18-05-2025
Rescue effort underway after injured man spends cold night stranded on Bluff Knoll
A rescue effort is underway in WA's Great Southern after a man injured his ankle on one of the state's highest peaks.
The rock climber fell and injured his ankle near the summit of Bluff Knoll, 400 kilometres south-east of Perth, about 6:30pm on Saturday, Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said.
The man's location, a side-trail used by climbers, rather than the main hiking trail to the summit, has made rescue attempts challenging.
DFES dispatched Western Australia's rescue helicopter, but the aircraft was unable to operate in fading light and was recalled.
SES crews from Albany and Gnowangerup were dispatched and reached the man just before 11:30pm.
After assessing the situation, rescuers made the decision to leave the injured man on the bluff overnight.
Friends of the man remained with him as temperatures in the area dropped to single digits.
SES crews returned at first light, about 7am, on Sunday, reaching the man shortly after.
An assessment of the situation is underway.
The DFES spokesperson said they are looking at ways to bring the rescue chopper in to winch the man out of the isolated location.
It follows a spate of accidents in the Great Southern.
A woman was winched to safety after falling down a gully in Torndirrup National Park, and a man in his 20s fell from the rocks at Salmon Holes in April. He is believed dead.
Crews were also dispatched to Bluff Knoll on April 20 to rescue a person from the peak's base.
