After a desperate 12-day search in the Australian Outback, German tourist Carolina Wilga has been found alive. This good news comes a day after her abandoned van was discovered.
The 26-year-old backpacker was last seen, and last contacted family and friends, on June 29th.
She was sighted at a general store in Beacon, a small farming community located 200 miles northeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Beacon’s population was recorded as 123 in the 2021 census.
According to Western Australia Police Force Inspector Martin Glynn, a member of the public located Ms. Wilga wandering on a forest trail late Friday.
Mr. Glynn informed reporters that she was in a “fragile” condition but had no major injuries. She was subsequently airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment.
“I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story,” Mr. Glynn stated, expressing his relief at the “great result” for both the backpacker’s family and the search teams.
“You know, she’s obviously coped in some amazing conditions,” he added. “There’s a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna. It’s a really, really challenging environment to cope in.”
The reserve where Ms. Wilga was lost spans over 300,000 hectares. During Thursday night and Friday morning, the temperature in the area dipped to a low of 2.6C with no rainfall.
A police helicopter crew spotted her van on Thursday in the remote Karroun Hill Nature Reserve, 22 miles north of Beacon, according to Mr. Glynn.
“Very difficult country. Huge area. So it’s a miracle they’ve actually spotted the car, to be honest,” Mr. Glynn told reporters prior to her discovery.
On Friday, ground search teams meticulously combed a 300-meter radius around the van in the heavily wooded area. Police believe Ms. Wilga’s van, a 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon, became mired in mud on the day she departed Beacon, Mr. Glynn explained.
The van, equipped with solar panels and drinking water reserves, also had recovery boards under the rear wheels, typically used to provide traction for vehicles stuck in mud.
Police believe that Ms. Wilga became lost and that the incident was not a result of foul play.
The case has sparked some concern due to the dark history of Australian serial killer Ivan Milat, who died in prison in 2019. Milat notoriously kidnapped and murdered seven backpackers between 1989 and 1992, including three Germans, two Britons, and two Australians.
