How's your game plan B ?

[user 7268]

Due to the tragic loss of a prospector in WA it may be time for all that venture into remote areas to re assess options if anything should go astray? For sure some are experienced but also many who are not. Eager to head North again myself was recently speaking with a station owner in FNQ and at the start of the conversation when I asked how's things the answer was "To damn hot" Now when some one who was born there and has lived there for over sixty years says that ...................... it's not just hot it's *&%^$# HOT. The recent loss of this mans life heightens the point that one must be prepared otherwise the end result may be tragic.
A good example here of my own experience regards how the best laid plans go astray ............... I purchased a brand new quad purely for reliability issues, I even purchased one that had a carby not fuel injection as you can supply fuel out of a coke can if need be to get home. I also made sure it had a pull start as well as electric so a flat battery wouldn't leave me sitting in the middle of nowhere if it wouldn't start on nothing more than a nice comfy seat. End result first trip out .................. 25 K from the station homestead wouldn't start. If not for the fact my job enabled me to find and fix the problem I may well be still out there ..................... well in spirit at least.

Many may think that this is not a regular thing but this is not the case. At least three stations I know that allow prospecting in FNQ close them down to the public over the hotter months due to and I quote " many become a liability " Simply put when people get into trouble they have to halt their station activities to rescue people.
Given the circumstances of this recent death it also makes one very aware that you don't need to be a zillion miles away from everything ........................ this man was 2.5 K from his camp ................ that's about a thirty minute walk. That's thirty minutes from most likely a cold esky full of drinks and steaks compared to sitting and dying alone under a tree.
The reason for this post is hopefully it may prevent another such tragedy or if it even makes one rethink game plan B then all is good. Maybe a few members that have the harsh outback as their backyards could offer up advice both in preparation and the do's and don'ts .
Stay safe and make 2018 a good year for all.

Sadly it now appears another ........................ this person was 750 meters from the car park.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...il-in-central-australia/ar-BBIdDSl?ocid=ientp

 

[Jaros]

I think that even when leaving your car/quad to walk 2-3klm fossicking then you should have a satphone, epirb and snake bite first aid kit. Water of course is a necessity as you can dehydrate very quickly. AND TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING!! with a return time/date.

 

[HeadsUp]

Epirb is only $250 , compared to the cost of a detector at $1000 - 7000 ?

GPS such as Garmin 62S ($200) for finding my way back to the car.

an iPad with GPS for accurate mapping and for marking my starting point to find the car again.

Many people use a small backpack to carry spare batteries , water , first aid kit (snake bandage) spare detector coil or even a small compass , so why not bring the epirb and GPS too ?

The numbers of deaths , especially in WA suggests that there needs to be more penetration with availability of rental EPIRB or a legal requirement to carry one.

The fact a snake bite can kill in 5-7 hours is enough to convince me of the need for epirbs.

Remember people that if you are bitten by a snake and you try to walk even 30 minutes back to your car , you could halve the time required for the snake bite to be fatal.

If you are bitten the smart thing to do is bandage it in the correct compression method and sit down in a shaded spot to slow down your heart rate while you wait for emergency response to arrive.

Thats assuming you activated your epirb or phoned for rescue.

My enquiries with emergency workers indicated their average response time to reach an epirb beacon is under 2 hours in NSW , for WA I dont have a response time figure.

 

[kemjak57]

I have an epirb, gps, two lots of water, camelback and military canteen. I have a water purifying straw, a good compact first aide kit with an Israeli bandage in it as well as snake bite gear. I carry some small high protein food bars, lighter and small amount of fire starter in case of wet conditions. Torch and spare batteries for gps and torch. Some squincher sachets for highdration. All of this stuff fits in a smallish backpack and weighs less than 10kg. I have also got things like thermo blankets in case of being caught out on a cold night. I am also aware of my limitations and I always try to go with someone and if I think a trip might be more than I can handle I wont go. I have lived in north qld for a long time and I have a healthy respect for what the elements can do to you if youre not careful. The loss of any life in these circumstances is absolutely tragic. Please take care everyone

 

[Bazz]

Yep agree with you all!!

A couple of decades ago (or more) I was a scout, the motto is and was "be prepared"

I now go overboard (i think) with all of the above

 

[7.62marksman]

The 7 P's have always been a factor in keeping me breathing its not rocket science or for that matter hard to do a trained monkey could do it
the first three are the main ones to follow
if everyone done it there would be no one lost or worse still dead in the bush
Prior
Preparation &
Planning
Prevents
Piss
Poor
Performance
and last but by no means the least
expect the unexpected if it can happen then it probably will

 

[pete165]

Have an epirb, compass, spare batteries ,fire starters, lighter (Waterproofed and windproofed),water in two mil water bottles, gps, food for a couple of days thanks to the good old army rat packs and first aid kit . Just have to put it into my backpack now.

 

[peterau]

I don't know about all this walking for klms bizzo, I'm old and arthritic and I go to a gold bearing area of interest and detect no more than probably 200 metres circle from my car. If I go low and slow properly that takes a long time. If nothing much move the car on and do the same. I have 10x 1.5 litres of water in the car and enough ring pull cans of baked beans to keep 5 cowboys happy. Sit in the car with the aircon on and phantom of the opera etc blaring away for a few minutes every now and then. Car has all the necessities, I always have my gps, sat phone and plb on my harness as well as the common sense extras. Comfortable, safe, enjoyable and I find plenty enough gold to keep me happy.

 

[user 7268]

Pete great if the area your detecting allows that and no arguing here. :Y: ...................... Tibooburra for example your not allowed to take vehicle off tracks. Last trip I did up north the speedo showed over 600K and that was just on the quad let alone the car ....................... that's a damn lot of walking

There is prospecting areas what I called populated such as The Triangle etc or remote where you do not see another sole for a week or more. Whatever the case return home safe is the goal

Long Gully Country

 

[user 7268]

Another reason for extreme caution .................... the deaths even in the last week is very sad indeed. Again the degree of danger or preparation required depends a lot on the area you are prospecting in but either way dead is dead From many things I have witnessed there are a lot that do not take it seriously enough.

A 4 ft black snake you could say was relocated only yesterday when it took on my ride on whilst I was mowing the lawn and thankfully my dog hadn't found it first
This bloke was only 24 years young

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...-by-a-snake-in-tamworth/ar-BBIeq3w?ocid=ientp

 

[Old Fred]

Been prospecting since the 1960s and when i think about what we had back then to help us out of the bush its a bit scary .
A couple of people would perish each year but allthough i had some close calls the worst i got was mild heat stroke .
I am a old fart now and still love the deep bush and have gps ,sat phone ,snake bite kit etc and sometimes think about how much simpller it was back then .
In the last 35 yrs i have had no problem getting back to my 4x4 and at times taking the long way there but keeping safe .
Allthough i wear snake gaiters i reckon a bite to the hand arm etc might be most worrying thing .
Even with a epirb the response time in outback qld may present a problem .
Now days i work as a camp manager on exploratory drilling and get a lot of time to get out and prospect .Air conditioned donger ,cook real toilets ,and shower
.If i am late back to camp plenty of people to come find me .
The good old days were not that good (more gold though )

 

[user 7268]

Old Fred like yourself love the bush and also the isolation I think many don't comprehend the vastness at times of Aust Outback ................ cannot be described any better than the needle in a haystack and help even when needed and sought can be a long time getting there.

 

[BigWave]

Guys, I love this thread, but could we please use punctuation and Capitalisation. That would make it far easier to understand the conversation.
With some threads on PA I have no idea what they're talking about. Maybe it;s just me, but proper grammar would help.

 

[HeadsUp]

The 24 year old guy who died yesterday from an eastern brown snake died only 1 hour after being bitten ......



Can only wonder why , did he panic and run around or hyperventilate , did he not use a compression bandage or was it just a big dose of envenomisation ?

 

[Wishfull]

My wife is an ambo, she thought it very strange that he died so quickly. even though he had been given anti-venom. She wondered if it had bitten him on the left hand because the venom would have gone to his heart quicker. Poor bloke.

 

[Wishfull]

Just watching the news on chnl 24...An 11 child bitten by snake flown to Perth hospital.

 

[Jaros]

Guys, I love this thread, but could we please use punctuation and Capitalisation. That would make it far easier to understand the conversation.
With some threads on PA I have no idea what they're talking about. Maybe it;s just me, but proper grammar would help.

I agree. I spend a fair bit of my time correcting spelling. I see the previous post is difficult to reed!

 

[Heatho]

Most likely the snake pumped a large amount of venom directly into the blokes vein, it happens but not often, when it does happen though death can come extremely fast.

 

[Jaros]

I have done the St. John Ambulance course twice and have only had to use the knowledge once, when my wife's shunt ( which) drains fluid from the brain, to her intestine to relieve pressure on the brain-due to Epilepsy.

 

[user 7268]

Guys, I love this thread, but could we please use punctuation and Capitalisation. That would make it far easier to understand the conversation.
With some threads on PA I have no idea what they're talking about. Maybe it;s just me, but proper grammar would help.

I agree. I spend a fair bit of my time correcting spelling. I see the previous post is difficult to reed!

Will I won't I ? Yeah bugger it

Maybe a few need to realize that not all sit on their ass at a comp desk or have spare time to dedicate to "posting" ...................... try typing with one hand and a mainshaft from a cruiser gearbox in the other and you may find that it can be difficult to hold the shift key and type the letters ........................ with one hand.
Put me on a holiday if you wish but honestly ........................... life must be boring for some to suffer such small shite especially on a string regarding life and death, much less have the time to comment on it
Cheers

ps As for spell checker .................. I spend more time correcting it than using in it. Realize in my world and the English I was taught is spelt with an S not a Z . Enough said as lifes to busy for petty trivial rubbish.