German backpacker Carolina Wilga went missing in WA’s vast outback. Picture: Supplied
A 26-year-old German hiker was found alive after being lost in the dense Australian forest for 12 days.
The Karroun Hill police announced that they had received a report of the discovery of Carolina Wilga, after she spent 11 freezing nights lost in the outback of Western Australia, convinced she would never be found. By “pure luck,” the disoriented woman eventually stumbled upon a road, where a woman in a passing car rescued her. After her disappearance, a large-scale search operation was launched across the area involving helicopters, dogs, and dozens of volunteers. A police spokesperson stated that Ms. Wilga was found severely weakened and with minor but not serious injuries. “She managed to endure incredible conditions, it’s a very hostile environment in terms of both flora and fauna… and the weather conditions were truly adverse, with temperatures dropping to zero at night.”
Inspector Glynn said the girl was “covered in insect bites, exhausted and dehydrated but alive.”
To survive, Carolina drank rainwater and from puddles and found shelter for a while in a cave, but then, panicked, began wandering without knowing where to go. “She still can’t believe she managed to survive,” explained the local police. “In her mind, she had convinced herself that no one would ever find her.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-11/missing-german-backacker-carolina-wilga-found-alive/105519234