Fatal error: desert trek ends in tragedy Ellen Whinnett 13apr05

TWO men who perished in the scorching West Australian desert made a desperate trek to find water, but went the wrong way and died just 9km from a well. Good blokes, but lost in the bush Pair ignored water offer

Without a detailed map, they had no way of knowing they were so close to the waterhole that would have saved their lives.

Bradley Richards, 40, and his nephew, Mac Cody, 21, were found dead beside their broken-down 31-year-old Land Rover in the Great Sandy Desert.

They left a note saying they were going in search of water, and walked west, along the barren Talawana Track, for 7km before giving up and returning to their vehicle.

Tragically, the water they needed lay 9km east.

"Need help. Car broke down. Two blokes and one dog. Heading for Halls Creek. Gone on foot to find water at Matilirri," the note said.

The men died of thirst after about five days in 40C heat. Their dog died with them.

The men's grief-stricken family issued a public plea for people heading into the outback to be prepared.

"We just want to stress to other people, don't end up in our situation," said Guy Richards, brother to Mr Richards and uncle to Mr Cody.

"Prepare yourselves. Australia is a cruel country."

Bradley Richards and his nephew set off from NSW about two years ago to work their way around Australia.

They left the WA coastal town of Carnarvon last month and headed for Kununurra, 2000km to the north, to go fruit picking.

They died on the remote Talawana Track about 50km east of Cotton Creek, where they had declined an offer of more water on Monday, March 28.

They were heading for the unforgiving Canning Stock Route, but failed to tell anyone of their plans.

They set off without a map showing the location of more than 50 wells along the route.

The men are thought to have perished between the following Friday and the Sunday.

But the area is so remote their bodies were not discovered until a week later.

It took the station hand who found them another two days of driving to find a telephone to call police.

The men had insufficient tools to repair major break-downs, had no two-way radio or emergency beacon, and took only about 20 litres of water.

Their four-wheel drive did not have enough fuel to reach the next petrol stop.

They did have a mobile phone, which a local policeman said was "as good as a stick out there".

Western Australian Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said it was a tragedy that could have been avoided.

"Without wanting to preempt inquiries on behalf of the coroner, it appears these men ventured into one of the most remote parts of WA in an unreliable vehicle without enough fuel or water," he said.

Police were notified on Sunday and drove to the scene from Newman, about 420km to the west.

Sen-Constable Greg Thomas, of Newman police, said the Georgia water bore was just 9km further east along the Talawana Track from where the vehicle broke down.

But their maps did not show the bore, and the pair made the fatal decision to walk towards Cotton Creek in a fruitless search for water.

Before turning back, they draped a blanket over a small tree to create shade.

"There's no evidence they stayed very long. They certainly didn't find any water there," Sen-Constable Thomas said.

He said the men had then given up their search and walked back to their 1974 model Land Rover tray-back.

Their bodies were found next to the vehicle; the dog was underneath.

Parts had been removed from the engine, indicating attempts had been made to repair it. The two front tyres were also flat.

"We assume they had a problem with the engine because they had taken bits and pieces off it," he said.

"There was a handwritten note on a piece of paper explaining they had gone for a walk to look for water.

"It didn't have a date."

Pair ignored water offer Ellen Whinnett 13apr05

AS Mac Cody and Bradley Richards left the remote Aboriginal community of Cotton Creek, they were asked if they'd like to buy 20 litres of water.

They declined. It cost them their lives.

Two hours later, their 31-year-old Land Rover was broken down on the Talawana Track, an area of the Great Sandy Desert so remote a vehicle passes through only once a fortnight.

With only 15-20 litres of water between them, the men could not survive as temperatures soared to around 40C each day.

Sometime between March 31 and April 3, they succumbed to dehydration, dying on the track beside their vehicle.

They were 51km from Cotton Creek and just 9km from the Georgia bore, which would have provided the water they needed to survive.

Sen-Constable Greg Thomas, from Newman police, said the men had been offered water when they stopped at Cotton Creek on March 28.

A spokesman for the Cotton Creek store said his colleague had offered the men another 20 litres of water when they stopped to refuel.

"They just weren't prepared," the man said. "It's barren, and you get a car about every fortnight at this time of the year.

"Those poor people. It's a horrible way to go."

The man said Mr Richards and Mr Cody had taken an unusual route to get to Kununurra and appeared to have underestimated the harsh country.

Mr Cody's mother is being comforted by relatives in Warilla, New South Wales, the men's home town.

Her brother, Guy Richards, of Tasmania, said she had spoken to her son just two days before he set off on the ill-fated journey.

"She stressed to them to be careful and that if she hadn't heard from them, like a typical mother, she would be calling the police," Mr Richards said.

Mr Richards said his brother Bradley and his nephew Mac were mates who set off from New South Wales about two years ago to see Australia.

They worked odd jobs along the way and had bought the 1974 Land Rover between them.

The family is now preparing for a funeral when the bodies are released by the WA coroner.

Mr Cody and Mr Richards had been working as pickers on one of the 170 banana plantations at Carnarvon, almost 1000km north of Perth.

They are believed to have arrived at Carnarvon halfway through last year.

The pair were on their way to Kununurra, another fruit-growing region thousands of kilometres east, when disaster struck.

Police said they were heading for the Canning Stock Route when their vehicle broke down on the Talawana Track.

The 2000km stock route runs from Wiluna to Halls Creek and has 51 wells to provide lifesaving water along the route.

The Georgia bore, which is just 9km away from where Mr Richards and Mr Cody perished on the Talawana Track, is one of those wells.

The stock route provides vehicle access through one of the most remote and extreme environments in Australia.

Submitted on 04/12/2005

Submitted by: Chris Ellis
Reference: http://www.heraldsun.news.com

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Daniel said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
More info on this story. The fact that they declined to buy water at the last minute ups it for me.

Jack said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
Having spent a couple of years living, hiking and jeep camping in Southern Arizona while in the Army, I'm torn between calling this simple stupidity or Darwin level arrogance ("We don't need any water...!"}. But either way, It's worthy of an award.

Charles said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I'll echo Daniel, though I haven't yet seen the original story.

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