AFTER spending 11 freezing nights out in the wild, it was a “miracle” that saved Carolina Wilga in the remote Australian outback.

The “confused and disoriented” German backpacker, 26, was found by a woman in a passing car in what has been described as “sheer luck”.

11 German backpacker Carolina Wilga has been found alive and airlifted to hospital on Friday Credit: 7NEWS

11 The 26-year-old had been last seen at a general store on June 29 Credit: AFP

11 Her Mitsubishi Delica van was found abandoned on Thursday

Carolina had not been seen or heard from since June 29, when she was spotted at a general store in Beacon, 186 miles north-east of Perth.

The German woman was then seen driving away in her black and silver Mitsubishi Delica van.

Police believed Carolina had become disoriented and walked into bushland after her vehicle broke down in the Karroun Hill area in Western Australia’s outback.

The region is said to be an unforgiving expanse, described by authorities as remote, rocky and inhospitable.

Acting Inspector Jessica Securo confirmed the van was found Thursday at least 21 miles from any main track.

She told ABC News earlier on Friday: “The terrain is outback country and there are large, rocky outcrops.

“So although there’s a number of tracks, you can see how it would be easy to become lost or disorientated in that area if you didn’t know it well.”

Authorities said Carolina’s van appeared to have suffered mechanical issues and was bogged, The Guardian reported.

Cops did not believe foul play was involved, and focused search efforts around the van’s location.

They launched what they called a “reflex search” within 300 metres of the vehicle and aerial sweeps of the wider area due to the difficult terrain.

Forensic teams combed through the Mitsubishi vehicle to determine what the backpacker may have taken with her – and what might have let her to abandon it.

She had stayed with the car for just a day before panicking and striking out to find help, authorities said.

11 Carolina had been backpacking across Australia for two years Credit: AFP

11 Carolina pictured in the van outside a general store in the small agricultural community of Beacon Credit: AFP

11 WA Police seen searching Carolina Credit: Western Australia Police Force

And with minimal food and water, the German backpacker followed the sun’s position to head west.

The temperature in the area had dropped down to zero degrees at night and there was heavy rain.

At one point, she even sought refuge inside a cave and drank water from puddles to survive.

But after enduring the untinkable conditions, Carolina was luckily picked up by a member of the public and taken to Beacon before being airlifted to Perth for urgent medical treatment.

WA police’s Martin Glynn told reporters: “As you can imagine, from the trauma she suffered for the last few days, she’s been obviously through a great deal.

“She does have some injuries. She’s been ravaged by mosquitoes.”

Securo said on Saturday that Carolina has spoken to her family and had a good night’s sleep.

11 At one point, she even sought refuge inside a cave and drank water from puddles to survive Credit: Facebook

She also took a shower and ate warm food.

“This is the best result we could have hoped for,” she said.

“It’s sheer luck. The area out there is mixed terrain. It can be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or where you’re going, and it’s very easy to get lost.”

12 days missing

Carolina had been backpacking across Australia for two years and recently worked at mine sites in regional WA.

Her last known communication were text and voice messages sent to a friend in the early hours of June 29.

At 7am, Carolina texted her friend, who had been in communication with her the day she was spotted departing the Sundance Backpackers hostel in Freemantle.

In the text, the German reportedly said she wouldn’t be able to drop off a book and a jerry can because she had “some stuff she needed to handle.”

She was then spotted at a local store in the tiny town of Beacon on June 29 at around 12.10pm.

11 Carolina seen driving in her van Credit: Western Australia Police Force

11 A road sign stands near Beacon, Western Australia Credit: AP

Later that day, at 4.28pm, CCTV captured her at a Toodyay petrol station, Sky News Australia reports.

Ten minutes later, at 4.38pm, she reportedly sent a chilling voice message to her friend, in which she could be heard saying: ”I just couldn’t wait anymore. Ugh. I felt tired”.

Police believed Carolina continued driving east to Wialki, but after June 30, all contact with friends and family ceased.

Her 12-day disappearance triggered a full-scale operation involving police, State Emergency Services and Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

The van — equipped with solar panels and water — was found Thursday, but there was no sign of the then-missing woman.

A Facebook page titled ‘Help Find Carolina was launched to assist the search as WA Police issued an urgent nationwide appeal for information.

11 Police officers gathered in Beacon, Western Australia on Friday as they prepared to search for the then-missing German backpacker Credit: AP

German backpacker found after 11 nights in Australia’s outback

Ms Wilga had convinced herself she was not going to be found, police said, adding that the backpacker’s family was relieved and thankful.

Officers said she walked 24km (15 miles) away from her van in a “confused and disorientated” state after it became stuck in remote bushland.

Carolina Wilga, 26, from Germany, was rescued on Friday. She had suffered from exhaustion, dehydration, “extensive insect bites” and an injured foot, according to police.

A backpacker survived nearly two weeks lost in Western Australia’s outback by drinking from puddles and sleeping in a cave, police have said.

“She spent 11 nights exposed to the elements and survived by consuming the minimal food supplies she had in her possession, and drinking water from rain and puddles,” a Western Australia police statement said.

The rescue was down to “sheer luck”, acting police inspector Jessica Securo said in a news conference.

Ms Wilga was spotted by a driver and airlifted to a hospital in Perth.

Tania Henley, the driver, told Australia’s public broadcaster ABC that she saw Ms Wilga waving her hands by the side of the road, and she appeared to be in a “fragile state”.

“Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can’t believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she’d wrapped her foot up,” Ms Henley said.

Before her rescue, Ms Wilga was last seen at a general store in the town of Beacon, Western Australia, in her van on 29 June.

Police found her abandoned van on Thursday in dense bushland north of Beacon.

Securo said it appeared Ms Wilga had lost control of the vehicle, which became mechanically unsound and bogged.

Ms Wilga has had a “good night’s sleep” in hospital and is “just taking it one day at a time”, Securo said.

Carolina Wilga spent 11 freezing nights lost in the Western Australian outback, convinced she would never be found.

By “sheer luck” the confused and disoriented German backpacker came across a road, where she flagged down a woman in a passing car on Friday afternoon.

An “exhausted, dehydrated and hungry” Wilga has spoken to her family, had a good night’s sleep, a shower and some food, WA police Acting Det Insp Jessica Securo said on Saturday.

“This is the best result we could have hoped for,” she said.

“We’re incredibly grateful that she’s been found safe, and obviously this is a huge relief for her family and all of her loved ones.

Caroline Wilga survived 11 nights in the WA wilderness with minimal food and water. Photograph: WA police

“We never gave up hope that Carolina would be found safe and well … the support of our WA community is our greatest asset, particularly in a state as vast as ours.

“It’s sheer luck. The area out there is mixed terrain. It can be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or where you’re going, and it’s very easy to get lost.”

Police confirmed on Friday night that Wilga, 26, had been found “safe and well”. She had been “ravaged” by mosquitoes, was dehydrated, exhausted, starving and had minor injuries including cuts and bruises, and was airlifted to Fiona Stanley hospital in Perth.

The temperature in the area had dropped down to 0C at night and there was heavy rain.

On 29 June, Wilga had visited a shop in Beacon, a small town about 300km north-east of Perth in WA. Her family and friends had not heard from her since and raised the alarm.

Police and volunteers started searching the remote wheatbelt area and beyond.

Wilga’s Mitsubishi van was found bogged and abandoned in Karroun Hill, about 150km from Beacon, on Thursday. Securo said Wilga had “somewhat lost control of the vehicle”, which had then become “mechanically unsound and bogged”.

She had stayed with the car for just a day before panicking and striking out to find help, Securo said, and had used the sun’s position to head west. She had minimal food and water with her, and drank water from rain and puddles to survive.

At one point, she sought shelter in a cave.

“She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive,” Securo said.

“In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located … I’m sure she got to a point where she thought no one was coming.”

Wilga was found about 24km from her car.

Securo said Wilga was “very traumatised” and “just overwhelmed” to have been found, and that the woman who found her on the edge of Maroubra Road in Bimbijy was “quite overwhelmed herself”.

View image in fullscreen Carolina Wilga’s van was found abandoned in Karroun Hill nature reserve. Photograph: ABC

“We are extremely thankful for her stopping and giving Carolina assistance,” she said.

Wilga had planned to explore WA then head north, Securo said, and still plans to travel Australia, with the east coast “on her bucket list”.

Wilga’s rescuer described it as a “miracle” that she survived, according to the ABC.

Tania, a local farming resident who did not want her surname used, said Wilga was “on the side of the road waving her hands” and she immediately knew who it was.

“Obviously, there is nobody who comes up my way walking around,” she said.

“She was in a fragile state, but she was well. Thin, but well. She’d been bitten by a lot of midgies. She said it was very, very cold.”

Tania said Wilga had no shoes on, and that it could have been days before someone else drove down that road. “Miracle is a word that gets bandied about a lot, but to survive 12 days and cross-country – she went cross country to come to my road,” she said.

‘A very hostile environment’

WA police inspector Martin Glynn said Wilga had survived in a “really, really challenging environment”.

“As you can imagine, from the trauma she suffered for the last few days, she’s been obviously through a great deal,” Glynn said.

“She does have some injuries. She’s been ravaged by mosquitoes. She’s obviously been through an amazing journey, a trauma, no doubt – a testimony to demonstrating her bravery in those circumstances.

“There’s a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna.”

The survival expert Gordon Dedman, founder of Bush Survival Australia and a survival consultant for Alone Australia, said staying with your vehicle is the “golden rule” in the outback. Not only does it help searchers, it provides shelter and the mirrors can be used to attract attention, he said.

Creating a giant X on the ground is another way to attract attention. Those travelling in remote areas should carry beacons and objects such as tinsel lines, which will sparkle in the sun, he said.

As for food, Dedman points to the “rule of threes” to prioritise what is needed: “Three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food.”

According to him, people can last a long time without food by using their “survival muscle” – their fat.

Dedman uses the acronym STOP – stop, think, organise and plan – and another acronym PLAN – protection, location, acquisition, and navigation – for survival.

Protection means sorting out first aid, clothing, shelter and fire. Location involves attracting, holding and directing attention. Acquisition is getting water, then food, and navigation is travel orientation and direction.

Fire has multiple uses, Dedman said, from warmth and light, to boiling water, cooking food and making a smoke signal.

The WA premier, Roger Cook, said he was “incredibly relieved” that Wilga had been found alive.

“This news is nothing short of remarkable,” he wrote on Facebook.

“We’re yet to have the full picture of what happened, but … we can all breathe a little easier knowing Carolina is safe and well.”

German backpacker Carolina Wilga drank water from puddles and sheltered in a cave before escaping an 11-night ordeal in the Australian bush, police said Saturday.

The 26-year-old walked “confused and disorientated” 24 kilometres (15 miles) away from her van after it got stuck in remote bushland in Western Australia.

The backpacker had lost hope of being rescued, police said.

But on Friday, she managed to flag down a woman who drove her to police in the agricultural community of Beacon, northeast of Perth.

Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment.

“She spent 11 nights exposed to the elements and survived by consuming the minimal food supplies she had in her possession, and drinking water from rain and puddles,” Western Australia police said in a statement.

“She sought shelter at night where possible, including in a cave.”

Wilga was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, “extensive insect bites”, and an injured foot, police said.

The driver who spotted her, Tania Henley, told public broadcaster ABC that she saw Wilga waving her hands by the side of the road.

She appeared to be in a “fragile state”, bitten by midges and suffering from the cold.

“Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can’t believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she’d wrapped her foot up.”

The rescue was down to “sheer luck”, Western Australia police acting inspector Jessica Securo told a news conference in Perth after speaking to Wilga.

“She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive. In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located,” said Securo.

“She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that that would be her best bet of coming across someone or a road.”

Wilga told police she was “very confused and disorientated”.

Until her rescue, she had been last seen on June 29 arriving in the van at a general store in Beacon.

‘Dangerous’

A police search spotted the van on Thursday, abandoned in dense bushland north of Beacon with plastic orange traction tracks placed beneath the rear wheels.

“It appears that she has somewhat lost control of the vehicle, and then it’s become mechanically unsound, and bogged,” Securo said.

She stayed with the van for one day before leaving the vehicle through “panic”, hoping to find help.

Wilga was “overwhelmed” to have found someone to help her.

“She had minimal food and minimal water. From speaking to her, she has said she could have planned better.”

The terrain can be “quite dangerous”, Securo added.

Wilga remained in hospital and was not expected to be released on Saturday, still needing “emotional support” and treatment for some injuries.

“She’s had a good night’s sleep. She’s had a shower. We’ve got her some food, which was a massive relief for her. So she’s just taking it one day at a time at the moment.”

The backpacker is now in “frequent communication” with her family who are relieved and thankful the Western Australian community came together to “throw every resource at locating their daughter”, Securo said.

The family had no plans at this stage to travel to Australia.

Police say Wilga had spent two years backpacking around the country, and was working at mine sites in Western Australia while staying mostly at hostels.

“Carolina has told me that she loves Australia. She still has so much travel to do here. She hasn’t made it over to the east coast yet, so that’s still on her bucket list,” said Securo.

Carolina Wilga vanished on June 29 from near the outback town of Beacon, about 157 miles north of Western Australia state capital Perth (Picture: ABC/AFP)

Carolina Wilga spent 11 nights lost in the Western Australian Outback convinced nobody would find her.

It was only by ‘sheer luck’ that a woman happened to be driving past the ‘confused and disoriented’ 26-year-old wandering miles from where she had to abandon her van.

WA police acting detective inspector Jessica Securo said: ‘She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that would be her best bet of coming across someone or a road.’

When finally found, Carolina was ‘exhausted, dehydrated and hungry’, ‘ravaged’ by mosquitoes, and covered in cuts and bruises.

She was taken to the police and airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment.

‘This is the best result we could have hoped for,’ Ms Securo said.

‘We’re incredibly grateful that she’s been found safe, and obviously this is a huge relief for her family and all of her loved ones.

‘We never gave up hope that Carolina would be found safe and well … the support of our WA community is our greatest asset, particularly in a state as vast as ours.

‘It’s sheer luck. The area out there is mixed terrain. It can be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or where you’re going, and it’s very easy to get lost.’

Carolina Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital, where she was stable on Saturday (Picture: ABC News)

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Map showing Carolina’s last known movements before her rescue (Picture: Created with Datawrapper)

The German backpacker is not expected to be released until later, with Ms Securo saying she still needs further ‘emotional support’ alongside other medical treatment.

‘She’s had a good night’s sleep. She’s had a shower,’ the officer said.

‘We’ve got her some food, which was a massive relief for her.

‘So, she’s just taking it one day at a time at the moment.’

Carolina is now in ‘frequent communication’ with her family who are relieved and thankful the Western Australian community came together to ‘throw every resource at locating their daughter’.

Shehad been last seen on June 29 arriving in the van at a general store in the small agricultural community of Beacon, northeast of Perth.

Police found the van on Thursday, abandoned after getting stuck in dense bushland north of Beacon, with plastic orange traction tracks placed beneath the rear wheels.

Carolina Wilga was found ‘exhausted, dehydrated and hungry’, suffering from cuts and bruises, but ‘overwhelmed’ to have found someone to help her (Picture: ABC/ABC News)

‘It appears that she has somewhat lost control of the vehicle, and then it’s become mechanically unsound, and bogged,’ Ms Securo said.

Carolina stayed with the van for one day before leaving the vehicle through ‘panic’, hoping to find help.

‘She had minimal food and minimal water. From speaking to her, she has said she could have planned better,’ Ms Securo added.

Police say she had spent two years backpacking around the country, and was working at mine sites in Western Australia while staying mostly at hostels.

‘Carolina has told me that she loves Australia,’ Ms Securo said.

‘She still has so much travel to do here. She hasn’t made it over to the east coast yet, so that’s still on her bucket list.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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