Toddler dies in drowning tragedy
THE toddler of a renowned and well-loved outback family has drowned in a tragic accident that has devastated the town of Longreach.
Willow Walker, two, drowned on Monday after she fell into a tank at Camden Park Station, an iconic tourist attraction.
Her parents Daniel and Brooke were understood to have been preparing dinner in a shed nearby.
Police and paramedics were called to the property just after 6pm and the little girl was rushed to the Longreach Hospital where she later died.
The Walker family is well known and highly regarded in Longreach. Daniel, a fifth generation farmer, is the grandson of Sir James Walker, who served as the Mayor of Longreach for 35 years.
Sir James was knighted for his service to his town in 1972 – two years after he organised for the Queen and Prince Phillip to visit the family’s 7284ha property. Tributes flowed in for the gorgeous little girl yesterday, described as vibrant and cheeky by family friends.
Clair Nunn described the two-year-old as a “special cheeky girl”.
“Heaven is shining brighter tonight,” she wrote.
Daniel ran the family’s sheep and cattle station for 12 years before drought forced him to seek other means of making a living.
Known as “Outback Dan”, Daniel Walker is a Longreach icon and tour leader who gives visitors from all over Australia a taste of life in the outback.
He put the property on the map by establishing the Outback Yacht Club, a tourist destination where visitors can get a taste of rural Australia.