An elderly couple who had been missing in North West Tasmania since Tuesday afternoon have been safely located by Tasmania Police in the Dial Range area near Riana this morning. The pair, identified as 79-year-old Peter and 81-year-old Clementina, were found cold and wet with minor injuries and are currently being assessed by Ambulance Tasmania paramedics at the scene.
The successful resolution comes after an extensive search operation. Members of the search team located the couple’s missing vehicle, a silver Honda CRV with South Australian registration S744ACB, on the side of Cookes Road shortly before 10:30 am today, Thursday, August 20, 2026. The man and woman were then located a short time later.
Tasmania Police had initiated a search after the couple, who were staying with relatives in Milabena, failed to return from a day trip as planned on Tuesday, August 18. They had reportedly left their relatives’ home around 2:30 pm that day, intending to explore the Burnie, Ulverstone, and Penguin areas.
The search efforts involved police search and rescue personnel, with resources deployed to the area for a second day of searching on Thursday. Inspector Anthea Maingay had previously stated that search efforts on Wednesday concentrated on checking local tourist spots, with aerial support from the Westpac Rescue helicopter and land searches including vehicles and quad bikes.
Tasmania Police has extended its gratitude to all emergency services and members of the public who assisted in the search to locate the missing couple.