Police have urged tourists exploring Tasmania to tell family exactly where they are going after an elderly South Australian couple became stranded in the north-west and spent two nights in their vehicle before being found.
Peter, 79 and Clementina, 81, had planned to explore the coast between Penguin and Ulverstone on Tuesday but diverted into the Dial Range area for reasons that remain unclear.
The couple became stuck on an unsealed road near Ironcliffe Road after driving over a hill and were unable to continue.
They remained with their vehicle through Tuesday night and Wednesday, despite heavy rain and poor weather, before leaving a note on the car at around 9.30am on Thursday saying they were going to walk in search of communication.
Police located their vehicle shortly before 10:30am and found the couple a short distance away.
They were cold and wet and had minor injuries.
Inspector Anthea Maingay said the couple’s decision to remain with their vehicle had helped protect them from the worst of the weather.
“We could have been dealing with a very different outcome,” she said.
Police had used telecommunications data, specialist search teams and their knowledge of the area to narrow the search.
A helicopter had been used on Wednesday but was unable to reach the area where the couple was eventually found because of the weather.
Quad bikes and four-wheel-drive vehicles were also deployed, with some areas inaccessible even to the larger vehicles.
Maingay said the couple’s intended destination had been known to family, but their diversion into the Dial Range meant police initially had a much wider area to search.
She urged anyone travelling into Tasmania’s wilderness to make sure someone knows their intended destination and to provide an update if their plans change.
“That definitely will assist us narrow down our search area if something happens which requires us to come looking for you,” she said.
The couple were taken to the North West Regional Hospital for assessment before being reunited with family.
They thanked Tasmania Police, their family and members of the community for their support.
Maingay said the couple were “extremely pleased” to have been found safe.
