A 'gasp' and he was gone. Coroner warns of Federation Peak dangers

A "keen bushwalker" appeared "really excited" as he set out for a "bucket list" mountain climb from which he would not return, a coroner has said.Coroner Madeleine Wilson released her report into the December 2024 death of a 30-year-old Victorian man who fell from Tasmania's Federation Peak. The man had been hiking the Eastern Arthur Range Traverse with his partner in the state's Southwest National Park when they attempted to summit Federation Peak.The infamous climb at Federation Peak is described as "notoriously difficult" and an "ambitious choice" for a first Tasmanian bushwalk.Tasmanian wilderness veteran Paul Helleman said the peak is "extremely dangerous. One slip and you'll die." The man's death was one of three in the remote area in fewer than two years.The man and his partner, who met through a Melbourne hiking group, were prepared for 10 days in the wilderness and had completed the 12-day Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory before deciding to travel to Tasmania.They carried appropriate clothing and supplies, including a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), and left the remainder of their packs and the PLB at the campsite when they attempted the summit.

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keen bushwalker

"SU said that it was on his bucket list to climb Federation Peak and he appeared really excited," Ms Wilson said.The trio had difficulties finding the track, which was not well marked, and after climbing a way and observing exposed drops "all around them", decided to turn back.As they were seeking a route down, SU went around a rock and out of sight of his companions.His companions heard a "gasp-like sound followed by at least two distant thuds." They could not see him and he did not respond to their calls.They returned to camp, set off their PLB, and a search and rescue team found SU's body the following morning at the base of Federation Peak.Police estimated he had fallen between 80–100 metres.The coroner described the Eastern Arthur Range walk as suited for a "highly experienced walker with specialised skills" and Federation Peak as "imposing" with "sheer faces and precipitous drops."

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really excited