THE father of drowned student Craig Gibson is setting up a memorial to his son at the Australian tourist spot where he died last year.

David Gibson, of Gregories Road, Beaconsfield, will fly out tomorrow to place the headstone in the Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, as a tribute to his 19-year-old son who drowned at the No Name watering hole.

He was speaking after an inquest into the death of Craig, a former student of The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, heard how the teenager had travelled to Australia with his friend, Jon Ell, from Denham, as part of a six-month world tour.

In February last year they met up with two other school pals, Gareth Jones and Alex Thoma, before embarking on a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney. And on March 1, they were among 38 travellers on a tourist bus to stop by the Snowy River for lunch.

Gareth, 19, told High Wycombe Coroner's Court on Monday how passengers jumped off the coach at 12.30pm eager for a swim, commenting: "There was a large nearby rock that people were jumping off."

Gareth, of Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe, said he saw Craig jump off the rock once but lost sight of him shortly afterwards.

After 20 minutes he became worried but was urged to stay calm by tour guides who suggested Craig might have gone for a walk.

He added: "There were hidden rocks and the water was not clear."

Gareth and a friend searched the river but saw no sight of their companion who was found dead three days later 500 yards downstream.

Craig's father flew out to the isolated spot near Jindabyne when he was contacted by local officials who said heavy rainfall had caused the river to swell.

By the time his son's body was found the depth of the water had dropped by about three feet, revealing rocks on the bottom of the pool.

Buckinghamshire Coroner Richard Hulett recorded a verdict of accidental death, adding: "The most likely explanation is that he jumped in and hit his head on the bottom or on a rock."

Mr Gibson, 54, told the inquest he was not surprised to hear his son had jumped from the rock, adding: "He was a very strong swimmer and he liked to live life to the full."

Mr Gibson's other sons Martin, 22, and Andrew, 18, were devastated to hear the news which followed the sudden death of their mother, Norma, 50, in March 1999.

Negotiations with the New South Wales Wildlife Service failed to persuade them to change the name of the site where Craig died.

But tomorrow, Mr Gibson, a retired financial director, will fly out with Andrew to erect a memorial carved by Martin Cook, of Station Road, Loudwater.