Father and son drowned after being swept out to sea in Australia – inquest

FATHER and son drowned after being swept out to sea while on holiday in Australia, an inquest has heard.

- CLAIRE HAYHURST

Seventeen Seventy, Queensland, Australia, where Robin Reed and his son Owen died while swimming at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef

Robin Reed, 46, and his son Owen, 17, from Caerphilly county, were on a day trip to a beach at Round Hill Head, Seventeen Seventy, in Queensland on April 13.

Gwent Coroner's Court heard Owen had been swimming in water that was waist deep with other children when the conditions suddenly worsened and he was swept out to sea.

Mr Reed immediately entered the water to rescue his son, along with a man named Michael Evans, but they also got into difficulty.

Emergency services attended the scene and later recovered the bodies of Mr Reed and Owen, who were later confirmed to have died by drowning.

Rose Farmer, area coroner for Gwent, reached a conclusion of death by misadventure for Mr Reed and Owen following an inquest yesterday.

“On April 13, 2025 Owen and Robin Reed were with members of their family, along with Mr Evans, visiting Seventeen Seventy,” she said.

“They hadn't been there before and didn’t see any warning signs.