Women found dead near Falls Creek froze to death, police say

3 days ago 5

Two women found dead near Victoria’s highest peak froze to death when the alpine region experienced blizzard-like conditions earlier in the week, police say.

Police are still working to identify the women after retrieving their bodies from Mount Bogong, north-east of Falls Creek, around 10.30am on Saturday.

Police Air Wing vision as they approached the area where the two bodies were located on Mount Bogong.

The bodies of the women, aged in their 20s and 30s, were discovered near a hut by two hikers around 1pm on Friday, sparking a police operation involving more than a dozen police and SES volunteers.

Emergency services camped near the bodies at Lendenfeld Point on Friday night after dangerous weather conditions prevented them from flying the helicopter to the area on Friday.

The area is an open plain and footage from the police Air Wing shows police surrounded by patches of snow from nights earlier this week when the temperature dropped to -2.8 degrees.

Inspector Paul Hargreaves said on Saturday it was not known at this stage exactly how long the bodies had been there for.

The bodies of two women, aged in their 20s and 30s, were discovered on Mount Bogong on Friday.

“It’s fair to say that they may have been there for the last two to three days,” Hargreaves said.

“Which is why we ask the public: If you’ve been hiking in that area and saw somebody that looked a little bit disorientated or may not have been dressed adequately for the conditions, we’d be keen to hear for them.”

Hargreaves said the hikers who found the bodies were helping police with their inquiries.

The two women were near Cleve Cole Hut but not sheltered when the hikers found them.

Inspector Paul Hargreaves speaking to the media in Bright on Saturday.

“At this stage police are still working through [identifying] those two people. They are unknown to us at this time,” he said.

“When you look at that period of two to three days, they are exceptionally hard conditions - blizzard conditions - and it is likely the two people have succumbed to those conditions, causing severe hypothermia.”

“We will continue our inquiries to establish their identity. This matter will now become a coroner’s matter,” he said.

“This area is commonly frequented by outback adventurers [who] like to experience these conditions, but at times they become quite dangerous and unfavourable.

Nearby Falls Creek is a popular skiing destination.

“They are arduous to get to, and if you don’t have the right conditions and certainly the right equipment it becomes very dangerous.

“It is not unfamiliar for police to have to rescue people from these areas, and we are quite used to traversing this terrain. As a result, those members who attended last night were well-equipped to stay overnight in those conditions.”

The first weekend of October traditionally marks the end of Victoria’s snow season, though this is the first time in three years Australian ski resorts have made it past September.

Snow is still forecast to fall over Victoria’s alps between Thursday and Saturday next week.