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Elderly hiker rescued at Bluff Knoll

Headshot of Natalie Richards
Natalie RichardsThe West Australian
VideoThe mercury plunged across the South West, but the Great Southern peak was hardest hit.

An elderly man spent until 1am on the snow-capped Bluff Knoll peak after getting lost during a hike yesterday.

The 81-year-old, from the Albany suburb of Spencer Park, identified only as Harry, was reported missing when he hadn’t returned from his hike about 7.40pm.

Police said there were concerns for the man’s welfare because of his age and the extreme weather on the Great Southern peak, which resulted in snowfall the previous night.

VideoWATCH. The conditions at Bluff Knoll are wild enough to throw on the skis...providing you're not expecting to get too far.

Officers managed to contact the man on his mobile phone and track him down to a gully, just off the main track, about 1am.

The man was described as being in “reasonable health” with an injury to his leg.

With the help of rescue crews, he walked back to the car park and was taken to Gnowangerup Hospital.

A family spokesperson said he was now at home with family and was in good spirits.

“We’d like to thank Albany Police, Gnowangerup SES and everyone who contributed to finding Harry,” they said.

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