The last picture taken of a German tourist on the trip of a lifetime with her husband in the Australian outback has been used by police to identify her body.
Gisela and Wilfred Thor set off to Trephina Gorge, northeast of Alice Springs on Friday but were not reported missing until Sunday.
Northern Territory police discovered the body of Mr Thor, 76, at noon on Monday and the body of Mrs Thor, 73, a day later.
Sergeant Philip Emmett retrieved a camera from Mr Thor containing a photo of his smiling wife at the gorge, which was sent to her daughter in Germany.
The picture showed Mrs Thor in "good spirits" with a bottle of water but without a hat.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Sgt Emmett broke down when conveying his condolences and regret to the victim's relatives.
"Such a sad end to what was obviously a lifetime of endeavour and planning to come and visit Australia," he said.
"What a tragic end."
Police say the pair were unprepared for the harsh environment and it was likely they died before anyone noticed they were missing.
Temperatures at the weekend soared to 40C in the area and officers found "important medication" in the couple's hotel room.
A ground and air search was launched on Sunday after a ranger noticed the tourists' hire car in the gorge car park, and Sgt Emmett said they had strayed from the nature tracks.
The pair arrived in Australia at the start of February and hired a car from Alice Springs airport on February 9.
The next day, they drove more than 70km to Trephina Gorge.
"My theory is that they became disorientated, obviously very early on into their trip into Trephina Gorge," Sgt Emmett said.
"They have started wandering trying to find their way out. They have found some groundwater ... and they have spent some time there. After that, for reasons unbeknown to me they have parted company."
Mrs Thor's body was found 2.5km from their car and her husband's body was discovered 8km away from the car park.
A helicopter was sent to scour the area while police, SES personnel and park rangers searched on foot and on motorbikes, horseback, and with dogs.
They mapped an area of more than 80sq km and covered more than 50 sq km in the search.
"It was a massive effort to conduct a search like that in such difficult terrain (and) in such difficult conditions," Sgt Emmett said.
The cause of death has yet to be established and a file is being prepared for the coroner, but Sgt Emmett said there were no suspicious circumstances.
