After work on Thursday the 12th of January, several members of the Melbourne office set out on a hike of the Yarra bend trail. Due to the recent flooding in Victoria, the hike ended up being far more challenging than the team had anticipated, with the flood waters causing serious damage to the narrow, unpaved sections of the path. The extra challenge only added to the fun and also helped them work together as a team, the group has said. Due to the wet conditions, several sections of the trail were so severely eroded away that the team had to help each other across gaps that exposed the sharp angles of the rock walls below.
During the hike the team came upon a section of trail where the path had eroded so close to the wall that they were forced to cross in single file. One by one the group made their way over the damaged path, a thick wall of trees on one side and a 3.5 metre drop on the other. It was then they spotted the head of a man at the bottom of the very cliff they were traversing. At first the team thought the man might just be fishing in the river, but as they looked closer they saw the mountain bike that the man had ridden off the edge of the narrow path, falling to the ditch below.
The team called to the man offering help, but he was hesitant, reassuring them he could manage. Night would fall soon and the team were sure they were the last people to enter the trail. Knowing if they didn’t help the man he would likely be stuck in the ditch through the night, the team insisted. After the man realised how difficult it would be to get both himself and his damaged bike back up onto the eroded path, he began to work with the team.
Johanna, being the most confident climber in the group, carefully made her way down the ledge to the man, checking him over for injuries. Thankfully, the man only suffered a few minor injuries from the fall, scratched up, sore, and bruised. The rest of the team then scrambled down the ledge and began ferrying up the man’s bike, bag, and shoes. The team then helped pull the man back up onto the path. After a couple of minutes rest, the team walked the injured man back up the path, with Erran and Johanna accompanying him to the road where he was able to contact a friend to come pick him up.
The group set off for an afternoon of hiking and fun but ended up exemplifying teamwork, compassion, and problem solving to save a stranded, injured man. We commend them for their bravery, quick thinking, and cooperation.