An inquest into the death of Heather Louise Scott has found she died after the house she was in was swept away in a landslide caused by intense rainfall during extreme weather conditions.  

State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan found the cause of the 70-year-old's death was unknown, but that it was a result of a landslip at Upper Wilson's Creek, west of Mullumbimby, in the early hours of February 28, 2022.

The storm that hit the region also caused record flooding in towns across the northern rivers, resulting in the deaths of four people in Lismore.

The inquest heard that two neighbours reported hearing loud rumbling sounds between 3:30am and 4:30am. 

Later in the morning, when the weather was still poor, attempts to call Mrs Scott's mobile went unanswered. 

Neighbours set out on foot to check on her.

What they found was total devastation and clear evidence of a landslide that started about 120 metres above Mrs Scott's home and stretched 150 metres in width.

The force of the slip was so strong it uprooted large trees, dislodged boulders, and carried debris through Ms Scott's home, shattering it and pushing it downhill about 100 metres. 

Counsel assisting the coroner, Alison Storm, told the inquest the area was so badly damaged that rescue crews were unable to immediately access the site even by air for several days. 

A co-ordinated search couldn't be started until March 7 as the land was so saturated and unstable.

Even then, crews had to dig by hand to try to find any trace of Ms Scott, but her body was never located. 

A beautiful soul:

Tom and Marissa McEwan, who lived on the shared property with Mrs Scott for 30 years, said they sensed she was gone on the day of the landslide.

They said they had reconciled themselves to what had happened over the past 18 months.

They said they drew some comfort from knowing Mrs Scott was with the earth, and with her husband, whose ashes were scattered on the mountainside after his death in 2001. 

"We're really happy that she did not have to be pulled from the earth again," Mrs McEwan said.

"There is a kind of blessing with the way she passed with the earth.

"We became reconciled that if this is the way it was, then there is its own wisdom in it."

The Scotts had moved the property in 1998, drawn to its tranquillity and natural beauty.

Five households shared the property, with everyone pitching in to build Mrs Scott a house instead of a caravan, after her husband died.

Mr McEwan said his friend was the practical one around the place, always being called on to fix things.

"Heather had such a beautiful soul and her actions were divine, she was a very kind person to everyone she came across, and she is in a wonderful place by now," he said.

Although Mrs Scott had no children on her own, she was an integral part of the close-knit group and godmother to one of the children on the property.

The McEwans said they were glad to hear the findings of the inquest, to give their friend's death a legal finality.

They said they could not praise highly enough the actions and care of the first responders and the Mullumbimby community in the wake of the landslip.

Original Story By | Hannah Ross & Penny Timms