Hiking in Australia is having a moment. In the ten years to 2024, bushwalking popularity rose 81% .
Author
- Samantha Murdy
Associate Professor in Marketing, Australian Catholic University
Social media reels of remote, beautiful landscapes make these places feel more accessible. But there's a risk the increased visibility of remote places can draw newer hikers to undertake overly challenging routes.
Many are getting into trouble. Rescues from Western Australia's highest peak, Bluff Knoll, increased fourfold in a year , while Queensland's Glasshouse Mountains have seen a surge in rescues . A similar trend in England and Wales has been linked to reliance on unsuitable navigation apps and popular social media locations.
Inevitably, this has led to tragedies. In Australia, a tourist died of hypothermia at Tasmania's Cradle Mountain, as did two university students near Victoria's Mount Bogong .
After the tragic death of 18-year-old hiker Lily Hooper on a remote trail in New South Wales this year, her grieving family called for the creation of " Lily's Law " to avoid future tragedies. This would aim to improve awareness of personal locator beacons and other emergency communication and tracking technologies.
Earlier this year, the grieving family of a prospector who died in remote Western Australia called for mandatory beacon use in other remote settings.
These tragedies raise a broader question: should hikers be required to carry a personal locator beacon or other emergency communication device on remote or high-risk routes?
The answer is - probably not. While these emergency devices are great at locating missing hikers, they don't stop people getting lost or injured - and they won't necessarily make difficult rescues any easier. We should focus instead on encouraging rental and loan schemes to overcome cost issues - and boost hiker education.
How do beacons help?
Emergency communication devices can send distress signals via satellite. Personal locator beacons are one example.
They have clear uses . In 2024, a dehydrated hiker on the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory was rescued by helicopter after activating her beacon . Hikers going into areas without mobile coverage often carry a beacon or similar device somewhere accessible on their person.
Authorities say their value is in speeding up rescue. As Tasmania Police search and rescue coordinator Sergeant Bernard Peters told the ABC :
time is your biggest advantage […] if you can get an emergency signal out that someone's in distress earlier, the faster you're going to receive a response
The potential benefits of beacons include:
- giving hikers a way to call for help
- letting rescuers find hikers faster
- reducing exposure to dangerous conditions for hiker and rescuers
- less time and money spent searching.
Beacons have limits
Rescuing people from tough terrain will still be difficult, even if a beacon locates them quickly.
Tasmania's Federation Peak is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous hikes in Australia. Rescuers face real risks and challenges, even if they know the location. In 2016, authorities were forced to delay rescue efforts after a hiker fell, as severe weather conditions made landing a helicopter impossible. The hiker's location was known, but that didn't make it easier.
Emergency communication devices are also only useful if people know how to use them, are operational and are quickly accessible. Solo hikers are at particular risk, as a fall or loss of consciousness may make it impossible to activate the beacon.
Beacons and similar devices typically cost hundreds of dollars, which may be offputting for occasional hikers. A 2021 study found many day-hikers in Tasmania did not carry essential equipment such as beacons.
Another risk is that hikers with a beacon may feel safer in the lead up to the hike, which could leave them underprepared in terms of suitable clothing, shelter and food.
Mandatory schemes aren't easy
For authorities, making beacons or satellite devices mandatory would come with tricky decisions around which hikes to include and how to enforce the rules.
It would be easier to introduce mandatory beacons for popular hikes through remote areas where permits are required, such as the Larapinta Trail.
But there would still be questions over enforcement. Many hikes have no staff near the trailhead and do not require a formal check-in or safety briefing. Even if checks were possible, carrying a beacon isn't the same as knowing how or when to use it.
Could we make beacons more accessible?
Personal locator beacons and similar devices have real merit. But they are not a silver bullet. Making them mandatory may not be the best way to improve hiker safety.
A better solution might be for authorities or bushwalking clubs to expand outdoor gear libraries , so occasional hikers can borrow and return beacons and other equipment. This could be coupled with practical hiker education on route planning, appropriate equipment, changing conditions and how to use emergency devices.
Park authorities in some states already have schemes to help hikers access personal locator beacons. In NSW, hikers can borrow beacons free in some locations , while Tasmania has a beacon hire service .
Expanding these schemes could boost access. But authorities would have to ensure they can meet demand at peak times.
Hiker education is vital
In the aftermath of tragedy, it's natural to want to save other people from suffering a similar fate. Personal locator beacons can and do help rescuers locate hikers in distress in remote areas.
To overcome cost and administrative challenges, it could be better to make beacons more accessible through loan and hire schemes.
Beyond that, people planning to enter tough terrain need clear information about the risks of their chosen routes, the emergency equipment they should bring and how to respond to worsening weather. It's vital to know when to turn back and when the risks are too great.
In an emergency, beacons let hikers call for help. But preventing emergencies from happening in the first place will require education.
Samantha Murdy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
