New update on backpacker as she remains in Perth hospital
The 26-year-old remained in hospital in a stable condition at Fiona Stanley Hospital on Monday after miraculously surviving almost two weeks lost in WA's Wheatbelt region.
Police said Ms Wilga had become 'lost and disoriented' while exploring the Karroun Hill nature reserve in her Mitsubishi Delica which became bogged.
After spending just one day with her van — which had become 'mechanically unsound' about 36km from any track — Ms Wilga embarked on a journey to find help.
Ms Wilga spent 11 nights on foot and survived by drinking water from puddles, sleeping in a cave and eating minimal food she had taken from her van.
Speaking on Monday, Mr Cook commended Ms Wilga for her bravery and said he believed she would spend another few nights in hospital. Mr Cook commended Ms Wilga for her bravery and said he believed she would spend another few nights in hospital. Credit: WA Police / WA Police
'She remains in hospital at Fiona Stanley, she will be there for a few more nights, but I think her condition continues to improve,' he said.
'We know that Carolina is a very brave woman who's had a remarkable escape from a very difficult situation stuck in the Outback for a number of days.'
Mr Cook urged other tourists to come prepared and educate themselves on WA's harsh climate.
'It is important that anyone visiting Western Australia, particularly if they're undertaking adventure travel, understand that it is a dangerous place in relation to the environment, scale and size of this place (and) how difficult that environment can be, both in terms of winter and summer,' he said.
'We need everyone to do the right thing when they come to WA to enjoy it.
'It's an incredible part of the world, it's a breathtakingly beautiful part of the world, but it can also be dangerous if you don't take the right preparations.'
Ms Wilga was found 24km west of her abandoned van after frantically waving down Tania French, a long-time Wheatbelt resident, as she was driving on Mouroubra Road around Bimbijy on Friday afternoon.
Ravaged by mosquitoes, dehydrated and hungry with cuts and bruises, she was taken under the arm of police before being airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital for medical treatment.
A widespread search for Ms Wilga intensified after the backpackers' friends hadn't heard from her since June 29 — the same day she was last captured on CCTV driving through Beacon, about 330km north-east of Perth.
Ms Wilga has been backpacking around Australia for the past two years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Parents dump 10-year-old son at airport in Barcelona and board plane after finding his passport had expired
Nothing was going to stop these parents getting away on a holiday. Not even their young son having an out of date passport — so they left him at the airport. The parents abandoned their 10-year-old on finding out that his Spanish passport had expired on checking in at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. Desperate for a holiday, they boarded their flight anyway, hoping a relative would eventually turn up to pick up their boy. With his mum and dad preparing to jet off, the boy was comforted by an air-operations coordinator only known as Lilian. She took to TikTok to blast the parents. 'The kid told police that his parents were on the plane, on their way to their home country for vacation,' she said in Spanish in the video. 'The explanation given to the authorities was that the child was travelling with an expired passport from Spain and needed a travel visa. 'Since he didn't have a visa, they left the kid in the terminal and called a relative to pick him up. 'I didn't see it as normal. The police didn't see it as normal either.' Lilian went on to say that it was one of the most bizarre experiences she had ever had. Directing her question to the parents, she said: 'Hallucinating? 'I'm an air traffic controller and as a controller, I've seen a lot of things but this has been completely surreal. 'I'm amazed to think how parents could possibly leave their 10-year-old son at the terminal because he can't travel due to documentation issues.' Lilian continued to berate the parents, wondering how they could be so selfish. 'They call a relative, who might take half an hour, an hour or three hours, and they calmly board the flight and leave the child behind,' she said. 'As a mother, I'd freak out.' It is believed that the parents were ultimately escorted off the plane before departure They were taken to a police station for questioning. It is not known if they have been charged. It is not the first time a child has been abandoned at an airport — deliberately or accidentally. In May, a two-year-old was swept away in a luggage conveyor belt in New Jersey after wanderiong off from her mum. And in 2018, a German couple forgot their five-year-old daughter at Berlin's Stuttgart Airport. They each claimed that they believed the other had taken charge of the girl.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Parents dump 10-year-old son at airport in Barcelona and board plane after finding his passport had expired
Nothing was going to stop these parents getting away on a holiday. Not even their young son having an out of date passport — so they left him at the airport. The parents abandoned their 10-year-old on finding out that his Spanish passport had expired on checking in at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. Desperate for a holiday, they boarded their flight anyway, hoping a relative would eventually turn up to pick up their boy. With his mum and dad preparing to jet off, the boy was comforted by air-operations coordinator only known as Lilian. She took to TikTok to blast the parents. 'The kid told police that his parents were on the plane, on their way to their home country for vacation,' she said in Spanish in the video. 'The explanation given to the authorities was that the child was travelling with an expired passport from Spain and needed a travel visa. 'Since he didn't have a visa, they left the kid in the terminal and called a relative to pick him up. 'I didn't see it as normal. The police didn't see it as normal either.' Lilian went on to say that it was one of the most bizarre experiences she had ever experienced. Directing her question to the parents, she said: 'Hallucinating? 'I'm an air traffic controller and as a controller, I've seen a lot of things but this has been completely surreal. 'I'm amazed to think how parents could possibly leave their 10-year-old son at the terminal because he can't travel due to documentation issues.' Lilian continued to berate the parents, wondering how they could be so selfish. 'They call a relative, who might take half an hour, an hour or three hours, and they calmly board the flight and leave the child behind,' she said. 'As a mother, I'd freak out.' It is believed that the parents were ultimately escorted off the plane before departure They were taken to a police station for questioning. It is not known if they have been charged. It is not the first time a child has been abandoned at an airport — deliberately or accidentally. In May, a two-year-old was swept away in a luggage conveyor belt in New Jersey after wanderiong off from her mum. And in 2018, a German couple forgot their five-year-old daughter at Berlin's Stuttgart Airport. They each claimed that they believed the other had taken charge of the girl.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Parents dump 10yo boy at airport, jet out for holiday
Nothing was going to stop these parents getting away on a holiday. Not even their young son having an out of date passport — so they left him at the airport. The parents abandoned their 10-year-old on finding out that his Spanish passport had expired on checking in at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. Desperate for a holiday, they boarded their flight anyway, hoping a relative would eventually turn up to pick up their boy. With his mum and dad preparing to jet off, the boy was comforted by air-operations coordinator only known as Lilian. She took to TikTok to blast the parents. 'The kid told police that his parents were on the plane, on their way to their home country for vacation,' she said in Spanish in the video. 'The explanation given to the authorities was that the child was travelling with an expired passport from Spain and needed a travel visa. 'Since he didn't have a visa, they left the kid in the terminal and called a relative to pick him up. 'I didn't see it as normal. The police didn't see it as normal either.' Lilian went on to say that it was one of the most bizarre experiences she had ever experienced. Directing her question to the parents, she said: 'Hallucinating? 'I'm an air traffic controller and as a controller, I've seen a lot of things but this has been completely surreal. 'I'm amazed to think how parents could possibly leave their 10-year-old son at the terminal because he can't travel due to documentation issues.' Lilian continued to berate the parents, wondering how they could be so selfish. 'They call a relative, who might take half an hour, an hour or three hours, and they calmly board the flight and leave the child behind,' she said. 'As a mother, I'd freak out.' It is believed that the parents were ultimately escorted off the plane before departure They were taken to a police station for questioning. It is not known if they have been charged. Lilian took to TikTok. Credit: Supplied It is not the first time a child has been abandoned at an airport — deliberately or accidentally. In May, a two-year-old was swept away in a luggage conveyor belt in New Jersey after wanderiong off from her mum. And in 2018, a German couple forgot their five-year-old daughter at Berlin's Stuttgart Airport. They each claimed that they believed the other had taken charge of the girl.
