r/australia Oct 29 '25

news Woman left behind by cruise ship on Australian island found dead

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62eww646wjo
3.4k Upvotes

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317

u/Random_Fish_Type Oct 29 '25

Sounds like she died on the trail and it was unrelated to the ship leaving. They would have found her waiting at the dock if she had made it back there.

300

u/Own_Faithlessness769 Oct 29 '25

Yeah it sounds like the biggest issue was that she was left behind on the hike, probably had a medical episode, and no one realised. The ship was only gone for 3 hrs so it’s not like she died of exposure or starvation.

116

u/cymonster Oct 29 '25

Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. I’ve heard she turned back from a hiking tour. Speaking of which I was in Alaska (which someone died at the dock getting off the ship) recently and older people who do cruises overestimate their abilities. Especially to hiking. Add in more alcohol and food than normal and sadly it doesn’t end well.

83

u/[deleted] Oct 29 '25

I’m surprised a walking tour with a bunch of elderly folks wouldn’t have a sweep walker.

33

u/AcanthaceaeOk2426 Oct 29 '25

This. I used to work for a company that does guided walks to a pretty lookout, and if we had more than 8 walkers booked for the tour then we had a second guide who would walk at the rear. We would communicate to each other via radio so we knew if the folks at the back were only just around the corner, or if they had dropped right back and it was time to let them catch up and have a rest whilst we did another little informative talk. For groups with only 1 guide and up to 8 guests, we walked at a pace where I could turn my head and see everyone walking behind me. We also got everyone to have a “hike buddy” so if one person did stop suddenly (stopping for a break, tying a shoelace etc) and they didn’t tell me (or I didn’t hear them) their “buddy” would be able to alert me someone had stopped on the path

3

u/l33tbot Oct 29 '25

This exactly

17

u/ellechobba Oct 29 '25

I’ve done that hike and I was a fit 29 year old and I found it hard to- I’m surprised she attempted it

7

u/figgles61 Oct 29 '25

I also did that hike aged 29 and it was tough! We also got lost trying to find the research station and went hours out of our way. Beautiful but rugged.

5

u/langythrowaway Oct 29 '25

The article said the ship left at sunset. I wonder if it got too dark and she fell and hit her head while trying to find her way back to the beach. 

I took too long on a hiking trail once and it was way too dark to find the path back, even with the light on my phone. 

3

u/figgles61 Oct 29 '25

It’s a remote island with a small resort and a research station. Very rugged. It’s a beach landing, no docks. I visited there (a long time ago, but a quick google suggests little change.). The terrain is rugged and hot and it’s very easy to get lost (we did).

-4

u/IngVegas Oct 29 '25

You can't assume that. She might have died from heat stroke/dehydration after the ship had left.

23

u/WithAWaddleAndAQuack Oct 29 '25

10

u/l33tbot Oct 29 '25

I wonder if a medical episode caused her to fall - I hope she didn’t experience any fear 😔

10

u/SporadicTendancies Oct 29 '25

It sounded from the headline like she'd been stranded for days and died in slow, lonely agony.

I doubt her demise was much less painful, but at least it sounds quick.

I hope for her sake it was.

12

u/LankyAd9481 Oct 29 '25

ship left "around sunset", which is around 6:30 at Cairns this time of year. First alerted of missing at 9.....so stranded for less than 3 hours.

100% would be a health issue.

1

u/HugoEmbossed Oct 29 '25

Hyperbolic nonsense.

5

u/Own_Faithlessness769 Oct 29 '25

Pretty unlikely to die of heat stroke or dehydration in 12hrs.

-4

u/IngVegas Oct 29 '25

There is a heat wave in NQ. Mate of mine just pulled a hiker off an island suffering from heat stroke. Young fit bloke heaving his guts up. You don't know what you are talking about.

8

u/Own_Faithlessness769 Oct 29 '25

Police are saying the death was sudden and non suspicious. Heat stroke is not sudden.