Family and friends are due to gather on Thursday to say goodbye to Lily Hooper, the 18-year-old bushwalker whose death during a solo hike in New South Wales prompted an eight-day search through some of the region’s most difficult terrain.
The teenager from Oakdale disappeared after setting out for Nattai National Park on August 12. Her car was later found near the start of the Bonnum Pic Walking Trail, leading to a major operation involving NSW Police, the State Emergency Service, the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and other specialist teams.
Almost 100 Australian Defence Force personnel and about 280 SES volunteers joined the search, with crews negotiating steep ravines, dense undergrowth and complex cliff lines. Lily’s body was found in bushland on August 20, bringing an end to the desperate effort to locate her.
Her mother, Kirrily Hooper, said preliminary reports suggested Lily had fallen on the first afternoon of the hike. She told The Daily Telegraph: “She died the day she went missing and was found lying peacefully in dense bushland.”
“In hindsight we now know she passed quickly and she didn’t suffer in the cold,” Ms Hooper said.
As mourners prepare to attend the funeral, Lily is being remembered for her independence, energy and appetite for adventure. Her mother described her as “a headstrong, independent, fearless girl”, while acknowledging that those qualities may have left her exposed to danger in remote country.
Lily had worked as a guide with Sydney BridgeClimb, where colleagues remembered her as “an absolute delight” who “lit up every space with her smile and enthusiasm”. Tributes have also come from across the Wollondilly region, where residents gathered last month for a memorial in Oakdale featuring flowers, candles and purple lights.
The community’s grief has been accompanied by calls for greater awareness of the risks facing people who hike alone. Lily’s parents hope her death will encourage others to prepare carefully before entering isolated bushland, including considering emergency communication devices and sharing their intended route.
Her father, Jim Hooper, has discussed the possibility of a campaign or legal change known as “Lily’s Law” to promote better preparation and the use of safety equipment by bushwalkers.
For those who knew her, however, Lily’s funeral will be chiefly an opportunity to honour a young woman whose warmth and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on the people around her.
