Couple winched from Queensland mountain after rescuers spend nine hours trying to reach them on the ground
Experienced hikers Steve Lye and his partner, Shez, had set out for a scenic trek in the Currumbin Valley, in the state's southeast, but lost their way on the descent.
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The couple, aged in their 50s, found themselves in dense bushland with light fading fast and temperatures dropping to near zero.
'We could see the stars, it was a clear night,' Steve told 7NEWS.
'But it was freezing. Lucky I had someone to cuddle.'
They managed to get a phone signal to call for help about 6pm but rescuers could not reach them.
Ground crews 'hiked for around nine hours looking for us, and they did find us but because the terrain was so difficult to get through, they had to backtrack,' Steve explained.
Then 'a cliff would get in their way, so they had to backtrack again'.
Police and State Emergency Service officers were in communication with the pair overnight before their location was pinpointed about 8am on Monday.
The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was then called in.
'The first challenge was finding them, the next was finding a gap in that canopy to winch them out,' Brenden Scoffell from Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) said.
'Compared to our usual bread and butter which is out in the surf, it's very challenging.
'It was a very good outcome.'
SLSQ said: 'Despite their phone battery going flat and being found in largely inhospitable terrain with minimal visibility below the tree canopies, the pair were winched to safety and dropped off near their vehicle.'
The couple was assessed by Queensland Police and found to be in 'reasonable health and spirits'.
Steve and Shez suffered a few minor cuts and abrasions but were otherwise in good health and were flown straight back to their own car without seeking further medical treatment.
'They put their lives at risk, so a massive thank you,' Steve said to 7NEWS of the rescue teams.
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