A rescue operation of a man wedged 43 metres underground in a cave in Bungonia made headlines in 1985 after Goulburn police spent four hours trying to free the man.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The man and three or four friends had abseiled into the cave, named Blowfly or B52 in Bungonia National Park, intending to climb out by another route.
However, the Sydney man, who weighed about 104kg and was about 1.72m tall, became stuck wriggling through a hole that measured about 45cm by 25cm wide. Police hooked him into a harness connected to a series of ropes and wire ladders, and hauled and relayed him to the top of the cave.
Member of the Goulburn rescue squad, Senior Constable Don Hayes said the man and his friends had not known what they were doing, but had been properly equipped with hard hats and lights, good boots, and ropes.
"If you got lost down there and your lights went out, you could be crawling around in the mud until you died," Constable Hayes said.
