A surfer has died after being pulled from the water at Number One Beach in Seal Rocks, on the NSW Mid North Coast. Members of the public dragged the man from the water about 2.20pm on Monday. He was unresponsive. Paramedics tried to save him, but he died at the scene. He has not been formally identified but is believed to be in his 60s. The secluded beach sits opposite a caravan park and is popular with swimmers and surfers.
A man has died after being found unresponsive in floodwaters at Smothering Creek on the Fraser Coast in Queensland. Emergency crews were called shortly after 11am on Monday and declared him dead at the scene. Police are investigating whether the 57-year-old drove into the floodwaters before his death, and a report will go to the Coroner. The death follows torrential rain across the Wide Bay-Burnett region, which triggered flash flooding, road closures and major flood warnings. Authorities have urged motorists not to drive through floodwaters.
The National Drowning Report 2026 recorded 313 drowning deaths in Australia, 10 per cent above the 10-year average. Nearly half occurred in coastal locations, and most pool drownings happened in backyard pools. Drowning deaths among children under five fell to 39 per cent below the 10-year average, but 11 such deaths still occurred in 2025/26. Experts urge parents to supervise children near water, fence pools securely and learn CPR. Royal Life Saving offers a free pool safety checklist online.
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A new Royal Lifesaving Australia report has found five remote Northern Territory community pools have closed. It also found nine pools have infrastructure more than 30 years old. Royal Lifesaving NT executive director Floss Roberts pointed to the Mutitjulu pool, near Uluru, as a working model. She said the Northern Territory has the highest drowning rate per capita in Australia.
A 25-year-old woman died after a wave swept her into the ocean while she was rock fishing at North Durras Beach, north of Batemans Bay on the New South Wales far south coast. Emergency services were called about 6pm on Saturday. Police believe she was fishing with a 39-year-old man at Point Upright when the incident happened. The man entered the water trying to reach her, was thrown onto nearby rocks and received minor cuts to his arms and legs. A passing recreational fishing vessel found the woman and brought her ashore, where CPR failed to revive her.
A woman has died after being struck by a wave while rock fishing at North Durras Beach, about 25 kilometres north of Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast. Emergency services were called about 6pm on Saturday 17 October 2026 after reports of two people in the water. A 39-year-old man who tried to reach her was unable to do so and was washed back to shore. A passing vessel found the 25-year-old woman, and CPR was performed on the beach, but she could not be revived. Neither fisher was wearing safety equipment.
Pioneering families on the Tomaree Peninsula were mostly seafarers or fishers, and boats were central to everyday life. The Lambourne family included fishers and light keepers at Fingal Island. In 1905, Henry Eccleston Lambourne Jnr, aged 21, drowned in Providence Bay on Broughton Island while trying to save his mate, Archie Marshall. Their bodies were never found. His brother Jack worked a boat called the Simplex, and George skippered two ferries owned by Alf Korsmann of Tea Gardens.
An inquest in Darwin has heard calls to change the Northern Territory's pool fencing laws after the drowning of three-year-old Dion Robbins in Moulden, Palmerston, in June 2025. Counsel assisting the coroner, Fiona Kepert, told the court Dion was found floating face down in the family's backyard pool, and his younger brother was found nearby. Royal Life Saving NT chief executive Floss Roberts said properties larger than 1.8 hectares are exempt from pool fencing rules and that this exemption should be scrapped.
An inquest has heard that a three-year-old boy likely climbed on a stool to reach a latch on a backyard pool gate before he drowned. Dion Robbins died at his family's rented home in the Darwin suburb of Moulden in June 2025. Counsel assisting Fiona Kepert said the boy's father fell asleep after lying down with him to watch a movie. Four months earlier, an inspection had found rust damage and a gate that was not self-closing. Kepert urged the coroner to examine whether the Northern Territory's pool fence compliance system needs more regular checks.
A man has died after failing to resurface while swimming at Millaa Millaa Falls, a well-known tourist spot on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. Emergency services were called to the falls on Theresa Creek Rd shortly after 3pm on Monday after reports a swimmer was missing. Police, paramedics and fire crews carried out a major response before the man's body was recovered from the water. A Queensland Police Service spokesman said the death is being treated as non-suspicious. Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.
A 22-year-old Japanese tourist has died at Millaa Millaa Falls, south-west of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Police said he was with a group at the waterfall when he failed to resurface from the water. Emergency services were called about 3pm on Monday and recovered his body about two hours later. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. Nearby caravan park operator Andrew Broadbent described the falls as a shallow waterfall that hundreds of people swim in, and said recent conditions had been dry.
Three police officers jumped into Adelaide's River Torrens early on Saturday to save a 22-year-old man who was struggling in the water. Police had been called about a group fight on Hindley Street in the city about 5am. One man ran from the scene and was later seen on CCTV jumping into the river. Officers held him above the water until other police helped the group to safety. He was taken to hospital, with police saying his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. No charges have been laid and the fight investigation continues.
Police officers have rescued a 22-year-old man from drowning after he jumped into the River Torrens to evade them. Officers were patrolling Hindley Street in the Adelaide CBD at about 5am on Saturday when a group of men were seen fighting. One man ran off and police lost sight of him after a brief chase. Cameras later captured him leaping into the river. Three officers jumped in and held him above the water until other patrols pulled the group to safety. He was taken to hospital in a non-life-threatening condition. Police continue to investigate the fight.
A young father has been awarded Western Australia's Royal Life Saving Bravery Award for rescuing his three-year-old daughter from drowning in a backyard pool in Broome. Sandy Spratt, 25, was visiting a family member's home in August 2025 when he noticed the sudden silence of his daughters' play. He found Adaleena unconscious and face down in the water, pulled her out and began CPR. She was conscious when paramedics arrived and made a full recovery in Broome Hospital. Mr Spratt is now urging others to complete a first aid course, saying it really does save lives.
