A 24-year-old man was hospitalised following a dramatic 13-hour rescue operation after he fell four metres down at Funnels Creek Waterfall in Tallong, New South Wales’ Southern Highlands. Emergency services were alerted to the incident around 2pm on the day of the fall, approximately 40 kilometres east of Goulburn.
Upon arrival, rescuers discovered the man conscious but with head, right shoulder, and left ankle injuries. Due to the difficult terrain, a helicopter winching was not an option, prompting police, paramedics, and State Emergency Service (SES) teams to implement a vertical rope lift to extricate him from the rocky base.
A South Care helicopter was dispatched to deliver a medical crew on-site to aid in stabilising the injured man before the actual rescue commenced. After several hours of effort, he was successfully lifted out at around 3am and subsequently transported to Goulburn Base Hospital, where his condition was reported as stable.
According to police reports, the man had been climbing an eight-metre ledge with friends prior to the incident, during which he took a fall into a nearby rockpool.