A woman and her two young children have been rescued after spending most of the night lost in the Jarrahwood State Forest near Upper Capel.
The woman was camping near Dillys Dam on Saturday with her two children, aged 3 and 5, when they went for a walk on a trail.
A family member who was at the camp site was concerned when they did not return by 3pm and went looking for them.
After an initial search on foot the family member conducted a second search on a quad bike.
The alarm was raised with police just after 6pm and several officers from Bunbury, Harvey and Donnybrook police stations were deployed to the search area.
The RAC Rescue Helicopter was deployed, and State Emergency Service volunteers were requested to be ready to search at first light this morning.
Fortunately, the woman and children were found by the police search team just before 1am this morning, suffering fatigue and dehydration.
Police say they got lost on the track and could not find their way back to the camp site.
St John Ambulance attended and provided medical assistance.
A WA Police Force spokesman said this incident highlighted the importance of carrying extra supplies of water and safety gear even when only planning on going for a short walk in bushland.
“In this situation a Personal Locator Beacon could have been used to alert authorities to the fact the woman and children were in danger. The beacon would not only alert authorities to the situation, but provide the exact coordinates of where the missing stranded people are– which means the time taken to rescue them is a lot less," the spokesman said.
“Even highly experienced bushwalkers who are familiar with the area they are in can experience unexpected trouble so we recommend anyone planning camping or bushwalking activities consider just how important a Personal Locator Beacon can be for them.”
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