One of the Dawsons Spring cabin visitors Lyn Graham recounts the group’s alpine adventure.
Kim and Dave Gotterson, Paul Rees and I arrived at the Dawsons Spring cabins on Monday at 3pm.
We stayed in Logan and Dickson.
Sharon and Neville Ritchie from Tamworth were already there in Manning cabin.
Aimee and Bailey from NPWS visited on Tuesday to check on our welfare and deliver lots of firewood.
We told them a louvre in Logan was broken.
They gave us duct tape to block the opening and then came back on Wednesday with a new louvre and lots more firewood.
They are wonderful young people.
Chloe from NPWS phoned on Wednesday afternoon to let us know some bad weather might be coming and to check we were OK.
Light snow started falling early afternoon on Wednesday.
The last campers drove out late Wednesday afternoon.
Two guys on motor bikes drove in near nightfall.
They ended up sleeping in the toilets because their tent collapsed and they left early Thursday morning.
The power went out during the night Wednesday night. Trees started falling during the night and one stopped just short of our side windows.
“The snow was heavier on Thursday morning and it was clear we could not drive out in our two wheel drive vehicles.
Chloe phoned again and we told her it was not possible for us to drive out and that we had lost power.
Wayne from NPWS then visited us Thursday morning to say we needed to be evacuated.
He asked us to pack and be ready by 12.30pm when two vehicles would collect us.
After Wayne left, the snow became very heavy and the wind picked up.
Chloe phoned late morning to say two electrical contractors were stuck on the mountain and would need to seek shelter in the cabins.
Blake and Jesse knocked on the door early afternoon Thursday, frozen and covered in snow, having taken an hour to walk the one kilometre down to the cabins.
Late on Thursday afternoon, NPWS phoned to say they could not get through as the conditions were too dangerous for them to continue.
There were stranded vehicles blocking the road and many trees had fallen across the road.
We assured them we were all safe.
We cooked dinner in the slow combustion fireplace – a tricky balancing act and used a baked bean can as a billy.
We all went to bed very early as we had no light.
The fires kept us warm during the night and we were very grateful that Aimee and Bailey had brought so much firewood for us.
Throughout Thursday night, many trees crashed down and we also lost our Telstra connection.
On Friday morning the snow was about knee-deep but the wind had dropped.
Sharon still had phone connection as she was with Optus.
NPWS updated us throughout the morning via Sharon’s phone.
Eventually we heard the chainsaws.
The NPWS and VRA arrived at the cabins with the huge truck and another vehicle at 1.30pm.
We were very pleased to see them.
We were allowed to take essential items with us.
Kim, Dave, Paul, Jesse, Blake and I travelled down in the back of the truck along with Chris Silver from the VRA.
Sharon and Nev went in the NPWS vehicle.
We saw abandoned vehicles and many fallen trees on the way down.
We were met by NPWS and VRA vehicles at the bottom of the snow line.
Dean from NPWS drove us to the Nandewar Motel.
Of course, we had no car so the motelier, Bob, very generously loaned us his Toyota Hilux twincab.
Peter from NPWS phoned on Saturday to check on our welfare and update us on their progress in clearing a path back up the mountain.
Blake and Jesse and their families took us to the Crossroads Hotel for dinner on Saturday night.
About 12.30pm Sunday, Peter from NPWS phoned to say they had got the bobcat through to the cabins and someone would pick Dave and Paul up at 2.30pm to go up to the cabins to collect our gear and cars.
Paul and Dave arrived back at the Nandewar about 5.30pm.
They were very impressed with the way NPWS handled the whole operation as it was quite tricky getting the cars out.
NPWS had everything worked out and escorted them all the way.
We were very conscious that the NPWS and VRA people placed themselves in dangerous situations to look after us.
We are all really grateful to them.
They were unfailingly kind.
Read more stories like this:
