Stawell State Emergency Service have pleaded with the public to abide by signs in the Grampians National Park after the body of a man was found in MacKenzie Falls on Sunday.
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Police will prepare a report for the coroner after 28-year-old man from Pakenham was found dead at the scene about 9.30am. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Police said the man had been with a group of friends at MacKenzie Falls.
Leading Senior Constable Lee Thomson said witnesses reported seeing the man go below the water on Saturday afternoon.
Stawell SES duty officer Jenny Rooke was rostered on when they received the call-out to a “possible drowning” at 5pm.
She said emergency services could not make the message any clearer.
“MacKenzie Falls is not a swimming area,” Ms Rooke said.
“Follow the signs – if they say do not swim, then do not swim.”
Ms Rooke said the “massive effort” involved three SES volunteers camping overnight at Mackenzie Falls as emergency services investigated the area.
“Because there is no phone reception at the bottom of MacKenzie Falls, we needed someone down there to communicate via radio to personnel at the top of the Falls,” she said.
“Thanks to Victoria State Emergency Service Horsham Unit, GWMWater, Parks Victoria and Victoria Police for their help.”
Parks Victoria's website warns tourists to take care at MacKenzie Falls, which is the most-visited waterfall in the Grampians.
Swimming is prohibited at the base of the falls.
The search was suspended at dark and resumed at first light on Sunday.
Only hours after the shocking discovery at MacKenzie Falls Stawell SES were again called out to the Grampians to assist two men lost on the Pinnacle walking trail.
Duty officer Jenny Rooke said they were notified about 8.40pm, only moments before sunset.
“When we got there it was dark, but luckily within half an hour we found them three quarters up from the Wonderland carpark,” she said.
Ms Rooke said the two men had been descending from the summit of the Pinnacle when they became lost after wandering off the main trail.
“Three other walkers on the track actually helped us track them because they had heard the two men calling out, not far from where they had become lost,” she said.
No persons were injured.
Carly Werner
