NSW National Parks says 683 people rescued in the last year, Digital Safety Upgrades announced

24 October 2023: NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service announced that 683 people had been rescued during land searches by police during the 2022-2023 financial year, mostly from National parks in NSW.  I contacted National parks to ask how many were in the Blue Mountains.  They said “ask the police, we don’t search for people, they do”.  I rang the police, they said to ring their statistics unit.  I rang the statistics unit, they said to ring National Parks.  Anyway, the press release also said their had been some improvements to digital safety.  If you register your trip with National Parks, you can now be sent a text message automatically if there is an alert such as a track closure or bushfire in the area where you are walking.  More information here: Digital safety upgrades for NSW national parks bushwalkers | NSW Environment and Heritage