Locals say dramatic rescue effort to retrieve Carolina Wilga’s bogged van took more than four days

Wheatbelt residents have revealed it took more than four days to manage to retrieve German backpacker Carolina Wilga’s van from the remote area in which it was trapped. The 26-year-old German backpacker miraculously survived 11 nights alone in the remote Wheatbelt bush after crashing her car, hitting her head and wandering off in a state of confusion. She survived by drinking rainwater from puddles and sleeping in a cave before she was spotted by local farmer Tania French near Beacon. Bonnie Rock farmer Andrew Sprigg said he rallied a group of locals together after learning the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions had been called in to retrieve the van. He said the vehicle was removed by a 20t loader which ploughed through the dense bushland last weekend. “I heard the DBCA were in charge with the recovery and I knew their resources would be stretched, so I contacted (a mate) in Merredin and we got approval to run a loader out there to clear the track,” he told The West Australian. “We thought we could do it with an old 4WD but (the bush) was too thick. “There’s no track . . . the police damaged their vehicles extensively getting down the track as it was.” Mr Sprigg said it took four days to retrieve the van, and said it was being stored in a local shed for one of Ms Wilga’s friends to collect. Fellow farmer Kim Graham helped with the retrieval and said he was happy to lend a hand, given his extensive knowledge of the land. “At the end of the day you’ve got someone from the other side of the world that needs a hand, and it’s not the most easiest terrain for the authorities to get to,” he told 6PR on Thursday. “I suppose being locals, we’ve got a bit of an idea (about the area) . . . for us guys to be able to help out, it’s the least we can do, that’s what the community does.” “(We knew) it was going to be tough terrain to retrieve, and probably going to cost more than it’s even worth for the authorities to do it, and for us guys to be help out ... that’s what the community does.” He said the van was in “pretty good condition” with some “minor dents and scratches.” Mr Graham said he was part of the initial search effort to find Ms Wilga and said it was a miracle she was found alive. “We put our plane up and we had guys on the ground looking around with utes and motorbikes,” he said. “At the end of the day she’s got a story to tell, she may not have made it (because) it was -4C here one morning, (it was) pretty tough conditions, so she’s very, very lucky. “I think it’s probably a good lesson if we’re to take the positives out of it, and that’s to make sure that we’re covered with our safety whether it’s (taking) EPIRBs or satellites if we’re going off grid.” Mr Sprigg urged travellers to educate themselves on WA’s harsh climate before venturing into the outback. “My cousin hires campervans out and he has a lot of issues with European backpackers, they follow Google Maps and it leads them into all sorts of strange places,” he said. “I think there needs to be better planning and better safety and awareness.” Ms Wilga spent four nights recovering in Fiona Stanley Hospital before being discharged on July 16. She returned her family’s home town, Castrop-Rauxe, on July 20.