Hikers warned to plan ahead this winter

THE Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) and Parks Victoria are urging hikers and bushwalkers in state parks to plan in advance for adverse conditions, and to be wary to not be caught out by early nightfall.

Daylight hours are cut even shorter by the high ridges at locations such as Lerderderg or Werribee Gorge, which increases the risk of serious injury from slips and falls.

Parts of the Cathedral Range, Lerderderg, and Werribee Gorge are popular with hikers and bushwalkers but are notorious to local VICSES and Parks Victoria crews as the setting of many labour-intensive, time-consuming rescues.

The walking trails at Cathedral Range State Park, have been the subject of a five-year renovation by Parks Victoria rangers and local VICSES volunteers.

The installation of the new Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority markers is the biggest milestone for the PV/VICSES crew since 2019, when the improved trail header and destination signage were set up throughout Cathedral Range State Park.

The local VICSES unit has also trained in steep and high angle rope rescues.

In the three years before 2020, the local VICSES team assisted 70 people in the park, but less than 20 people have been seriously lost or injured since the signage upgrade.

Search and rescue operations require, on average, eight VICSES volunteers in three vehicles, working for about four hours, which equates to 32 hours of volunteer time for each rescue. This does not include the work undertaken by Parks Victoria, Ambulance Victoria, and Victoria Police search and rescue personnel.

“It always pays to be prepared for a hike, at any time but particularly in the autumn and winter – even if a walk is close to the city, like the Cathedral Range or Lerderderg,” Parks Victoria area chief ranger Andrew Sawicki said.

“We’re proud of the work we have done with SES and the local community to improve safety at Cathedral.

“There’s lots of great information available on the Parks Victoria website that will help you keep safe wherever you are planning to go.

“The Cathedral Range is a dramatic challenge for walkers – but shouldn’t be underestimated. The tops of the ranges are very exposed and if you are not properly prepared, bad things can happen. In 2019 we had a spate of rescues – four over three days at one point.

“The majority of our work in the park was for walkers who didn’t have a headlamp and became lost after dark. The tracks in the park don’t appear long on paper, but they are tricky, and it takes a long time to travel small distances. People were caught out because they were unprepared.”

For more information, head to the Parks Victoria website at parks.vic.gov.au