Backpacker leaves Perth after bush ordeal
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Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Couple's tragic final moments before flood took their lives
What began as a dream hiking trip through one of Majorca's most spectacular gorges ended in tragedy after two British travellers were swept to their deaths by a sudden wall of water. Alexander Barrett, 32, and his partner Sarah Thompson, 26, had joined friends for a challenging but popular descent through the Torrent de Pareis canyon in the Tramuntana mountains on the 3rd of September last year. Both were experienced outdoor lovers; Mr Barrett was a climbing instructor and lifeguard, and Ms Thompson was a skilled trail runner. The couple started their hike on a warm and calm day, however, it turned deadly when the storm clouds gathered above. An inquest in Stockport has now heard how the couple were caught in flash flooding that funnelled down the narrow gorge with terrifying speed and force. Fellow hiker Luke Weaver, a friend and climbing partner of Mr Barrett, described how conditions changed in an instant. 'At this point the heavens opened,' he said. 'At this time the water was flowing like a small river.' Mr Weaver had dropped off the group earlier that morning and was attempting to catch up after being delayed in traffic. By the time he entered the canyon, rain had begun to fall. Still, the forecast had predicted storms only later in the evening, and no one in the group expected danger. Flash flood kills British hikers. Credit: awesomewalls_stockport / Instagram The Mirror reported that just after 2.30pm, thunder echoed through the mountains. Mr Weaver spotted the group who were now joined by two Spanish nationals and a German couple, in a bottleneck between two boulders. Mr Weaver recounted that he checked on Ms Thompson to see if she was okay, and she nervously smiled and said she was fine. It was only seconds later that one of the hikers shouted a warning, 'water!' 'A massive wall of water came down the gorge,' Mr Weaver said. 'The water appeared to come from nowhere. The sound was incredibly loud. People were screaming.' Mr Weaver said that he recalled seeing one hiker clinging to a rock and another being swept away by the torrent. Ms Thompson and Mr Barrett were both seen being carried by the strong current. 'I was shouting and screaming for the others. I could see no one,' Mr Weaver told the court. 'Everyone who survived that day is incredibly lucky, especially those who got caught in the water. I have never experienced anything like this and it is something I will never forget.' Ms Thompson's body was found the following day. Mr Barrett's was recovered three days later in the same canyon. Post-mortem examinations confirmed that both died by drowning. Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill concluded that the storm had caused flash flooding in the gorge, dragging Ms Thompson away as Mr Barrett tried to help her. She recorded verdicts of accidental death for both. A British couple were caught in a deadly storm in Majorca's mountains. Credit: awesomewalls_stockport Ms Thompson was described by her father, Peter Thompson, as someone 'never without a smile'. Mr Barrett's father, Paul Rodman, said his son 'loved life' and lived it with kindness and courage. 'The friends and family have developed a little saying: 'Be more like Alex.' He's missed so much by all his friends and family.' The survivors were airlifted from the canyon with minor injuries. A suppression order remains in place over some details of the case.
Canberra Times
6 days ago
- Canberra Times
It's the world's most famous pilgrim route - but are you ever too old to walk it?
To the metronome of our footsteps, my fellow travellers and I toggle between grunt and glory, discussing the mundane (blisters and aches) then sharing intimate reflections about our lives. There's a refreshing lack of small talk. When we stop at one of the many Camino bars, I notice a Canadian who has passed his pilgrim staff to a German asking her what is singing in her heart at that moment. Okay, maybe this is veering a little too close to schmaltz, but everyone is genuinely more openhearted, precisely because they've committed to this journey, which feels like a collaborative endeavour. Indeed, it seems that even if people are walking solo (as many are), there's no sense that they're walking alone since there are so many opportunities to connect with others.
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Backpacker search, freak tornado and surf reef feature in our best news pictures for July
As the sun set on the giant expanse of WA's Wheatbelt on July 11, there was a collective sigh of relief following the news of a young woman's incredible rescue. Carolina Wilga's survival tale, another outback search from the 1990s, freak weather, and at-risk wildlife feature in our top photography pics for July, captured by the ABC's journalists and camera operators. After spending 11 nights in the rugged outback, backpacker Carolina Wilga's ordeal in the elements came to an end when farmer Tania Henley found her on the side of the road. Speaking to ABC, Ms Henley recounted the moment she found the missing traveller, describing her as a resilient and lovely person. In a statement, Ms Wilger thanked Tania for being "my rescuer and angel". It was only moments before this photo was taken that Carolina Wilga was seen for the first time since she went missing. Reporters and camera operators, including the ABC's Mya Kordic, waited anxiously at Beacon Airstrip after news broke she had been found by a member of the public. Not long after that, Ms Wilga was driven to the airstrip and boarded this police plane bound for Perth. A mid-winter freak tornado in the Perth suburb of City Beach split trees and damaged houses. Authorities received 105 requests for help, and said there was little time for warning after the waterspout formed off the coast, and wreaked havoc in the affluent suburb. One resident said it sounded like a "jet engine". The seascape at Albany's Middleton Beach was recently transformed when an artificial surf reef was installed, bringing joy to surfers old and young. Locals hope the the multi-million dollar reef, constructed from 70,00 tones of granite rock, will be around for generations of surfers to embrace. Owls like these are dying after eating rodents poisoned with readily available rat baits. Some 60 owls have been found dead or seriously injured in WA's South West, prompting welfare groups and councils to look at reducing common rat and mouse baits. The emus might have won a war in the 1930s, but this wildlife centre in the state's north has been fighting a losing battle to rehabilitate native animals. Derby Native Wildlife, which releases 100 animals a year, is grappling with the reality of closing down, faced with financial woes and without government funding. With the nearest centres hundreds of kilometres away, there are concerns for wildlife welfare in the future. Reporter Erin Parke captured the return of wilderness survivor Robert Bogucki to the Great Sandy Desert recently, for the ABC podcast series Expanse: Nowhere Man. Mr Bogucki's disappearance in the desert in 1999 triggered one of Australia's biggest land searches, and was a media sensation. The traveller from Alaska was discovered alive after six weeks with barely any food and water. Photographer Franque Batty contended with heat, wind, and camera-shy subjects to document the moment Mr Bogucki met Aboriginal tracker Merridoo Walbidi, who searched for him 26 years ago. This is what the road looked like after a driver at a car meet up allegedly sped into a 17-year-old girl, who was left seriously injured in hospital. The case prompted yet another call from authorities to be safe on the road during a month where the year-to-date road toll reached a 18-year high at 112 deaths by July 9. Evoking the visual language of the iconic James Bond intro, Premier Roger Cook and Manufacturing Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson toured a factory in Perth's east while spruiking local manufacturing for renewables. They were inspecting a wind turbine coil, made by the Perth-based company which is Australia's only manufacture of large coil components. The City of Nedlands has been in the spotlight this month, after a spate of council resignations led to the state government removing the remaining councillors and appointing three commissioners instead. It was a saga that included accusations of "dysfunction" at the Nedlands council and a denial from sacked Mayor Fiona Argyle that she was being removed. The new commissioners, announced in late July, admitted they had a "huge task ahead of us". Sisters Meredith Edwards and Angela Ryder spoke to the ABC this month about their plight with WA's forced child removal policies. "There was physical, emotional and sexual abuse," Ms Ryder said. They are part of Australia's stolen generations, but can't get access to WA's redress scheme since they were removed after the 1972 cut-off date. Mr Ryder's question: "How does that address our trauma?" French barista Celia Guzman has swapped the outskirts of Paris for the red dirt of the Pilbara, choosing to take a gig at the remote Auski roadhouse. Outback roadhouses like Auski rely on the labour of foreigners on working holiday visas to stay open. Staff at Auski say it's a mostly quiet and repetitive job, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
