Webb insisted on the doors of his ambulance being open as he was driven through Beaconsfield to hospital. "You can't kill me, son," he was heard shouting to a wellwisher. Rescue coordinator Rex Johnson said the two miners had wanted to clean themselves up before emerging from the mine. "I did not think they would get out," he said. "They wanted to pamper themselves pretty well."
As free beer flowed at a local hotel, messages of support flowed in from around the country, including from the prime minister, opposition leader and treasurer preparing for what had suddenly been relegated to a secondary news event - the federal budget. The miners were pronounced in "excellent spirits" and "very positive" physical condition at nearby Launceston hospital - so positive they are determined to attend the funeral later on Tuesday of the workmate who died alongside them, 44-year-old Larry Knight. "They have asked us to pass on to you their jubilation with being out of the mine and they have also expressed a wish to go to the funeral this afternoon," said Launceston General Hospital CEO Dr Stephen Ayre. "We'll be seeing what we can do to facilitate that." The grieving Knight family had won widespread admiration for delaying the funeral service as long as possible so that Todd Russell and Brant Webb could attend.
"I think the important thing is that they actually pay their respects to their colleague, as a point of closure and moving on from the situation that they've been in," Dr Ayre said. Prime Minister John Howard said he hoped to express his admiration personally to the two miners, adding he was prepared to look at federal help for the Tasmanian town if the mine was forced to close. Their rescue was announced to the people of Beaconsfield by the ringing of a church bell not used since WWII and by wailing fire sirens which prompted hundreds to gather outside the mine. Mr Johnson said the last part of the rescue was hard because the men were so close and everyone just wanted to rush in and get them out. But he said the rescue team, and Mr Webb and Mr Russell, all knew they had to stop, take their time and do everything properly.
"It was quite easy towards the end but you've just got to be careful. You can't take any chances," he said. "The miners that did the work should be congratulated. They did an unbelievable job." There had been no time to celebrate, Mr Johnson said. "We had a job to do, get them out, so I'll have a bit of time to myself later on. "I've got Larry Knight's funeral to go to this afternoon, and I think all the guys are going to hold their emotions until then," Mr Johnson said.
He said he expected the freed pair would attend Mr Knight's funeral in Launceston. "I think they will be doing everything they possibly can to get there. They are in good spirits so, yeah, the boys are going really well." Mr Russell's brother-in-law Allan Bennett was at the top of the mine to greet his relative and friend. "It's what dreams are made of, mate," he later said. "I said `a miracle' to start with, that's all I could think of, and `it's what dreams are made of'."
Mr Bennett said he would attend 44-year-old Mr Knight's funeral. "Don't forget Larry and the other 14 men (who escaped the April 25 rockfall). They're all one, that's how it works," a crying Mr Bennett said. Mine manager Matthew Gill praised rescuers, and said he was amazed at the health and physical condition of the miners. "They are incredible people. They are absolutely incredible people," he said. "In fact, we were a bit worried with the amount they were eating we would have to make the hole a bit bigger.
"I am amazed at their condition. They are pretty tough." Mr Howard said he had phoned West Tamar Mayor Barry Easther to congratulate everyone involved in the rescue operation. "I just want to say how relieved and elated the whole country is and what a huge tribute this is, the way everybody has pulled together," Mr Howard told the Nine Network. He said the rescue effects that saved the miners' lives were fantastic. "That's the greatest thing you can do for somebody else," he said.
"Everybody has played a great role. "It's one of those occasions where everybody is entitled to feel elated at the outcome."
Location of Beaconsfield
The two miners who had been trapped almost one kilometer beneath the surface in Beaconsfield, Tasmania in a collapsed gold mine for 14 days have now been rescued.

The men, Brant Webb and Todd Russell, were well enough to walk out from the lift onto the surface and threw their arms up in exultation. They then walked to a board and removed their location tags to indicate that they were no longer underground at approximately 5:59 a.m. AEST before embracing family and friends and making their way to the waiting ambulances. The vehicles slowly made their way through the crowds with a police escort and the miners waved to the crowds through the open rear doors. They will undergo medical supervision at Launceston Hospital for a period of time before being confirmed well enough to return home.

The last stages of the rescue, cutting the final sections of the escape tunnel had proceeded very slowly because very hard rock was encountered and work had to proceed gently to minimize the chances of further rock collapses.

The escape tunnel was completed at 4:47 a.m. AEST and it took another hour for the men to be transported to the surface via a "crib room" at "Level 375" (375 metres underground) where they were medically examined and were also able to shower.

A bell at Beaconsfield's Uniting Church pealed just after 5 a.m. AEST to celebrate the rescue, and an air raid siren was sounded. This was the first time the church bell had been rung since the end of World War II. A local fire engine drove through Beaconsfield's streets sounding the siren to wake residents for the good news.

A funeral will be held later today for a third miner, Larry Knight, who was killed in the collapse that trapped the miners on April 26.