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History

Facts and Figures

Since 1842 there have been hundreds of known landslides in Australia.

Between 1842 and 1997 at least 73 people died in 42 landslides and 15 people died in earthquakes in Australia. A further 49 people have been injured in landslides while 170 people have been injured in earthquakes.

Between 1842 and 1997, more than 150 landslides have caused well over $200 million damage to buildings, roads, railways, pipelines and crops. A total of over 200 buildings are known to have sustained damage due to landslides.

Thredbo (1997) - An Australian Case Study

At about 11:30pm on 30 July 1997, Australia's worst landslide occurred when a large section of steep mountainside below the Alpine Way road collapsed immediately above a section of the Thredbo Ski Village in the NSW Alps.

About 1,000 tonnes of earth, rock and trees slipped rapidly down the steep slope, shearing the Carinya lodge off its foundations and slamming it into the Bimbadeen Lodge.

Both multi-level buildings were completely crushed along with many cars in the 400 metre landslide.

Rescue efforts were hampered by further minor slides, and the extremely unstable mass of earth, rock, shattered lodges, trees and vehicles.

Emergency Services secured broken water, gas and oil lines before undertaking a cautious and painstaking search and rescue operation.

Thermal imaging cameras and seismic listening devices were used in an attempt to locate survivors. 55 hours after the landslide, rescuers located a survivor buried in a void below three huge concrete slabs, 2.5 metres below the rubble.

After a further 10 hours of painstaking tunnelling and shoring, the slightly injured man was successfully rescued. He had endured three nights of 12 degrees below celcius temperatures.

Over 7 days of exhausting searching, rescuers recovered the bodies of 18 people who died in this tragic disaster which also caused damage worth many millions of dollars.