A group of travellers who have been stranded in the flooded Outback since Sunday have been rescued.
The seven family members were found next to their bogged-down vehicle on Wednesday – a full three days after they set off from Kalgoorlie for the remote Aboriginal community of Tjuntjuntjara.
Among the seven are celebrated artist Lennard Walker and Mr Rictor, whose family is the last known group of Aboriginal people to live a traditional nomadic life in .
Mr Walker, 74, has been an artist for decades and was a finalist in the WA Indigenous Art Awards, with art collections displayed as widely as in Brussels and Korea.
Mr Rictor’s family are renowned as the last known Indigenous group living a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the country, with two members of the family remaining in Tjuntjuntjara.
The group have been taken to hospital for an assessment. Picture: WA Police
The group, including four children, were found alive on Wednesday afternoon, about 270km west of Tjuntjuntjara, and have been flown to Kalgoorlie-Boulder by helicopter.
Police are expected to give an update on their respective conditions later on Thursday.
The group was travelling in two cars from Kalgoorlie-Boulder to Tjuntjuntjara, about 650km northeast of Kalgoorlie, when they got stranded in the severe weather that hit WA.
A deluge of rain earlier hindered emergency services from using air assets to search for the missing people, but a break in the weather finally allowed them to resume the search.
On Wednesday afternoon, emergency services confirmed the family had been located.
WA Premier Roger Cook said it was an ‘immense relief and a great outcome’ after what had been a ‘really difficult and distressing situation’.
‘I just want to thank all the police, first responders, search parties, everyone who participated in the efforts and the operations to locate that family,’ he said.
The group were found about 270km west of Tjuntjuntjara. Picture: WA Police
‘The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, we thank them and it’s a great outcome.
‘We know that these road conditions change rapidly when we have these severe weather patterns move through.
‘Significant flooding has taken place right throughout that region.
‘So I urge everyone, motorists in particular, that when you’re going out, please be aware of the conditions.
‘In this situation, the family notified the community of Tjuntjuntjara that they were starting to return home.
‘And so because they notified others, the Tjuntjuntjara community were able to send out the alert.’
An aerial photo taken by police showed all seven people around their bogged car, with no immediately obvious injuries on any of them.
Tjuntjuntjara Community Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Jon Lark will meet the group in Kalgoorlie on Thursday night.