Body of 16-year-old bushwalker found in Blue Mountains creek
A 16-year-old bushwalker has been found dead in a creek in the Blue Mountains National Park.Police say he and his 17-year-old friend travelled to Leura train station on Tuesday before walking to Mount Hay to begin a three-day hike.Just before 6pm on Tuesday the two walkers became separated and the older hiker activated his personal locator beacon (PLB).Police launched a land and air search for the pair and the 17-year-old was winched to safety from the Acacia Flat campground in the Blue Gum Forest.The Acacia Flat campground sits within the Blue Gum Forest in the Grose Valley. (Supplied: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)The younger walker could not be found at the time.Police continued to search for the 16-year-old, assisted by the Blue Mountains rescue squad, PolAir, NSW Ambulance and the TOLL rescue helicopter.The body of the missing boy was found about 1pm on Thursday in a creek in the Blue Gum Forest.A post-mortem examination will be conducted on the 16-year-old to determine how he died.The Grose Wilderness in the Blue Mountains, near Blackheath. (Supplied: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)The Acacia Flat campground sits at the bottom of the Grose Valley between the tall eucalypts of the Blue Gum Forest.The remote site can only be accessed on foot by a few difficult trails.Hikers can reach the secluded location by navigating the steep cliff side of Du Faur head near Lockleys Pylon, or descending hundreds of stairs into the Grose Wilderness from Pierces Pass or Perrys Lookdown.The president of the Upper Blue Mountains Bushwalking Club, Sonya Muhlsimmer, said it was possible to become lost near the popular campsite."It can be a wild sort of an area," she said."There's a couple of footpads [narrow tracks] down there, if you just wander off, you might not be able to find that little track again."It's quite easy to get disoriented and lost."The 17-year-old was winched to safety from the Acacia Flat campground. (Supplied: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)Ms Muhlsimmer said she was relieved one of the teenagers was rescued thanks to their PLB."It can literally save your life, I wouldn't go out without a PLB," she said."It's a pretty rugged environment and it's hard to get to, you're a few hours away... especially if you get bitten by a snake or something like that, the activation of a PLB, you can get rescued pretty quickly."She urged walkers to tell others their hiking plans and be prepared to navigate without technology."Have a map you can use offline, have your PLB, and don't separate from anyone."
