Another one !
Submitted: Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 09:28
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Footloose
Has anyone got the full story on the poor lady that died in WA after the party's truck became bogged ?
Reply By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 09:35
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 09:35
Tracey Fraser, 36, was reported missing after she and two companions - Richard Neil, 45, and Nicolas Apse, 19 - failed to arrive as expected at a gold
mine near
Meekatharra, 765km north of
Perth last Thursday.
The two men were rescued on Sunday night.
Police searching for Ms Fraser yesterday confirmed they had found a woman's body just north of Meekathara.
Although the body has not been formally identified, the missing woman's next of kin have been told it is probably her.
The identification process is not expected to take place for a few days, once the body has been flown to
Perth, a police spokesman said late last night.
The trio left
Perth on Tuesday for the Fortnum Gold
Mine, 150km north of
Meekatharra, where Mr Neil was working as a sub-contractor.
After missing the turn off, they drove too far and became bogged on Wednesday.
Mr Neil and Mr Apse then left Ms Fraser near the car while they went for help.
When they finally made it back to the vehicle three nights later, the
Perth mother, who is understood to have medical conditions, had disappeared.
The two men were released from hospital yesterday after being treated for sunburn, exposure and shock.
AnswerID:
161862
Follow Up By: Footloose - Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 10:04
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 10:04
Thanks. Just looking at their vehicle on the news it appaered to be badly bogged. I wonder if it was a 4wd ?
FollowupID:
416520
Reply By: howie - Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 19:23
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 19:23
1) newspaper says (so it must be true) that they were last seen going thru meeka at 2:30 am. that means they were probably looking for their turn-off in the pitch dark.not a good start.
2) did not tell anyone their plans or expected arrival times. (when i go to or leave a
mine i usually ring ahead or confirm my arrival at the last phone/town)
3) cannot tell from picture but, tell me what is hard about putting a 20L water can in the car.
4) womans body found 4 Kms from ute, 100m from dirt road, under a tree.
rule 4 - don't leave the car unless absolutely neccessary (or you know the area
well)
i'm sorry for any relatives but you dont have to be a survival expert to follow these rules. one of the guys is supposed to have worked at the
mine in question, he should have had an inkling of what the bush can be like , (unforgiving some times).
(gets down off soapbox)
AnswerID:
162004
Reply By: Exploder - Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 19:34
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 19:34
Didn’t think there has been that much rain up meaka way lately.
Wonder how far past the
mine they went, as the
mine is only 70k’s up the Ashburton downs
Meekatharra Road from the grate northern hwy.
AnswerID:
162007
Reply By: Footloose - Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 19:55
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 19:55
I am on record as getting upset over needless loss that could have been avoided with some planning and a bit of preparation. Sat phones, epirbs and radios are only any good if you can afford them. Appears to have been a hasty trip. There's probably more stories behind the scene but ........
AnswerID:
162019
Follow Up By: Exploder - Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 20:14
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 at 20:14
Know what you mean, just pulled out the map the turn off is 70K’s past
Meekatharra, it’s the 6th major Gravel road, the turn off is on the left, Mooloogool
Homestead turn off is on the right, it is signposted from memory and is 22k’s from the Ashburton downs
Meekatharra road that goes to the
mine.
I guess at 2:30Am you are not thinking terribly clearly.
FollowupID:
416685
Reply By: V8Diesel - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 11:10
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 11:10
Used to work up that way, know it quite
well.
Driving at night is completely different. Signs are hard to see because everything is coated and stained with red dust. Even if you are familiar with the area, having no visual references to tell you where you are makes it very hard to navigate. Having driven from
Perth numerous times after a days work let me give you the tip - you're pretty knackered by that stage. Add a few coldies into the equation and it is quite easy to get lost.
One other thing people fail to realise is the map does not indicate just how many roads there are around the area. It is a very mineral rich part of the world and there are hundreds of unsignposted tracks going everywhere.
A truly horrific way to go.
AnswerID:
162184
Follow Up By: Footloose - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 11:29
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 11:29
V8, I've driven from Meeka to
Perth once and yes its a long tiring way. I'd hate to try and navigate at night in that area, as you say the tracks would confuse the heck out of me, with or without moving maps.
The red dust on signs reminds me of when I was trying to get to London from the south. Should of been dead easy except twas the middle of winter and all the signs were covered by snow. I was lucky. Making those sort of mistakes in the bush isn't good for anyone. It only takes one wrong turn and a bit of bad luck and you have this situation. How many tourists could make the same mistake ? I still rekkon that epirbs should be mandatory in all hired 4wds.
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