Boroka Lookout: Grim history of deadly selfie spot

It’s one of the most sought-after lookout spots in Victoria’s idyllic Grampians National Park.

Thousands and thousands of tourists over the years have made the steep trek up to Boroka Lookout where they have been rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views over Falls Gap and the east of the Grampians.

The natural beauty of the spot has made it incredibly popular with Instagrammers seeking the perfect backdrop for a stunning photo.

More than 6500 Instagram posts have been tagged at the location. Many of the images have been taken from the correct side of the safety barrier that protects visitors from the 80m drop to their certain deaths.

But many other photos have been taken on the wrong side of safety barrier, including snaps of daredevil visitors engaged in dangerous stunts on the edge. Police have warned for years risky behaviour to achieve the perfect photo at Boroka Lookout could be deadly.

Tragedy struck the scenic spot on Saturday afternoon, and not for the first time. Melbourne mum Rosy Loomba, 38, climbed over the safety barrier for a photo and fell from the edge as her husband and two young sons helplessly watched on.

Ms Loomba, a community support worker from Craigieburn who loved the outdoors, died at the scene. It took Victoria Police and State Emergency Service volunteers more than six hours to retrieve her body and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

Ms Loomba’s tragic death at the lookout appears to have done little to deter visitors from scaling the barrier for photos of their own.

One of the Instagram photos tagged to the spot was uploaded just three hours after Ms Loomba fell. It isn’t clear if the image was taken before the accident.

The site was packed with tourists on Sunday, with many still insisting on scaling the safety barrier and ignoring warning signs for a photo on the edge, according to the Herald Sun.

Graham Wood, who runs Grampian Trike Tours in the area, said he saw it happen daily.

“While we were here (on Saturday), a man climbed out on to the ledge and I made a comment to my customers that this happens all the time and one of these days, someone is going to fall off. We left and within half an hour it had happened,” Mr Wood told the paper.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s a lesson that can be learned by people who come to the Grampians.”

Melbourne woman Iman Kamarelddin told Nine News on Sunday she had scaled the safety barrier at Boroka Lookout for a photo just hours before Ms Loomba died.

“I was devastated. I honestly broke down and I was just so thankful it wasn’t me,” she said about hearing the tragic news.

“We do it literally just for the photo, just for the thrill of it.”

Some users on Instagram are now imploring others to be safe after Saturday’s tragedy.

“Absolutely insane what people will stupidly do for a photo that isn’t even ‘original’,” one person posted.

“Risking their lives & potentially the lives of rescuers all for a clichéd photo for Instagram. “I’ve been to Halls Gap, I know from personal experience that it’s possible to get an amazing photo from the safe side of the safety rail!”

Riskier photos taken at the lookout include visitors sitting with their legs dangling over the drop to people performing handstands and even backflips.

Ms Loomba’s tragic fall isn’t the first time the scenic spot has turned deadly.

In January 1999, a 59-year-old British tourist fell to her death at the lookout while holidaying with her husband and other relatives who were taking photos.

The site gained more notoriety in 2018 when a viral video emerged of a man performing a “ludicrous” backflip on the cliff’s edge.

The man landed safety but the video showed him stumbling backwards towards the edge after landing on his feet.

At the time, local State Emergency Service controller Alan Blight described the stunt as “ludicrous”.

“It is just crazy, people have died falling from that ledge in the past,” he said.

“It was only a few years ago we had to recover the body of a lady who lost balance and tumbled over the edge.

“If someone falls from that ledge we won’t be called out for a rescue, it will be for a body recovery. It is quite a long way down to rocks and trees below.”

In light of Saturday’s tragic accident, police are echoing those calls for visitors to stick to the path and avoid risking their lives for a good Instagram shot.

“My message is: Stop this extreme photo taking for social media purposes,” Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville said on Sunday.

“Enjoy what we’ve got on offer. But you don’t need to do it in that extreme way.

“No photo is worth a life.”

Boroka Lookout is not the only popular scenic spot that’s been struck by tragedy.

A French student plunged 40m to his death at Wedding Cake Rock in NSW’s Royal National Park in 2014 as the unusual site achieved cult status with Instagrammers.

The 23-year-old fell when a nearby sandstone cliff crumbled away.

In 2017, the body of a Sydney teenager was found at the base of Wedding Cake Rock after she had gone missing during a bushwalk.

Signs at the still-popular site warn tourists to “not risk your life for a photo”, particularly due to the instability of the rock structure.

The nearby Figure 8 Pools is another Insta-famous but dangerous location. At least 70 people were injured in 2016 when a freak wave slammed into the coastline, prompting warnings for visitors to use their common sense.

In 2018, a 20-year-old man died while trying to take a photograph at a notorious sea cliff known as The Gap near Albany in Western Australia.

The man’s friends watched in horror as he toppled over the edge of the cliff face and plunged into the ocean below.

Earlier this year, a young British tourist died after falling from a cliff at Sydney’s Diamond Bay Reserve, a popular location for selfies and wedding photos.

Madalyn Davis, 21, died just five months after a local woman fell 30m to her death from the same spot.

Google reviews of Diamond Bay Reserve praise its excellent views but warn visitors “need to be really careful” and “be cautious, it’s not the safest place in the world”.

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