A lone fisherman was reported missing to police last night at around 8pm on remote Lake Burbury.
The 33 year old North West man was due to meet up with friends around 6pm at Lake Burbury for a camping weekend. Concerns were raised when his car and boat trailer were located at one of the boat ramps.
His friends checked the other access points to the lake, but in the absence of phone reception and concerns for their friend's safety, they raised the alarm with Tasmania Police around 8pm.
Officers from Queenstown and Strahan attended Lake Burbury and launched a waterborne search which located the missing male alive and well in the southern end of the lake at 11pm. The vessel had suffered a mechanical failure and he'd tied up to some trees after drifting to an inaccessible shoreline.
Senior Constable Dodds of Queenstown - "It was good to see that the missing person stayed with his boat and didn't try to walk out. That area is very remote with no roads, tracks or phone reception. He had all the safety gear with him and made good decisions that helped us find him."
Constable Bradford of Strahan Marine and Rescue Services said "We were fortunate that he decided not to travel far by himself. Although it was a chilly 6 degrees on the water, we had clear conditions and little wind which aided the rescue efforts no end. Lake Burbury is a complex waterway and plenty of people have been geographically embarrassed up there during daylight. A night search can be a very difficult proposition, luckily the west coast weather was kind to us."
