Hiking poles and rubbish believed to belong to missing Melbourne bushwalker Hadi Nazari were discovered on Tuesday, as the search to find him enters its seventh day.
Hadi Nazari, a keen hiker, went missing on Boxing Day in Kosciuszko National Park.
Nazari, who is 23 and lives in the outer south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Berwick, was last seen by two friends at about 2.30pm on Boxing Day as they descended the Hannels Spur Trail in Kosciuszko National Park, at the tail end of a multi-day trek near Australia’s highest mountain.
The hiker’s companions say they had arranged to meet at the Geehi campground, but Nazari failed to arrive.
Emergency services began searching for Nazari – who is an experienced hiker – the evening of December 26, and said on Tuesday there were concerns for his welfare.
On December 27, a multi-agency search commenced involving police, SES, ambulance and national park officials. On Monday, specialised volunteers were flown into the area.
On Tuesday, NSW Police’s Jillian Gibson said Nazari’s prior experience as a hiker gave rescuers hope that he would be found safely, despite the remoteness of the track.
“It’s not just like going for a walk up a hill, it is dense bushland with high altitude, and scaling it is very difficult,” said Gibson.
Gibson also said Nazari had a reasonable amount of water with him at the time and adequate clothing.
