South Australia Whispering Wall: Man falls to his death while holding baby girl

A man who plunged to his death while clutching his baby daughter, Kobie, was known to police due to domestic violence matters.

Paramedics were called to the Whispering Wall dam in the Barossa Valley about 4.30pm to respond to a psychiatric incident.

On arrival, they learned the 38-year-old man had fallen from the edge of the wall and into the dam below, killing him instantly and leaving his nine-month-old daughter unresponsive.

Emergency services worked on the little girl for about 15 minutes before she, too, was declared dead at the scene.

By 4.48pm the mission had changed to a body retrieval. 

Paramedics were called to the Whispering Wall dam in the Barossa Valley about 4.30pm to respond to a psychiatric incident

Late on Wednesday, a chilling dispatch log uncovered by Daily Mail Australia revealed the chaotic moments that unfolded as ambulances, police crews and rescue teams raced to the tourist spot, where they found stunned tourists watching on in horror.   

The callout was listed as ‘psychiatric’ on an emergency services scanner; a term used for an incident involving mental illness or a suicide attempt.

A man and baby girl tragically plunged to their deaths from the 'Whispering Wall' dam

A man and baby girl tragically plunged to their deaths from the ‘Whispering Wall’ dam 

The man (not pictured) was already dead when emergency services found him at the bottom of the wall after 4.30pm. Paramedics tried to revive the baby but she also died at the scene

The man (not pictured) was already dead when emergency services found him at the bottom of the wall after 4.30pm. Paramedics tried to revive the baby but she also died at the scene

Timeline of emergency response 

4:30pm – Ambulance from Hamley Bridge station is sent out to respond to a ‘psychiatric’ incident

4:32pm – SA Ambulance Service send out another unit from Hamley Bridge for an ’emergency’ callout

4:32pm – Dispatch send out another unit from Playford ambulance station – which is closer to the dam – for the same ’emergency’

4:32pm – A third ambulance is sent from nearby Oakden station 

4:36pm – An urgent call is made for a MEDSTAR (Medical Shock Trauma/Acute Resuscitation) helicopter

4:40pm – Call placed to the SAAS Special Operations Team – a team of highly-trained rescue paramedics.

4.42pm – Emergency crews request permission for the helicopter to land

4.48pm – Mission changes to a body retrieval 

Two minutes later, a call for help was placed to teams from the Playford and Oakden ambulance stations for an ’emergency’ situation that was unfolding.

Things escalated as units arrived at the dam, with the MEDSTAR (Medical Shock Trauma/Acute Resuscitation) helicopter sent at 4.36pm.

Just minutes after that team was called, emergency services sent out its Special Operations Team – a crew of paramedics who specialise in high-risk search and rescue procedures usually involving water and cliff rescues.  

One mother, who claims she was at the popular lookout with her children, took to social media to describe the horror she witnessed.

‘So painful having to see what happened with my babies,’ she said. 

The incident has sparked widespread debate amongst locals that the tragedy wasn’t an accident due to the height of the railing at the dam, which would make it difficult for an adult to fall over without climbing first. 

Local MP Stephan Knoll vowed to investigate the safety of the region if a coronial inquest found it was lacking.

‘It is a very popular tourist attraction and something that young people and kids of generations have been going to visit and not before have we heard or seen of an incident like this,’ he said.

‘But, having said that, if things need to be done to modify the structure, then that’s something we need to look at.’ 

He also said the incident was awful.

‘It is just heartbreaking… it does hit everybody hard… and we all do need to band together,’ Knoll told ABC Radio Adelaide.

Police said they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the deaths at this stage. 

Detectives from Barossa CIB, forensic investigators and the Major Crime Branch remained on the scene on Wednesday evening looking into what caused the tragedy.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

A chilling dispatch log (above) shows how the first team of paramedics from Hamley Bridge station were sent to a suspected psychiatric incident

A chilling dispatch log (above) shows how the first team of paramedics from Hamley Bridge station were sent to a suspected psychiatric incident 

As more crews arrived the mission changed to a rescue mission and then body retrieval

As more crews arrived the mission changed to a rescue mission and then body retrieval 

The Whispering Wall is the retaining wall of the Barossa Reservoir, and in recent years has become a tourist attraction for carrying sound from one side to the other. 

‘What draws visitors to the Whispering Wall is its unique acoustic effects: words whispered at one side can be clearly heard at the other, more than 100 metres away. Children in particular love visiting the wall and testing its abilities,’ the Barossa website says.

‘Children in particular love visiting the wall and testing its abilities.’

Built between 1899 and 1903, the dam was a revolutionary engineering feat for its day and has attracted tourists from all over the world.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing mental health issues contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

The Whispering Wall is the retaining wall of the Barossa Reservoir, and in recent years has become a tourist attraction for carrying sound from one side to the other

The Whispering Wall is the retaining wall of the Barossa Reservoir, and in recent years has become a tourist attraction for carrying sound from one side to the other

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