to Tjuntjuntjara when the weather conditions permit it.
Goldfields-Esperance District Police inspector Mick Kelly said he was “ecstatic” that the travellers had been rescued alive and well.
He said the group was likely now looking forward to a hot meal and a good night’s sleep.
“Once we were able to spot that vehicle and see those seven people waving at the aircraft,it was one of my happiest moments,” he said.
The DFES helicopter landing at Kalgoorlie airport this afternoon.WA Police.
“It’s hard to hold back your emotions,you fear the worst… but it’s just great to see that they’re all home. You can finish the shift tonight knowing they’re now safe and warm — it’s a wonderful result.”
“Seeing them waving,it was one of my happiest moments… for myself,for the group... it’s just brilliant to bring these people home and,eventually,return them to their own community.”
Kelly said it served as a reminder to the broader public to heed the advice and warnings of Main Roads WA and the Bureau of Meteorology and not to take chances.
“It makes it really difficult to recover and extract people when you’re dealing with these weather conditions,” he said.
“That’s why it’s so important to stay with your vehicle in this situation.
“It’s devastating when people find themselves in a situation where they are bogged. The lack of connectivity,the isolation and the amount of rain that has fallen in that area is astronomical.”
The unprecedented flooding in the area had forced the closure of rail and road access on the Nullarbor on Tuesday,cutting the west off from the rest of the country.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the scarcely populated area copped a year’s worth of rain,more than 320 millimetres,in just three days.
But Kelly warned many roads would not be passable for “sometime”.
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