4 days ago
Truth about where backpacker went missing
A bush survival expert has warned Aussies to learn basic bush skills should they ever find themselves in a situation like German backpacker Carolina Wilga did.
The 26-year-old, who was released from hospital on Wednesday, survived 12 days in the difficult terrain of Karroun Hill, at the edge of Western Australia's Wheatbelt.
Ms Wilga had not been seen since June 29 and family in Germany had raised the alarm via Interpol when she failed to return their messages.
After an extensive air and land search, she was found alive on the edge of Karroun Hill Nature Reserve by a local farmer.
She was located barefoot 36 kilometres from her van, which she abandoned after it became bogged.
Ms Wilga's survival has been described as 'extraordinary' by John Considine, a survival trainer at Bob Cooper Outback Survival, in Western Australia.
'Australia's wilderness is unforgiving and Carolina survived 11 nights which is absolutely magnificent,' he told
While Ms Wilga is yet to explain how she survived an incredible 12 days in rugged bushland, Mr Considine said as a company that provides survival training, he could not emphasise enough the importance of being prepared before venturing out of the metro area.
'Anyone planning on leaving the bitumen and explore Australia's outback needs a comprehensive survival course,' he told
'There are other things that they can do to be prepared, like knowing your vehicle, carrying the requisite spares and the most important thing, telling someone where you're going, how long and when you're going to make contact again.'
He said this is important because they can call for help if they don't hear from you in the time frame you provided.
'Summer would have been worse'
Ms Wilga endured subzero temperatures and was 'ravaged' by mosquito bites while missing – she also lost 12kg in 12 days.
Mr Considine said while winter would have its challenges like hyperthermia, the season would have also worked in her favour.
'It would have brought its own challenges because it's obviously cold, but she wouldn't have been losing water at the rate she would have if it had been in the summer,' he said.
Mr Considine said if she had been rained on or got wet, she could likely have suffered from hypothermia.
'In Australia's desert environments, if you don't die of heatstroke during the day, you'll die of hyperthermia during the night,' he said.
'The interesting thing about the environment that she was in at Karroun Hill is that it's part of what's left of an enormous woodland forest – it's mostly eucalyptus and hakea, so really hard-leafed plants.
'It's a tough environment but in the particular location she was in, she may well have been able to find water. Even superficially. She ended up driving her vehicle down a granite outcrop which is where the earth's bedrock sticks up out of the soil.
'Now those features tend to carry water down into the surrounding earth. In winter, you often find superficial water (on the surface/puddles) and if it's not superficial you generally don't have to dig very far. In summer it's a different story.'
Mr Considine said the water would generally be pretty safe.
'That's actually in the nature reserve, so in my estimation there's not a huge risk of E. coli or any of the other bacteria that are likely to occur in other areas,' he said.
The survival bush expert said the human body can also go without food for weeks, but with water it depends on the environment and conditions.
'For example, if you're in a climate controlled hospital room doing absolutely nothing, you'll still need about 1.2 litres of water a day to maintain your basic bodily functions,' he explained.
'A sedentary modern male worker needs about 3.7 litres and a female is about 2.7 litres.'
Maintaining mental clarity is just as important, as it can have negative impacts on your physical state.
'Any environmental stresses, anything that causes you to feel fear or panic or any of those emotions will cause you to lose more water,' Mr Considine said.
He said until Ms Wilga comes out describing how much food and water she took from the vehicle when she set out on foot, is when they will have a better understanding of the challenges she faced.
The 26-year-old was also 'ravaged' by mosquitoes but Mr Considine said, while it would have been extremely annoying, it's not life-threatening.
'If you contracted Ross River or another mosquito-borne viruses, that's potentially an issue,' he said, adding that snakes also wouldn't have presented much of an issue as it's winter.
'There's a risk, but there's a very, very small risk at this time of year,' he said.
'Snakes won't have come out of winter sleep yet, and if you make enough noise, they'll grow legs and run a mile.
'They really don't like being disturbed. And they'll only strike if they think that their life is in danger. The reality is there are very, very few environmental risks in terms of envenomation.'
Mr Considine also spoke about Ms Wilga leaving her vehicle and the debate it sparked. Some questioned why she abandoned the vehicle, but the backpacker has since explained the reason.
'Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food, and clothing there,' Ms Wilga said in a statement on Monday.
'The answer is: I lost control of the car and rolled down a slope. In the crash, I hit my head significantly. As a result of the accident, I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost.'
Mr Considine said it really depends on the circumstances you're on whether you should leave or stay with your vehicle.
'I think the important thing to recognise from the statement she made was she had suffered a head injury – from that I think we can deduce that she made decisions that she might not otherwise have made,' he said.
'She likely would have been found a day earlier if she stayed with her van.
'She's been in Australia for two years, she has been a FIFO worker – she probably done more hard graft than most young Aussies do.'
During training at Bob Cooper Outback Survival participants look at the fundamentals of survival in the outback – water, fire, shelter, signalling, and food.
'We look at how to get those things from the environment that we're in, how to source water, how to filter it, if not purify it, how to make fire by friction, so if you haven't got matches or a lighter you know what to do.'
