Pictured: How lost hikers used survival skills to endure four nights in Victorian bush
Incredible images have revealed how a missing Melbourne couple used their vast knowledge of the outdoors to survive four nights of freezing temperatures in Victoria’s rugged alpine region.
Trevor Salvado, 60, and Jacinta ‘Cindy’ Bohan, 58, were found safe and well on Tuesday morning at Mount Buffalo, after spending four nights on a steep ledge.
The experienced hikers said they got lost a couple of hours into their walk on Friday afternoon but never lost confidence that they would be found.
Rather than panicking, they created a makeshift tent out of branches on top of Mount Buffalo and devised a survival plan that included making a large SOS sign out of rocks.
“We could hear speed boats on Lake Buffalo and there were campers below us, there were cows and a dog and there were lights as well, so we knew we weren’t far away from people and help,” Mr Salvado told reporters outside Wangaratta Hospital after getting a medical all-clear and surrounded by family.
“But we had about a 250-foot drop in front of us so we took a few days just to take a look at it and work out if we could get down there.”
After spending days surviving on food from their backpack, including muesli and snack bars, the couple decided on Tuesday they needed to leave.
“We were in a good spot, a safe spot so I really believed we would get found,” Ms Bohan said.
“But we knew we had to think about our mind set and we just knew if we stayed too much longer and they hadn’t found us, oh my God. So, today we got the energy, let’s go.”
They just “walked out from where we were” and soon came across a mini-bus of TAFE students who were on a canoeing trip.
Looking tired and worn out, covered in scratches from brambles, Mr Salvado and Ms Bohan said they were not injured and kept calm during the ordeal and are looking forward to having a shower.
After being found they were taken to Wangaratta Hospital to be treated for exposure and dehydration, footage showing Mr Salvado walking unaided from an ambulance followed by Ms Bohan on a stretcher.
Mr Salvado and Ms Bohan were meant to meet friends shortly after midday on Friday but never showed up.
Their car was found the next day and authorities spent the next few days scouring Mt Buffalo.
Their disappearance sparked a full-scale search, involving up to 150 personnel covering several kilometres of rugged terrain.
Ms Bohan said the experience won’t deter the couple from future outdoor adventures.
With AAP
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