Where is she traveling now? German woman rescued in the outback released from hospital
Carolina Wilga was allowed to leave the hospital in Perth after five days.
Image: dpa
Backpacker Carolina Wilga was flown out to Perth and has been receiving medical treatment there ever since.
Image: dpa
The German woman's van was found in the middle of the wilderness.
Image: dpa
Carolina Wilga was allowed to leave the hospital in Perth after five days.
Image: dpa
Backpacker Carolina Wilga was flown out to Perth and has been receiving medical treatment there ever since.
Image: dpa
The German woman's van was found in the middle of the wilderness.
Image: dpa
The rescue of Carolina Wilga from the Australian wilderness has made headlines around the world. The German woman had been missing for twelve days. Now she has been released from hospital. Is she now heading home?
16.07.2025, 18:14
dpa
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- German backpacker Carolina Wilga was allowed to leave hospital in Perth after five days.
- It was initially unclear whether she would stay Down Under or leave.
- The 26-year-old disappeared after an accident with her van in the Australian outback and was found twelve days later, dehydrated but alive.
The German backpacker Carolina Wilga, who was rescued from the Australian wilderness, has reportedly been discharged from hospital in Perth after five days. It was initially unclear whether she would stay Down Under or leave. The newspaper "The West Australian" reported this afternoon (local time) that the 26-year-old might fly to Germany to see her family.
Wilga, who had been missing for twelve days, was accidentally discovered and rescued by a passer-by in the Western Australian outback on Friday. According to police, the young woman was dehydrated, exhausted and hungry when she was found. She was immediately flown to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, the capital of the state of Western Australia.
According to the authorities, she got off relatively lightly: despite her days-long odyssey, she only suffered injuries such as sunburn, numerous insect bites, cuts and a foot injury.
Twelve kilos lost
Her time in the outback did not pass her by without a trace: The German recently posted on social media that she had lost twelve kilos in weight. "When you have to gain twelve kilos again," she wrote with a picture in which she can be seen happily in her hospital bed with flowers and lots of cookies and cake. She especially thanked the German consulate for providing her with treats during her hospital stay.
Wilga had been traveling around Australia for two years. But then she and her black and silver van disappeared without a trace. Her phone was switched off, which added to her worries because she had previously contacted her family, who live in Castrop-Rauxel in North Rhine-Westphalia, on a regular basis.
The disappearance of the German woman triggered a huge search operation. Her car was discovered last Thursday in the dense bushland of the huge Karroun Hill Nature Reserve - but there was no trace of the backpacker. In the end, she was rescued by an Australian woman who happened to be driving past and waved to her from an outback path, looking for help.
Freezing cold and scorching sun
In an emotional message, Wilga thanked all the helpers who had never given up hope. "I am just infinitely grateful that I survived," she wrote, explaining that she had lost control of the vehicle and rolled down a slope. She reported that she had seriously injured her head in the accident. "As a result of the accident, I left my car completely confused and lost my way."
Some experts found it hard to believe that the young woman survived the long period in the most difficult conditions in the freezing cold at night and scorching sun during the day. According to her own statements, she drank rainwater and water from puddles and sometimes spent the night in caves. In her statement, she said: "The thought of all the people who believed in me, looked for me and continued to hope for me gave me the strength to carry on in my darkest moments."
