A woman in her 20s was taken to the hospital after a rock climbing accident in bushland near Bridgeview Crescent in Forestville on Monday afternoon.
Emergency services received a triple zero call just before 12.30pm on 6 October from a group of climbers who had been practising on a rock face approximately 100 metres into the bush off a rock ledge.
The woman slipped and fell around three metres, despite the climbing group having set up rope systems and safety gear. Safety mats had been positioned at the base of the cliff, but her foot landed between two mats, resulting in a suspected fractured ankle.
Unable to safely transport their injured friend back to the road themselves, the group called for help.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Christian Holmes from Belrose Ambulance Station was first to arrive at the scene, making his way along the bush trail to locate the climbers. He was joined by three NSW Ambulance crews, including Special Operations Paramedics, as well as police from Northern Beaches Police Area Command and firefighters from Forestville and Gordon stations.
Firefighters brought an all-terrain stretcher into the bush, and paramedics administered pain relief to the injured woman before splinting her suspected broken right leg.
Around an hour after the emergency call, the woman was carefully carried back up the trail to the road by firefighters and police. She received further treatment from paramedics before being transported to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition.
Inspector Holmes noted that the climbing group had taken all appropriate safety precautions and described the incident as an unfortunate accident.
With outdoor activities increasing during spring and summer, Inspector Holmes encouraged anyone planning bushwalking or other outdoor activities to install the Emergency Plus app on their phone. The app helps emergency services locate people’s exact positions when a street address isn’t available.
Published 7-October-2025
