Search for hiker reviewed in challenging, cold weather

The search for a bushwalker missing for more than a week in icy conditions is being reviewed with advice from survival experts.

Daryl Fong, 30, went on a day hike in Tasmania’s Mt Field National Park on October 11.

He last contacted a friend around 3 a.m. the next day, saying that he was late and planned to seek shelter for the night.

On Monday, Tasmania Police said the search was being reviewed and advice was being sought from specialist survivalists.

“Search personnel remain committed to finding Daryl but as time passes and conditions in the area there are serious concerns for his welfare,” police said.

Waist-deep snow fell in the area. It was also hit by strong winds Sunday that prevented a vertical rescue team from searching and grounded a rescue helicopter.

Mr. Fong’s cell phone is inactive and the personal locator beacon he is believed to be carrying is also inactive.

Her car, a white Subaru, was found in the Dobson Lake parking lot and he left her there as she began walking away.

Mr Fong’s flatmate Martin Gotthard, who reported him missing, thanked searchers for their efforts.

“I have sincere admiration for what you have done and continue to do,” he wrote on Facebook.

The temperature is expected to drop to 2 degrees in Mount Field over the weekend, and is expected to drop below zero on Tuesday.

One of Tasmania’s oldest national parks, the national park is home to a wide variety of alpine vegetation, from eucalyptus forests to icy landscapes and cascading waterfalls.

Many bushwalkers in Tasmania have been hit by freezing weather in recent weeks; these include a Chinese tourist who died in Cradle Mountain National Park in late September.

Peter Willoughby, 76, who disappeared while trying to save his car after it got stuck in a swamp in woodland in the north of the state on October 5, is still missing.