Victorian Water and Tourism Minister Tim Holding was plucked to safety from the states second-highest peak after he became lost on Sunday morning in freezing conditions on Mount Feathertop after sliding 100 metres down the icy mountain.
Mr Holding’s two-and-a-half-day ordeal ended yesterday morning when he was found 2.6 kilometres from where he was last seen, in a recovery that was described by police as precarious and dangerous.
The MP was winched to safety by helicopter and walked without assistance for a reunion with his parents and partner Ellen Whinett at about 10:30am yesterday.
“I certainly won’t be going hiking that’s for sure,” Mr Holding said.
Ambulance officer Steve Grove said that his good physical condition and preparation helped Mr Holding’s endurance to avoid hypothermia and frostbite, but he could have been rescued on Sunday afternoon if he had been equipped with an emergency position radio beacon.
The Victorian minister was reported as only having minor injuries including cuts and grazes.
Victoria Police Senior Constable Sue Mapleson, who rescued the minister, described the scene as: “very steep, it was a rocky outcrop, it would have been extremely difficult to reach even on foot, let alone any other way, and even for us to have removed him from that position was a little bit tricky.
The minister is expected to be discharged today following a medical assessment.