Seven Golden Rules for Prospecting campaign highlights safe and sustainable practices.
| Date: | Friday, 15 July 2016 |
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Prospectors have been reminded of the importance of being prepared when travelling in remote parts of the State, including carrying some form of GPS-based emergency distress beacon, following the stranding of a man in an isolated part of the Goldfields yesterday.
“While we recently launched the annual Seven Golden Rules for Prospectors campaign the latest incident demonstrates the importance of being prepared, including carrying a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB),” Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) Mineral Titles acting Executive Director Kathlene Oliver said.
On Thursday police received information that a man had become stranded about 100km northeast of Leinster, about 960km northeast of Perth.
The man was travelling alone in a vehicle that had a flat battery and he alerted a friend through his GPS-based device that he needed help.
Leinster Police contacted a nearby mine site team, who travelled to where the man was stranded, and found him in the early afternoon.
Police said they were able to quickly identify exactly where the man was stranded via GPS co-ordinates which meant they could reach him via the quickest route.
Ms Oliver said safety should always be a prospector’s number one priority.
“Western Australia’s outback can be a harsh, remote environment, which is why personal safety is such an important consideration when prospecting in this State,” she said.
“This is why we encourage everyone to carry Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) when prospecting in remote areas.”
The device, which can be purchased from most outdoor stores, is ideal for use in remote areas as it does not rely on telecommunication networks to submit a signal.
PLBs are the best way of avoiding the sometimes tragic results of getting lost in the Goldfields and the outback.
For more information about prospecting, please visit your nearest Mining Registrar’s office to obtain a copy of Prospecting in Western Australia or download it from www.dmp.wa.gov.au/prospectingwa
