On Thursday 10 August 1992, 65-year-old Betty Finlay went for a walk with a Sydney community group below Wentworth Falls. She was an experienced bushwalker but became separated from the group at about 12.30pm at the junction of Vera Falls and Wentworth Pass. The other walkers waited for her at the exit from the Valley of the Waters and when she didn’t appear, a passing jogger volunteered to go and look for her. He heard a woman calling out but couldn’t find her.
Police Rescue, Ambulance SCAT paramedics and a police dog were called in but found that the other walkers had gone back to Sydney. The rescuers continued searching until midnight. The Pol-air 4 helicopter had to return because of high winds. Three National Parks rangers and 21 bushfire brigade volunteers joined the search when it resumed at 8am. The two police helicopters were again hampered in their operations by high winds.
At about 11 am, a party led by Constable Pearce found the woman on an embankment several hundred metres above the valley floor, above Lindemans Pass, north of Roberts Pass. Apart from cuts to her face due to a fall, she was in remarkably good condition and was able to walk with rescuers to a point below Leura Golf Course. She was, however, in a fatigued state and, after treatment by the ambulance paramedics, it was decided to use the Westpac helicopter to fly her to the hospital. Due to the gusty wind conditions, though, the winching operation was called off, though, and she walked slowly out onto the 14th tee on the golf course at 3.14pm. She was then taken by ambulance to the hospital and treated for cuts and abrasions.
She said that during the night, she had found a wombat hole and shared it with its occupant, who did not seem to mind the intrusion. A total of 29 people were involved in the search and rescue operation.
BMG August 18, 1992
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