'We lost our way home': Best friends rescued after disappearing on family camping trip in rural NSW
Two young girls are now safe back at home with their parents, after they spent a night lost, cold and afraid.
The two seven-year-olds disappeared on a family camping trip, in an old gold-mining area 25km north of Orange.
On Sunday best friends Marley and Rhiannah were plucked out of dense bushland by a police chopper after spending the night in near freezing temperatures.
The girls were missing a total of 20 hours.
They had been exploring the hills around Ophir Reserve when they found a mob of kangaroos.
“We were climbing up a mountain and we lost our way home,” Marley told 7 News.
“We saw the kangaroos so we ran back down but we went the wrong way.”
They were found 15km from where they were last seen, they had gotten into trouble in the rough terrain.
During the search for the pair, Marley’s mother Mardi feared the worst describing it as “the worst 24 hours" of her life.
Emergency crews worked long into the night to find the children.
“I was running out of options to be honest as to where else to look, we had the divers in the water and so like obviously a million things are running through your mind,” she told 7 News.
The girls were smart enough to know not to go near the fast running river.
“We found somewhere to sleep and hugged up with each other to keep warm,” Marley said.
On Sunday they tried to find their way home: “We started walking, we thought we were close but then we weren’t really close.”
Acting Superintendent Peter Atkins said the pair were found south of the river and were airlifted to safety.
Paramedics said the girls suffered minor scratches, Marley had a small scratch on her face – the girls were joking and in very good spirits when they were rescued.
Rhiannah was recovering in hospital due to puncture wounds.
Chief Inspect of NSW Ambulance Rhys Dive said the girls were suffering the effects of being out in the freezing cold overnight.
“They were only lightly dressed, they weren't in climbing gear or anything like that, just small jackets and a pair of tights,” he said.
Supt Atkins said Pol Air, the Rural Fire Service, SES and members of the public joined the search for the girls.
“We believe one of the search teams found them and Pol Air confirmed it, they were at a location south of the river and they've been airlifted to safety,” he told media on Sunday.
