Next move in German backpacker saga
Carolina Wilga had seemingly vanished after she left the tiny township of Beacon, about 300km northeast of Perth, in her black and silver Mitsubishi camper van on June 29.
Her van was located almost 150km from Beacon, bogged in a thick patch of isolated scrub on the Karroun Hill reserve, and Ms Wilga herself was rescued a short time later.
Several weeks later, a group of determined locals have recovered Ms Wilga's abandoned vehicle. Ms Wilga was found 'ravaged by mosquitoes' and severely disoriented according to WA Police. 7News Credit: Channel 7
A video posted to the community-run Wheatbelt Way Facebook page documents the Sprigg family's efforts to remove the vehicle from the bush.
'Thank you to the Sprigg family for retrieving missing backpacker Carolina Wilga's van,' the post said.
'The community spirit in the Wheatbelt Way is unmatched.'
Fred Sprigg, a member of the family who recovered the camper van, posted a comment on the video describing the recovery effort as an 'expensive exercise'.
'Was a community effort. Don't like leaving rubbish in the bush,' he said.
It is understood the recovery operation took three days to complete, and Ms Wilga's friends in WA are expected to collect the vehicle so it can be returned to its owners. Ms Wilga's van had remained stranded in the bush since her rescue. 7 NEWS Credit: Channel 7
Ms Wilga was missing for 12 days, with her disappearance sparking an enormous search effort and capturing national attention.
After almost two weeks of searching, the 26-year-old was found walking along the road about 24km away from her van by local Tania Henley, who described it as a 'miracle'.
In a statement after her rescue, Ms Wilga explained she had got lost after losing control of her van and getting a knock to her head that left her confused.
She said: '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 depths of my soul!'
Ms Wilga was transported to Perth for treatment before returning to Germany.
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