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Rottnest Island seaplane crash just latest in steady stream of deadly outdoor adventure tourism accidents

A trip of a lifetime for three couples ended in tragedy this week after their seaplane plunged into the ocean off Rottnest Island, sending shockwaves around the world. As families holidaying at WA’s idyllic tourist haven watched on in horror, the aircraft crashed into the sparkling waters of Thomson Bay as it was taking off, killing the pilot and two tourists. It forever tore apart couples from Denmark and Switzerland, with 65-year-old Swiss woman Danielle Grundbacher-Mosching, and 60-year-old Danish man Torben Poulsen losing their lives. Their partners — Andreas Mosching, 63, and Hanna Esmee Duer, 58 — survived, pulled from the water along with a couple from Western Australia, a 63-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman. Perth-based pilot James Wong, 34, also left behind his heartbroken girlfriend, fellow seaplane pilot Angela Cloeraine, who remembered him for his “love of adventure, exceptional knowledge on every topic and his passion for seaplanes”. The tragedy has thrust Australian adventure tourism into the spotlight, raising serious questions about whether the booming requires tighter regulation Rikki Hendon, secretary of peak union body UnionsWA said adventure tourism operators could learn from recent changes to New Zealand’s work, health and safety system. New Zealand overhauled its tourism industry regulations after a volcanic eruption on White Island killed 22 tourists in 2019. Ms Hendon said there was precedent in WA for having industry-specific regulations where there were particular risks, such as in mining. “That is something that we have the capacity to develop in WA for the adventure tourism industry,” she said. “New Zealand is leading the way in this. They have shown that is something that’s beneficial, and the West Australian Government should really look to that as an example and take their lead.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insists Australia has a good safety record, noting the Rottnest crash would automatically be investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. “There is an investigation after any such incident,” he said on Friday. “But the adventure tourism industry is an important one. It creates jobs. “This is an attractive place to visit, and so many places in Western Australia rely upon light aircraft or helicopters in order to get around to see what is occurring. We have a good safety record internationally.” Asked if he believed adventure tourism needs to be more regulated, WA Premier Roger Cook said any sector of the economy required regulation to make sure it was safe for employees and users. “We know that the tourism industry is experiencing a boom at the moment,” he said on Friday. “Last year’s visitor spend was bigger than at any point in time in the State’s history, and one of the key reasons why people are participating in the tourism industry is because of our great, untamed wilderness. “Adventure tourism is an important part of that, and that’s why we work closely with the industry to continue to learn from these sort of experiences, to make sure that it’s safe for patrons, make sure it’s safe for workers and make sure that people don’t come to harm when they interacted with our great, wild outdoors.” History shows there have been a long line of major safety incidents in the adventure tourism sector. In July 2020, 12-year-old girl Amber Jess Millar was killed in a helicopter crash at famed tourism hotspot Broome. She died alongside pilot Troy Thomas when his Robinson R44 crashed immediately after take-off from an industrial site. Since then, Amber’s parents Fiona and Clint Benbow have watched in horror as other tragedies have unfolded. Just months before the fatal helicopter accident, Mr Thomas had sold his adventure tourism company Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures to travel giant Journey Beyond. In May 2022, dozens of people were seriously injured when a high-speed vessel owned by Journey Beyond collided with rocks while trying to squeeze through the narrow 7.5m gap at Horizontal Falls during an eco-tour of Talbot Bay on the Kimberley coast. Eight months later, on the other side of Australia, four people were killed on the Gold Coast in January 2023, when two Sea World helicopters conducting scenic flights collided mid-air. Another nine people were injured. In May 2023, eight passengers were injured — including a woman who was scalped and suffered a fractured skull — when an airboat crashed during an adventure tour at Outback Wrangler Matt Wright’s Top End Safari Camp, south-west of Darwin. Wright and Thomas were friends and former business partners. That same year, in March, an abseiling instructor plunged to his death in front of a group of school students near Margaret River. In March 2024, a man died after falling nearly 460m from a hot air balloon on to a residential street in Melbourne. When the ATSB released the findings of its investigation into Amber’s fatal crash, the Benbows sounded an alarm on the adventure tourism industry. The day the ATSB’s final report was published, they sat down with Mr Cook, then the tourism minister, where they expressed their concerns, in particular about aviation operators in regional and remote tourist spots. They repeatedly expressed their fears, to everyone in power, that other families would suffer tragic losses like their own. Coincidentally, the operator of the aircraft involved in Tuesday’s fatal crash, Swan River Seaplanes, was also founded by Mr Thomas, three years before he died alongside Amber in Broome. What the Benbows most wanted was a coronial inquest into their daughter’s death so that those with knowledge of Mr Thomas’ operations would be compelled to give evidence. They had also hoped a coroner would recommend tighter regulation of aviation adventure tourism. But in late 2023, coroner Michael Jenkin told them he would finalise his investigation by way of an Administrative Finding. It is too early to know whether there will be a coronial inquest into this week’s tragedy. It is also too early to know whether any fault can be attributed or if it was nothing more than a terrible accident. University of South Australia tourism academic Freya Higgins-Desbiolles said adventure tourism was a difficult balancing act. While tourism operators often objected to regulation as unnecessary red tape which added to costs, it should be part of doing business. “You’re trying to get the adrenalin rush — that’s what people are seeking in these experiences, which are psychologically life-enhancing,” she said. “So you’re walking near the edge, and making the client think they’re at the edge of danger, but at the same time, nobody wants to die doing it, so it’s got to be safe. “And that’s where regulations come in, to get that balance right between that sense of adventure and adrenalin, but ensuring that people are safe and not harmed in the experiences.”

The West Australian exclusiveRottnest Island seaplane crash just latest in steady stream of deadly outdoor adventure tourism accidents

exclusive
Rottnest Island seaplane crash just latest in steady stream of deadly outdoor adventure tourism accidents