Deadly walking trails in northern Western Australia will be closed over summer, after a state coroner recommended they be shut due to multiple deaths.
Deputy State Coroner Sarah Linton in June urged WA's Environment Minister Reece Whitby to advise the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) to close the Summit and Gully trails at Mount Augustus National Park from November to February every year.
This came after four walkers died of exposure on the tracks between 2019 and 2020.
Mount Augustus is 460km east of Carnarvon and is home to the world's biggest monolith, where temperatures regularly reach 40 degrees Celsius in summer, and radiant heat from the rocks can take temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius.
Intense heat and isolation make the remote destination dangerous for tourists, and a government spokesperson confirmed many of the coroner's findings had been enforced.
Ms Linton's recommendation to close the trails after 7am in the cooler months of March, April, September and October has also been implemented.
"The Environment Minister supported the decision of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions as land manager, in implementing these changes," the spokesperson said.
The deputy coroner also recommended DBCA explore whether it could make personal locator beacons available for loan at the Mount Augustus Tourist Park, so hikers carrying them could be found easily in an emergency.
Purnululu National Park has a similar beacon loan scheme.
The spokesperson did not say if this would be done, but said DBCA was considering installing three small mobile phone towers, which would enable phone communication from the national park to the tourist park.
Tour guide backs closure
Tim Casey, who runs outback tours including trips to Mount Augustus, said the closure was the right move because of the park's distance from regional centres.
"There's not much infrastructure at Mount Augustus. And that's really the problem with rescue efforts and putting other people at risk," he said.
"They don't have the facilities and the equipment out there to get up and save people."
Mr Casey said the isolation and rugged terrain made the area one of the most dangerous in the country for inexperienced travellers.
"It's so much more dangerous than places like Uluru, but even up in the Snowy Mountains or up in Queensland, where you've got closer facilities, helicopters, and support crews."
