An Australian woman learned a valuable lesson the hard way this month – when you lose your phone in a rough place, don’t risk your life trying to save it.
While taking photos on October 12 in Hunter Valley, Australia, north of Sydney, Matilda Campbell dropped her mobile phone into a narrow crevice between two huge boulders. While she was trying to retrieve her phone, rescuers said Campbell slipped into a three-metre-deep gap and was stuck upside down.
On social media, the NSW Ambulance Service joked that Campbell found herself “Between a rock and a hard place“.
Campbell’s friends, with whom she was hiking, tried to free her. After an hour of effort, Campbell was still stuck, so the group called for help.
Cell phone service was limited in the area, so Campbell’s friends had to find an area to call for emergency help.
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Officials shared several dramatic photos from the rescue mission, including a photo of Campbell stuck deep in the crevice, with only her bare feet visible from above.
A multidisciplinary team of medical and emergency personnel worked to remove “several heavy boulders to create a safe access point,” the NSW Ambulance Service wrote.
The NWS Ambulance Service said Matilda Campbell found herself in an “unbearable predicament” when she slipped into a narrow rock crevice.
Instagram @NSWAmbulance
When her feet were accessible, the team said they had to pull Campbell up through a tight S-bend between the rocks. The maneuver took more than an hour.

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After seven hours of being trapped upside down, Campbell was pulled to safety. Rescuers said she only suffered minor scratches and bruises.
A Terfour winch, a form of manual lifting and pulling equipment, was used to move a 500kg boulder so Campbell could be freed. A solid wood frame was also created around the rocks to ensure stability and prevent cracking.
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Matilda Campbell was stuck upside down between huge boulders for seven hours.
Instagram @NSWAmbulance
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In the end, Campbell was unable to reach her phone.
Emergency personnel told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Campbell was “Calm” and “coherent” During the mission.
she She identified herself on social media on Monday when she shared a news story about the incident. Speaking about the photos taken by rescuers, she wrote: “My feet are not on display like this.”
In a separate post, the 23-year-old thanked her friends and emergency responders “who worked so hard to get me out.” She said they likely saved her life.
Campbell called herself “the most chance person ever.”
“No more exploring rocks for me for a while!” Campbell joked.
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Peter Watts, a specialist rescue paramedic, said he had “never encountered a job like this” in his 10 years of experience. He said the task was “challenging but incredibly rewarding.”
“Every agency had a role, and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient,” Watts said.

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