A mayday call by a driver claiming to have been injured in an accident on the Bridle Track appears to have been a malicious hoax, angering emergency services.
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An extensive search of the area by police and the SES across the weekend and an aerial search by PolAir failed to find evidence of an accident along the isolated road.
Sergeant Ross Hunt of Chifley Local Area Command said a council employee told police at 3.22pm on Friday that some of the workers heard a mayday call on UHF radio that a four-wheel drive had rolled on the Bridle Track and a person was injured.
He said police sent out calls over the radio trying to get more information about the accident, but got no response.
The Bridle Track remains unpassable due to a large rockfall some years ago that blocked it.
Police from Hill End searched the road from their side of the rockfall and Bathurst police searched from the opposite side.
Police Rescue and SES Rescue were also called in to search the length of the road.
They spoke with campers, but nobody had any information about an accident.
Chifley Local Area Command also posted bulletins on social media asking if the command’s Facebook followers had any information.
Specifically, the command asked for information from anyone who was aware of someone who was intending to travel the Bridle Track and had not returned.
PolAir was contacted, and advised the local area command that they were available to assist in a search the following day.
PolAir conducted an aerial search along the Bridle Track and Root Hog Fire Trail late Saturday morning, but saw nothing to indicate an accident had occurred.
Sgt Hunt said with all avenues exhausted and no information forthcoming, emergency services conceded it was likely a false call and the search was suspended.
“Police want the community to be aware that these hoax calls put a drain on resources and reduce our capacity to respond to legitimate calls,” he said.
“It is an offence to call for assistance when it is not required.”
Sgt Hunt asked for anyone with information about the call to contact police.
Local SES controller Gavan Ellis said SES personnel spent four hours searching the Bridle Track late Friday afternoon.
“Crank calls are very frustrating, but we must respond,” he said.
Mr Ellis said two vehicles and five SES personnel travelled to an area of the Bridle Track 26 kilometres from Bathurst.
“We only have a limited amount of resources,” he said.
“That call took half of our fleet out of Bathurst for four hours.”
