Family’s desperate plea to bring Brianna Cronin home after deadly fall from Nusa Penida cliff to Kelingking Beach in Bali

The devastated family of a Queensland woman who died in a tragic fall in Bali is pleading for help to bring her home, as they honour the daughter and sister they describe as kind, loving and endlessly curious. Brianna Lani Cronin, 29, fell from the Kelingking Beach cliffs on Nusa Penida island on September 12. Footage provided to 7NEWS shows Brianna’s body being transported from Nusa Penida to Bali Mandara Hospital on Wednesday, September 16, four days after the fatal fall. According to a forensic doctor at Bali Mandara Hospital, Brianna’s autopsy is scheduled for about 5pm on Thursday.

Her family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of returning her to Australia. “Our hearts are broken,” the family wrote in the fundraiser. “Our kind, loving and beautiful daughter and sister, Brianna Lani Cronin, has passed away in Bali, and right now she is so far from the people who love her most.” “The funds raised will cover the cost of her safe return from Bali to Australia so that we can hold her close, say goodbye properly, and lay her to rest surrounded by family and friends.” The family said bringing Brianna home was their “first and most important goal”, describing the wait as an unbearable burden. “Not having our girl home right now brings unbearable pain to our hearts, and every day of waiting is a weight we can barely carry,” they wrote. ‘She lit up every room she walked into’ Brianna was remembered by her family as a woman whose personality drew people in. “If you knew Brianna, you know she lit up every room she walked into,” they wrote.

They described her as a “kindred spirit, quirky, bubbly and endlessly curious”, with a laugh that brought people together. “She was a friend to everyone she met, a caring sister and a loving daughter and granddaughter.” A heartfelt message posted under the GoFundMe by Joanne Saunders, whose daughter Aphra had become friends with Brianna while travelling, offered a glimpse of the impact she had on those around her. Saunders described Brianna as a “kind and caring friend”, revealing the pair had been planning a trip to Byron Bay in October. Writing from Brighton in the UK, Saunders acknowledged the unimaginable pain of the family’s loss. “We send you strength, love and support,” she wrote, describing the circumstances as a “desperately traumatic time”.

Brianna’s family said she was happiest in nature, exploring the world around her and finding beauty in small details. “She would be the one wandering off the track to look at a mushroom, crouching beside tiny wildflowers, or gently holding a python while the rest of us kept our distance,” they wrote. “She practised yoga with grace and joy, climbed mountains, explored rainforests, and travelled the world with wide-open eyes, from the lakes and peaks of Europe to the canals of Venice.” Brianna graduated from the University of Queensland in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts.

A dream of a greener future Alongside bringing Brianna home, her family hopes to fulfil a dream she had mapped out on her vision board. Under the words “Personal Growth,” she had drawn plans for an environmentally friendly greenhouse powered by a solar roof. The vision included strawberries, blackberries, grapevines and passionfruit, as well as a cobbled garden path, cafe, yoga studio and space for people to gather. “Brianna had big plans,” her family wrote.

They said funds raised beyond the cost of bringing her home would go towards making the vision a reality in her honour, as well as supporting an organisation Brianna cared about. The family thanked friends, colleagues, relatives and officials in Bali and Australia for their support, while extending their sympathy to other families who have lost loved ones overseas. “If you are able to donate, thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” they wrote. “If you can’t, sharing this page helps just as much.” The family is asking for continued support until Brianna can be returned to Australia.

“In Brianna’s honour, we humbly ask that the thousands of acts of kindness we have been shown continue until we have her back in our loving embrace.” As of midday Thursday, the fundraiser had raised more than $40,000 to help bring Brianna home and honour her dreams.