What began as a dream trip to witness the rare spectacle of a water-filled Lake Eyre turned into a tense survival ordeal for a Melbourne father and son, before an extraordinary twist of fate brought them to safety. After spending more than 12 hours stranded in one of Australia’s most remote landscapes, the pair were rescued by Tim Roberts, who happened to have flown his private helicopter to a nearby outback pub.
The tourists, identified as Bill Kosky and his son from Melbourne’s Middle Park, were driving their Toyota along the remote Halligan Bay Road toward Lake Eyre when a powerful storm swept across South Australia’s far north, as reported by 7news. Torrential rain quickly flooded the track, turning the surface into thick mud that trapped their vehicle. With little mobile reception and no way to free themselves, they managed to send text messages to emergency services before waiting for help in the isolated wilderness.
Their rescue came about through a remarkable coincidence. Tim Roberts, a Perth-based billionaire, had landed his helicopter at the iconic William Creek Hotel, a well-known outback stopover, intending to spend the night. While there, word spread that two travellers had failed to return after venturing toward Lake Eyre, prompting concern among locals after emergency services contacted the hotel.
Rather than continuing with his journey, Roberts volunteered to help. Accompanied by longtime local Trevor Wright, who knows the region’s unforgiving terrain well, he took to the skies in his chopper to search the vast flood-stricken landscape. Finding the stranded vehicle was no simple task. From above, the Toyota appeared as little more than a tiny speck against miles of waterlogged ground. Eventually, the searchers spotted the father and son and brought their ordeal to an end. “I thought you were in the army or something,” a relieved Kosky reportedly told Roberts after the helicopter arrived.
The incident unfolded during an exceptionally wet period across South Australia’s outback, where record rainfall has left many unsealed roads flooded, muddy and, in some cases, impassable. Halligan Bay Road, a remote four-wheel-drive route branching off the Oodnadatta Track, is already considered challenging under normal conditions and offers virtually no reliable mobile phone coverage. Wright later revealed that 28 people had become stranded in the region over the previous 6 weeks, highlighting how dangerous the conditions have become as increasing numbers of visitors head to Lake Eyre during its rare filling event.
Although headlines have focused on the billionaire who came to the rescue, Roberts was uniquely qualified for the task. Alongside his business career, he is an experienced pilot with airline transport licences for both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, making him far more than simply a wealthy traveler with access to a helicopter. On this occasion, a chance stop at a remote pub, combined with aviation expertise and local knowledge, proved to be exactly what two stranded tourists needed.
