On Tuesday 11 January 2022, police received a referral for search and rescue assistance from Ambulance Tasmania for a 44-year-old male rider who had fallen from his mountain bike whilst riding on the Waterfall Track at Mount Owen on Tasmania’s rugged west coast near Queenstown. The rider crashed on a hair-pin corner of the trail and hit some rocks on the ground when he came off his bike.

The Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter was utilised to retrieve the rider from the trail. Local SES and TFS volunteers from Queenstown assisted paramedics from Ambulance Tasmania at the scene.

The rider was transported to the Royal Hobart Hospital for medical treatment for serious injuries.

Senior Constable Brad Coulson from the Queenstown Police Station said “The Queenstown region has a rich history against a breathtakingly beautiful landscape and during summer the West Coast mountain bike trails have proved to be exceptionally popular with a high number of both visitors and locals riding on the trails”.

“Good weather and trail conditions across the state have increased riders across all the trail networks”.

It is helpful in ensuring a timely response in the event of an emergency situation that you know how to provide your exact location when calling for help – consider downloading the free Emergency+ app on your smart phone, which will display your coordinates.

Senior Constable Coulson said “The incident today highlights the invaluable help our State Emergency Service and Tasmania Fire Service volunteers provide to the Tasmanian community, I’d also like the thank the members of the public who assisted rescue crews on this occasion”.