A GERMAN backpacker missing for nearly two weeks in the remote Australian outback has been found alive.
Carolina Wilga, 26, was discovered walking along a bush track on the edge of Karroun Hill nature reserve on Friday afternoon.
She was found less than 24 hours after cops found her bogged van abandoned in inhospitable terrain.
She was picked up by a member of the public and taken to Beacon before being airlifted to Perth for urgent medical treatment.
Martin Glynn from the Western Australia police stated to reporters on Friday: “As you can imagine, considering the ordeal she faced over the past few days, she has obviously endured a significant amount of distress.
“She does have some injuries. She’s been ravaged by mosquitoes.
“Undoubtedly, she has gone through an incredible ordeal, and this trauma will definitely showcase her courage under such challenging conditions out there.”
Authorities believe Carolina made multiple desperate attempts to free her vehicle before setting out on foot to escape the harsh, rocky wilderness.
Police described her survival as “remarkable” given temperatures in the area had plummeted to 0C overnight.
Aussie cops were desperately searching for the missing backpacker after her van was found abandoned following a haunting final message to a friend.
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 26-year-old German was then seen driving away in her black and silver Mitsubishi Delica van.
Authorities suspected that Carolina had lost her way and wandered into the bushland after experiencing a vehicle breakdown in the Karroun Hill region of 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.”
Broken down van
Authorities say Carolina’s van appeared to have suffered mechanical issues and was bogged, The Guardian reports.
WA police’s Martin Glynn said: “The police air wing officers were able to identify that the vehicle was bogged and was subject to extensive efforts by her to recover the vehicle.
“She’d used Maxtrax and pieces of wood to try to free the vehicle from its location, but unfortunately was unsuccessful.”
Cops say they do not believe foul play was involved, and have focused search efforts around the van’s location.
They launched what they call a “reflex search” within 300 metres of the vehicle and aerial sweeps of the wider area due to the difficult terrain.
“The search has resumed in that Karroun Hill area,” Securo said.
“It will be concentrating around her vehicle and tracks that offshoot that area.
“Our aerial support is our best chances of finding her.”
Forensic teams are now combing through the Mitsubishi vehicle to determine what the backpacker may have taken with her – and what might have let her to abandon it.
Securo told Sky News Australia: ”Part of my team at Major Crime division will go through the vehicle and meticulously cover what was in the vehicle, what we believe is outstanding. And that may help to direct our search in a certain area.”
Final messages to friend
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.
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 believe Carolina continued driving east to Wialki, but after June 30, all contact with friends and family ceased.
Her disappearance has 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 has been no sign of the missing woman.
A Facebook page titled ‘Help Find Carolina Wilga’ has been launched to assist the search, and WA Police have issued an urgent nationwide appeal for information.
“Someone out there must have some vital information which can assist WA Police in bringing Carolina back to her family and friends,” said Detective Katherine.
Premier Roger Cook also weighed in, describing the discovery of the van as a “pleasing” development but said the priority remains bringing Carolina home.
“Our heart goes out to everyone involved, we just want Caroline home,” he said.
