WA farmer reveals how she rescued German backpacker Carolina Wilga, year on from 12-day outback nightmare
New details reveal how a local livestock farmer accidentally stumbled across a German backpacker 12 days after she went missing, triggering an international search and rescue mission.
One year after a German backpacker’s disappearance triggered an intense search and rescue mission in WA’s outback, a local livestock farmer has revealed how she stumbled upon the missing woman, bringing an end to her terrifying ordeal.
Carolina Wilga was exploring the state’s Wheatbelt when she ran into mechanical problems, miles away from the nearest town.
It would be 12 days and 11 nights before she would see another person again, during which time the tiny Wheatbelt town of Beacon, about 250 kilometres north-east of Perth, would be thrust into the international spotlight.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.During her outback nightmare she would suffer frostbite on her feet and be ravaged by mosquito bites.
But in a remarkable twist of fate, her ordeal was miraculously brought to an end when she came across local pastoralist Tania Henley, who found the backpacker as she was returning to Bimbijy Station after a shopping trip.
In an interview with 9News Perth, the farmer recalls how she stumbled across Ms Wilga along a red dusty road near the town, when she saw the backpacker emerge waving her arms manically.
“I thought she was dead and she thought she was going to die,” Ms Henley began her tale.
More than 100 WA police officers had been tasked with finding the missing backpacker, with the mission proving near-impossible due to the harsh outback conditions.
After finding one another, the pair drove an hour towards emergency crews where the two would be separated after Ms Wilga was whisked away to be treated for her injuries.
“There was no time to say thank you and goodbye, it was just yeah,” Ms Henley continued.
But months after the fateful find, the backpacker would thank her rescuer in a text message.
“She said it was 12 degrees and raining, no snow and feels like Australia in winter,” Ms Henley said.
“I think that’s half of how she survived so well.”
The backpacker spent six days at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch recovering from her injuries after also losing 12 kilograms during her ordeal.
“She got frostbite on her feet and when I found her she had one of her feet … wrapped up with her scarf,” Ms Henley continued.
Ms Henley said she was hopeful of a reunion at some point in the future, with the German backpacker reportedly being offered a publishing deal to retell her ordeal in the Aussie outback.
“Well it has changed my life, for better or worse, finding her – maybe my outlook on life,” she said.
Originally published on PerthNow
