Family Trapped In Ute
A family of four spent three nights stranded in their ute after ignoring warning signs and following their GPS navigation system on to a closed dirt road in the NSW far north-west.
Police said the family of four, including two teenage boys, were travelling with their dog across Australia, between Brisbane and Perth.
They followed their GPS navigation system on to the popular and picturesque Darling River Road but ignored numerous signs indicating the road was closed due to heavy rainfall.
The ute and trailer eventually became bogged down about 40 kilometres north-east of the town of Wilcannia.
The family called police but were forced to wait for three nights before emergency services could reach them.
Police said rescuers braved “extremely difficult and treacherous” road conditions to rescue the family and their dog, finally reaching them about 8pm yesterday.
The Darling River Road is a 700-kilometre route along mostly dirt roads that traces the Darling River through the NSW outback between the towns of Bourke and Wentworth.
It is a popular trail among travellers but is known to become dangerous in wet conditions.