A German backpacker survived on minimal food and water for 11 nights in the rugged outback before finding a road and flagging down a motorist by "sheer luck", police have said.
Carolina Wilga, 26, is recovering in hospital with cuts and bruises and suffering from dehydration and fatigue after a near two-week ordeal in the Western Australian wheatbelt.
Wilga was found on Friday afternoon by a female motorist, after last being seen on 29 June at a general store in the town of Beacon about 300km northeast of Perth.
Her disappearance triggered a massive search after a desperate plea from her mother amid concerns for her safety.
Police have revealed Wilga spent just one night with her van after it got bogged in dense Karroun Hill Nature Reserve bushland, 35km off a main track.
She followed the sun and walked west, thinking that would be her best bet of finding a road.
"She was essentially out in the wilderness for about 11 nights, which is significant," detective acting inspector Jessica Securo told reporters on Saturday.
"(That) brings us back to how lucky she was that she was located safe and well, and how thankful we are that we managed to find her.
"She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive. In her mind, she had convinced herself she was not going to be located."
Wilga walked a total of 24km with "minimal food and water" before the chance encounter with Tania, who was driving past.
"She was on the side of the road waving her hands. She was in a fragile state, but she was well. Thin but well," Tania told the ABC.
"She'd been bitten by a lot of midgies. She said it was very, very cold."
'It can be quite dangerous'
Temperatures dropped to zero at night in the region, while there was also heavy rain over several days.
Securo, who has spoken with Wilga, said the tourist had become very confused and disorientated and it was "sheer luck" she found the road.
"The area out there ... it can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or where you are going," Securo said.
Wilga spent just one night with her van after it got bogged in dense bushland. Credit: AAP Image / Supplied by Western Australia Police.
She could continue her stay in Australia and still has the east coast on her bucket list, Securo said.
"It's still early days and obviously she's focusing on her recovery (but) I know she wants to work in Australia," she said.
"She still has so much travel to do here. I think if she has the ability to stay, she definitely will."
Carolina Wilga "is still in disbelief that she was able to survive", Western Australian Police detective acting inspector Jessica Securo said. Source: AAP / WA Police
Securo said in survival situations, people were always better off staying with their car.
"It's far easier for an aerial search to locate a vehicle than it is a person," she said.
