Latest news with #backpacker
News.com.au
20 hours ago
- News.com.au
Family of outback killer Bradley John Murdoch hold private funeral service
The family of outback killer Bradley John Murdoch has held a private funeral service to farewell the man responsible for one of Australia's most notorious crimes. Murdoch, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, died on July 15. He had been diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019. The 67-year-old never revealed where Mr Falconio had been buried. In a private ceremony for family and friends, Murdoch was cremated and his ashes scattered at an 'undisclosed location', 7News reported on Thursday. After his death, his family remembered him as a devoted family man. 'To many, Bradley Murdoch is known only for the events that led to his conviction in 2005 for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, a crime for which he has always denied responsibility from his arrest until his death,' their statement to the media said. 'But to those who truly knew him, he was much more than the headlines. 'Brad was a devoted father, father-in-law, and proud Poppy who never missed a chance to brag about his grandchildren. He was a beloved brother, uncle, and friends.' Mr Falconio's parents Joan and Luciano said they still held out hope their son's remains would be found. 'Upon hearing that Bradley John Murdoch had died our first feeling was of relief, it's like a weight that's been lifted. 'We are only forced to think about him now that he's died, we don't want to let him ruin our lives more than he already has. 'The awful thing is our family's future with Peter was cruelly taken away. 'Today we instead focus on the three children we have left and our grandchildren.' Murdoch was convicted of murdering Mr Falconio on July 14, 2001. Mr Falconio had been travelling with his girlfriend Joanne Lees in a Kombi van along the Sturt Highway, north of Barrow Creek between Darwin and Alice Springs, when another car stopped alongside them and motioned to them to pull over. When the Kombi van pulled over, Murdoch shot Mr Falconio in the head. Murdoch then tried to kidnap Ms Lees, pulling her out of the van and binding her wrists with cable ties before forcing her in the back of his vehicle. While Murdoch went back to his vehicle, Ms Lees managed to escape and hid in the bushes for several hours before she flagged down another driver. Murdoch was found guilty of murder in December 2005 and was sentenced to life in jail with a non-parole period of 28 years. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial and twice tried to overturn the convictions, but both attempts were unsuccessful. Murdoch would have been eligible for parole in 2032, but the NT's introduction of 'no body, no parole' laws in 2016 meant he would only have been released if he revealed the location of Mr Falconio's body. In a statement released after his death, the NT Police Force said it remained committed to 'resolving this final piece of the investigation'. 'It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains,' the statement read. 'His silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved. 'We continue to appeal to anyone who may have information that could lead us to Peter Falconio's remains to come forward, no matter how small the detail may seem.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- News.com.au
Backpacker stunned by eye-watering IGA wages in Australia
A British backpacker has been left gobsmacked by how much cash she's raking in working at a remote supermarket in Western Australia, and it's a lot more than she made slogging 60-hour weeks back home. Lauren, 29, from Liverpool, quit her job as a support worker earlier this year and packed her bags for the other side of the world. She landed a gig stacking shelves at an IGA in Derby, tucked away in the Kimberley region of WA, Daily Mail reports. The young expat took to TikTok to share her surprise at earning significantly more in a laid-back job than she ever did in the UK, and the video quickly blew up. 'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she told followers. Back in England, Lauren was earning £12.50 ($A23) an hour as a support worker. Despite working 60-hour weeks, including bank holidays and public holidays, she only brought home around £2500 ($A4700) monthly. Over here? A totally different story. 'My rate of pay, Monday to Friday, is $34, which is the equivalent of £16 an hour,' the 29-year-old said. 'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour.' The expat reckons she's making more money stacking shelves 40 hours a week in the outback than she did slogging it out for 60 hours in healthcare. 'I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane,' she added. While Lauren admits the cost of living in Australia is higher, she still feels she's coming out on top. 'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said. But, she added, sharing with housemates helps ease the financial sting. 'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week – around £80,' she said. 700,000 views later, hundreds of fellow Brits jumped into the comments to vent, or plan their own Aussie escape. 'And this is why everyone is leaving the UK. It's going to s**t. 'I'm emigrating in December to Perth and I can't wait for the better work/life balance,' one person wrote. 'I earn more here working at David Jones in retail than I did in a health clinic,' another said. 'You can earn a decent amount in hospitality and retail, especially on weekends. So good.' 'Put me down for every Sunday and public holiday.' Another added, 'Fellow Scouser here, how beautiful is Western Australia, enjoy and get that bank.' 'I miss that place. I did the same 20 years ago and I urge you not to come back,' one nostalgic Brit commented. But not everyone was buying it. 'Give your head a wobble. The cost of living is double over there, that's why you need more money,' one user argued. 'You can't just compare wages. Brits can travel all over Europe in a couple hours for so cheap, would cost Aussie families $30k … not to mention the price of housing in Australia.' 'Everything in the UK is cheaper. I lived there for five years. Food, rent, electricity, cars, fuel, all cheaper.' 'A pint of milk in Australia costs $8 compared to £1 in the UK,' someone else claimed. Others pointed out it's not all sunshine and fat pay slips Down Under, especially for frontline workers. 'As a nurse, I earned more in the UK than here. Singing earns me more here. Crazy!' And the bigger picture? It's not exactly rosy. A report released last month revealed just how little Aussies on minimum wage are able to save once the essentials are paid for. According to Anglicare's 2025 Cost of Living Index, a single person earning minimum wage has just $33 left each week after paying for rent, food and transport. For a couple with two kids, both working full-time? A dismal $5. Since 2023, the amount left over has shrunk by $24 a week, largely thanks to skyrocketing rental prices. For single parents, the situation is even grimmer, with only $1 left over after essential expenses, even when factoring in government support like the Family Tax Benefit and Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which adds a much-needed $227 to their budgets. So while Lauren's riding high on shelf-stacking pay cheques, not everyone in Australia is feeling quite so flush.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- News.com.au
German backpacker Carolina Wilga farewells Australia after 12 days lost in outback
German backpacker Carolina Wilga - whose disappearance sparked an enormous search-and-rescue operation in Western Australia - has returned home after her outback ordeal. The 26-year-old survived 12 days lost and alone in remote bushland before being rescued on July 11. She spent the next several days recovering in a Perth hospital, revealing she had lost 12kg during the ordeal. Following her release from hospital, Ms Wilga has now returned to Germany, with local publication BILD reporting: 'Carolina is home again!' She reportedly touched down in Dusseldorf early Sunday afternoon and was taken by ambulance to hospital, where she was met by a nurse and a team of bodyguards. Ms Wilga took to social media to bid a fond farewell to WA before her departure. 'Reunion with the ocean and a great goodbye to Perth with a loooots of hugs,' she wrote in the now-deleted social media post. 'Love you all.' She shared several pictures of herself with friends, her time in hospital, and the front page of a newspaper after her rescue. Ms Wilga last posted on social media on Thursday last week, sharing a picture from her hospital bed surrounded by pastries, chips and other treats. 'When you need to gain the 12 kilograms back,' she captioned the post. Before her disappearance Ms Wilga was last seen on June 29 in the regional WA town of Beacon. Her car was found stuck in soft sand, but authorities could not find any sign of the backpacker herself. A massive search effort went into finding Ms Wilga until local Tania Henley found her walking along the road on July 11. Ms Henley described the rescue as a 'miracle'. In a statement after her rescue, the backpacker explained she had got lost after losing control of her car and getting a knock to her head that left her confused. 'First and foremost, I want to express a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart – a thank you that truly comes from the depth of my soul! For all the incredible supports during the search for me,' Ms Wilga said in her statement. She said that the ordeal had made her feel deeply connected to the community that rescued her, despite it being so far from home. 'Previously, I didn't know where my place was in a culture on the other side of the world to my own, but now, I feel a part of it. I am deeply impressed by the courage, helpfulness, and warmth that has been shown to me here. 'Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community. Here, humanity, solidarity, and care for one another are what truly matter – and in the end, that's what counts most. 'I am certain that I survived only thanks to this incredible outpouring of support. The thought of all the people who believed in me, searched for me, and kept hoping for me gave me the strength to carry on during my darkest moments.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
British backpacker is stunned by how much she can earn stacking shelves in an Outback supermarket versus her old 60-hour-week in the UK
A stunned British backpacker has revealed her 'insane' earnings as a casual supermarket worker in Australia compared to her earnings back home. Lauren, 29, from Liverpool, quit her support worker job earlier this year to travel around Australia and began stacking shelves at IGA in Derby, in Western Australia 's Kimberley region, in May. She says she now earns more stacking shelves in the Outback than she ever did working gruelling 60-hour weeks in the UK. 'It's insane,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I just cannot believe how much money I am going to save.' Posting on TikTok as 'Lauren's Adventures', the Brit broke down her pay packet in a video that quickly went viral. 'For the last three months, I hadn't worked, I'd just been travelling,' she said. 'Then I thought, right, I need to get a job now. I wanted somewhere with no distractions, and live the Outback life for a bit. 'But I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane.' The video, which has racked up nearly 700,000 views and hundreds of comments, compares her earnings in Australia to those back in the UK. Lauren explained she earned £12.50 an hour as a support worker in England, working 60 hours a week including bank holidays and public holidays, and brought home about £2,500 per month. In Australia, the minimum rate she receives for stacking shelves at IGA is $34 an hour, equivalent to around £16, from Monday to Friday. That was already more than she earned back in Britain, but the rates are even higher on evenings and weekends. 'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she said. 'After 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays, my rate of pay is $38 an hour, which is the equivalent to about £19. 'On Sundays, my rate of pay is $45 an hour - equivalent to £22.50 an hour. 'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour. Lauren was shocked her weekday rate topped her UK earnings but said evenings and weekends were even higher 'So, I was working back home 60 hours a week for less money than I will be earning in a supermarket doing about 40 hours a week. 'I will be earning more money doing that. My mind is just like, what!' Lauren is aware of the higher cost of living in Australia, but still feels she is better off overall. 'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said. 'But most of the time, if you come to Australia on your own, it's better to live with others and house share. 'You can rent a room for $450 a week, some for $300 — that's about £600 to £800 a month. 'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week — around £80.' Lauren's experience struck a chord online, with fellow Brits flooding her comments section to say they'd also earned far more in Australia. 'I earn more here working at David Jones in retail than I did in a health clinic,' one wrote. 'It's crazy - you can earn a decent amount in hospitality and retail, especially on weekends. So good.' 'Put me down for every Sunday and public holiday,' added another. But not everyone agreed with Lauren's take. 'Everything in the UK is cheaper. I lived there for five years,' one person said. 'Food, rent, electricity, cars, fuel are all cheaper.' 'You can live in the UK on less than £2,000 a month easily.'
SBS Australia
6 days ago
- SBS Australia
Remarkable survival story prompts reminders on travel safely in Australia's outback
"She spent one day with the car after it became bogged? and then she moved on from there, so she was essentially out in the wilderness for eleven nights which is significant and just brings us back to how lucky she was that she was located safely and well and how thankful we are that we managed to find her. She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that would be her best bet to come across someone or a road." That's Western Australia's Acting Detective Inspector Jessica Securo at a press conference over the weekend. She detailed just how a 26-year-old German backpacker survived the brutal 12-day ordeal alone in the outback. Carolina Wilga has been discharged from a Perth hospital after surviving nearly two weeks lost in remote Western Australia. She was treated for dehydration and minor injuries - she is safe, walking, and has reunited with loved ones. Detective Inspector Securo says family members in Germany were overwhelmed. "They were in disbelief that a community can come together and just throw every resource at locating their daughter." From the hospital, Ms Wilga revealed why she abandoned her vehicle: she hit her head after losing control of her van, and strayed from the bogged car in a state of confusion. In a police statement, Ms Wilga also thanked the motorist who found her last Friday, as well as police, searchers and medical staff. Tania was the woman who found her. She told ABC News of the moment she saw Ms Wilga. "I knew it was her straight away. I was coming back from Beacon because I'd been down to pick up my trailer and yeah she was on the side of the road, waving her hand." Ms Wilga left her hometown of Castrop-Rauxel in Germany with big dreams, to see every corner of this vast country. She'd walked for 11 days - sleeping in a cave, surviving by drinking from rainwater and puddles on the ground. Caro Ryan is the Bush Search and Rescue Deputy Unit Commander at SES New South Wales. She recommends the TREK method for adventure seekers looking to travel in Australia. "Trek acronym, TREK, and it stands for T, which is take everything you need. So that's going to be your food and your water. Take a little bit extra, you don't know if you're going to get delayed. Take a first aid kit, take some warm layers of clothes, take a map and a compass or a good way of navigating - you might have a digital app, something like that. Make sure you've definitely then got your battery pack, a power bank for your phone to keep that phone working." She says a paper map is helpful, and there are good packing lists available online. "Then the R is for register your intention, which is really just a fancy way of saying tell somebody where you're going. It's really important. So not only tell someone where you're going, but get specific. Tell them what track you're going to do in what area, where you're going to leave your car, how long you're going to be, and let them know when you're back as well." Ms Ryan says having a personal locator beacon can be a lifesaver. "Then E stands for emergency communications. So you think about these wild places we have all across Australia so many times we don't have mobile phone coverage, and having a way of communicating if something goes wrong or even just to let someone know you're running late is essential. So having a PLB, that's a personal locator beacon, it's a small device, fits in the palm of your hand. You can either buy them or rent them and they're absolute lifesavers." And lastly, familiarise yourself with the intended journey. "Finally we've got K, which is know your route and stick to it. So that's really about planning the trip that's right for you, for your experience, for the skills that you might have for your level of fitness and making sure you've got good information about that track that you're going to be doing as well. There's a great system in Australia, we've got the Australian walking track grading system, and our tracks all across Australia are graded from one to five, whereas five is really hard." Sergeant Jim Armstrong is from the WA Police Emergency Operations Unit. He says research and preparation is key - from informing someone that you're going to choosing the right type of clothing and equipment. "One thing that we recommend is offline mapping. So with most phones that have Google, there'll be a mapping feature and in the settings there, there's a thing called offline mapping and what you can do is actually select an area that you're intending to go to and you won't need to have phone coverage for your mapping to still function." And Sergeant Armstrong says people often try to do things they're not equipped to do. "We often see people attempting to do some serious four-wheel drive off-road adventures in their commuter vehicles, which are just totally unsuitable for the conditions. So it's important that your vehicle is suitable and it's also mechanically sound and checked out before you leave. Now with regard to your advanced planning for your trip, have a look at the resources you have and also have a self-rescue plan if something were to go wrong and an idea of what you intend to do." It's always recommended to stay with the vehicle but if that isn't possible, he says, leave a clear trail. "If you reach a point at a track like a fork or you have to make a decision to go left or right, leave a pile of rocks on the track with an arrow with some sticks, just pointing in the direction you've gone. It just makes things a lot easier when we're out searching if we come across something like that, we know which way to keep searching. When you are camped up for the night, consider a small fire. Obviously we don't want fires to get out of control, but a small fire with the smoke and the heat can be easily spotted by a plane or a helicopter." Sergeant Armstrong says any reflective device like a mirror can attract attention to your location. Despite everything she's been through, WA Police say Ms Wilga still loves Australia and has plans to see the rest of the country, including travelling across to the east coast.
