Couple drives into closed park and gets stuck 3 days in mud, Australia cops say
A bad choice to enter a closed national park turned dangerous for a young couple when they got stranded and waited three days to be found, according to police in northeast Australia.
The rescue happened Monday, April 21, at the vast Cape Melville National Park, when a helicopter spotted a pickup stuck in a large hole, the State of Queensland said in an April 24 news release.
The couple wisely stayed with the truck rather than striking out for help, Special Constable Adam Tickner said the release.
'It was fortunate that these people had enough food and water to last a few days, however this is very challenging terrain, especially during the wet season,' Tickner said.
'These roads are closed for a reason, and phone reception is limited.'
The 21-year-old man and 19-year-old woman suffered 'minor cuts and abrasions,' but were otherwise uninjured.
An investigation revealed they got stuck Friday, April 18, when their pickup 'became bogged' in what amounted to a gully cut through the road by fast flowing water. They tried using a winch to pull the truck out, but it broke, officials said.
Video shared on YouTube shows the couple survived by setting up a campsite in the road next to the truck, including a grill.
The identity of the couple was not released. They live in the Tablelands, about a 400-mile drive south from the park.
Cape Melville National Park covers about 600 square miles and is closed annually from December 1 to July 31, when 'the roads are impassable for extended periods,' officials said.
'This park is extremely remote and visitors must be well prepared and entirely self-sufficient. Be aware of estuarine crocodiles (be croc wise) and dangerous stinging jellyfish,' Queensland.com reports.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Disneyland says MrBeast's '$500,000' date was an after-hours experience
Disneyland says MrBeast's '$500,000' date was an after-hours experience Show Caption Hide Caption Disney launches new Florida resident ticket deal Walt Disney World has announced the launch of a new ticket deal for Florida residents just in time for the summer. Fox - 35 Orlando Disneyland is offering more detail about MrBeast's viral date after YouTube's most popular creator said he paid $500,000 to have the entire theme park to himself. "Disney won't just hand over their keys to anyone, but for this once-in-a-lifetime date, we were given the entire park for one night," MrBeast, the social media persona of Jimmy Donaldson, says in the video with more than 66 million views. For the video, Donaldson took this fiancée Thea Booysen on six dates ranging from $1 to $500,000, concluding with what he described as a private evening at Disneyland. MrBeast's trip was held after hours, park says MrBeast and his team visited Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California "a couple of weeks ago" for an after-hours experience at the park, a Disney spokesperson told USA TODAY on June 11. While MrBeast and his crew didn't have to face any lines or crowds, the park didn't change their normal operating hours to accommodate the influencer, either. Variations of this experience are available to all customers, including Disney After Hours, in which customers can purchase tickets for three extended hours after the park's traditional closing time. The park also offers Disney's Fair Tale Weddings & Honeymoons, which allows couples and their family to rent various venues, including The Sleeping Beauty Castle Forecourt and Small World Mall. One upcoming after-hours event is Disneyland's "Pride Nite" celebration from June 16-18. You may not get the park to yourself, but the park says guests can expect shorter wait times and special entertainment experiences. MrBeast's team did not immediately respond for comment when contacted by USA TODAY on June 11. Crocs: New Disney Crocs and Dooney & Bourke bags celebrate 70 years of Disneyland 🪄 Tourism economy: New report finds Disneyland, Disney World contribute $67B to US economy Can you actually rent out all of Disneyland? Disney did not specify if it is possible for customers to rent out the entire theme park. However, several Disney-centric blogs like Magic Guides say fans shouldn't get their hopes up about getting the park to themselves for a day. "Closing down the resort for a day would be a public relations nightmare and would severely disrupt how guests could plan and book their trips," Magic Guides' author Joshua Powell wrote. One celebrity actually did rent out the park MrBeast isn't the first and likely won't be the last celebrity to make a solo appearance at Disneyland. On Feb. 27, 1992, actress Elizabeth Taylor rented out all of Disneyland to celebrate her 60th birthday. The entire park shut down for the birthday bash, which required extra security. Hundreds of celebrities attended the party, a possible marketing win for Disney. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Newsweek
19 hours ago
- Newsweek
Chaos As Cruise Ship Window Shatters Raining Glass Onto Busy Pool Deck
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Footage capturing the alarming moment a glass panel from a cruise ship restaurant suddenly fell onto a pool deck has captivated viewers on social media. The frightening incident unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas cruise ship on June 8. The vessel was said to be turning to dock at its first scheduled stop in Port Canaveral, Florida. Tytti Tuliainen, a 40-year-old travel content creator from Finland, shared a view of the glass panel crashing onto the deck, with guests watching from the pool, in a video posted on her YouTube channel @TravelingFinnishGirl. Newsweek has contacted Royal Caribbean by email and @missdiane93 via TikTok for comment. This video has not been independently verified. The YouTuber was having lunch at a restaurant on the ship when she heard the window cracking. Tuliainen told Newsweek: "I was dining in the Coastal Kitchen above the pool deck when it happened." @missdiane93 This happened today on Symphony of the Seas! Great staff member noticed it and cleared the area. ♬ original sound - MissDiane Another view of the scene from the pool deck was captured in a video shared by TikTok user @missdiane93. The clip, which has amassed more than 3.8 million views since it was posted on June 9, shows the glass panel cracking before dropping onto sun loungers by the pool. A man is shown flinching and running away just as the glass drops, with the murmur of alarmed crowds heard in the background. A voice off-camera says: "That would have just hit us." Cruise travel continues to see strong growth in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. A 2025 report by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) found that cruise passenger numbers are projected to reach 37.7 million in 2025. Eighty-two percent of cruisers are planning to cruise again, while 68 percent of international travelers are considering going on their first cruise. First-time cruisers were reported to be driving the growth, with 31 percent of passengers in the last two years being new to cruise, according to the CLIA. Users on Reddit also shared posts about the incident, including by u/ Smooth_J24 and u/ireadmorethenpost, who shared an image of staff members examining the site of the shattered glass. Tuliainen said: "When the glass shattered unexpectedly, one of the crew members working in the restaurant—Nitin Kumar—ran down to move people away from under the floor-to-ceiling window. Thanks to his quick response, no one was hurt." The cruise website Cruise Fever said Kumar responded to the incident in a Facebook group created for the cruise trip, saying: "Thank you so much everyone for appreciation, you all are my family, what I did I did for family … what I did I learn from this company how to take care of my guests like family, so thank you so much. Enjoy your vacation." Staff members reportedly responded immediately and passengers reported that "the window is already replaced," with repairs done swiftly, according to Cruise Fever. Tuliainen said: "No one knows why the window broke. Only the outside panel shattered, and there was no impact that anyone saw." The cruise was said to have resumed normal operations, going onto the Bahamas with its return to New Jersey scheduled for June 13. Stock image: A Royal Caribbean cruise ship sails at sea. Stock image: A Royal Caribbean cruise ship sails at sea. Getty Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée
YouTube's most-subscribed-to content creator has once again made a larger-than-life purchase by paying $500,000 to rent out an entire Disneyland theme park for a "romantic date" with his fiancée. In a new YouTube video, MrBeast, the social media persona of Jimmy Donaldson, takes his fiancée Thea Booysen on six dates that range from $1 to $500,000, concluding with what he says was an evening at Disneyland all to themselves (in addition to a handful of friends and crew, of course). The group rode Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Pixar Pal-A-Round (the 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel); played several carnival-style games; and built custom lightsabers at Savi's Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. "There are no words to describe how special it is to have Disney all to ourselves," Donaldson said in the little over 17-minute video. "I think we all made memories that are going to last a lifetime." Birthdays at Disneyland: Duchess Meghan, Prince Harry take Archie and Lilibet to Disneyland for birthday On Feb. 27, 1992, actress Elizabeth Taylor rented out all of Disneyland to celebrate her 60th birthday. The entire park shut down for the birthday bash, which required extra security. Hundreds of celebrities attended the party, which proved to be a successful marketing promotion for Disney. Theme parks: New report finds Disneyland, Disney World contribute $67B to US economy Disney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on MrBeast's video or consumers' ability to rent out an entire theme park. However, several Disney-centric blogs like Magic Guides say it is not possible. "Closing down the resort for a day would be a public relations nightmare and would severely disrupt how guests could plan and book their trips," Magic Guides' author Joshua Powell wrote. Disneyland does offer some private and after-hours experiences, though, like Disney After Hours, in which customers can purchase tickets for three extended hours after the park's traditional closing time. The theme park also offers Disney's Fair Tale Weddings & Honeymoons, which allows couples and their family to rent various venues, including The Sleeping Beauty Castle Forecourt and Small World Mall. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MrBeast says he rented out Disneyland for fiancée, paid $500K
