News
Camper drowns near Walhalla

A 25-year-old man from Sri Lanka drowned in a river at a remote campsite near Walhalla on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the man was wading in the river near the Bruntons Bridge campsite at about 3.20pm when he slipped into a hidden deep water drop off.
Despite the assistance of nearby campers, the man was unable to be revived.
It is the second drowning to occur in that section of the Thomson River in recent years.
Police said the Sri Lankan man was on a camping trip with friends and relatives from Officer. Neither the man nor those he was with were able to swim.
They reported the man lost balance and slipped into the deep water, being swept a short distance underwater by the river current. Nearby campers retrieved the man and began CPR. It was estimated he had been underwater for two to three minutes.
With no phone reception, campers had to hike one kilometre to call 000.
Friends placed the man into a vehicle, continuing CPR, and met emergency services about 40 minutes later at the Happy Go Lucky Trk. On arrival, paramedics pronounced him dead.
Police said the Sri Lankan Consulate had been notified.
It follows an 18-year-old woman from New South Wales drowning in the Thomson River on December 31, 2019. She had been camping at Cooper's Creek.
Hikers rescued
Two hikers had to be winched to safety after becoming lost in the Erica State Forest last Tuesday.
Police said the pair, a 79-year-old man and 69-year-old woman from Jacana, had been staying at the Caringal Scout Camp near Erica.
Whilst bushwalking, the husband and wife became lost and contacted 000 for assistance just before 10pm.
Police, SES and paramedics responded, with the police air wing locating the pair in dense bushland about 500m off the track in the vicinity of Morgans Mill Rd.
Both were transported to Latrobe Regional Hospital where they were treated for dehydration. They were otherwise uninjured.

Subscribe to The Warragul and Drouin Gazette to read the full story.