Couple lost near Innamincka tell of desperate search for help — and water

A couple rescued after a desert breakdown have told how their desperation grew as they searched for help in scorching heat.

Jose Merlos and Nicky Wong spent two days stranded in the state's Far North with their dog Loki. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Lost and running out of hope – and water – after walking for 12 hours in blazing heat in the state’s Far North, Jose Merlos wondered if his time may be up.

Mr Merlos and his fiancee Nicky Wong, who became bogged on a remote Outback road on January 3, have shared their incredible tale of survival.

The Findon couple, who were returning home from Cairns, along with their dalmatian, Loki, had no phone reception, and were relying on pre-loaded phone maps to find the nearest town, Innamincka, to seek help.

But, after walking 45km in 40C heat, the couple was well and truly lost.

“We had no more water left, so I saved my urine in the bottle, like in the movies, you think just in case of emergency,” Mr Merlos said.

The pair scratched several SOS signs by the, roadside before they were found.

The couple left a series of notes and signs along the way. Picture: Supplied

When they ran out of water, he took a sip of urine but immediately vomited. “I was looking into the sky and thinking ‘what did we do to deserve this, why us? Is it our time?’,” Mr Merlos said.

“That’s when I thought we were done for. Because no more energy to walk, we were thirsty, very thirsty, dreaming of water, and dreaming of a beer.”

After a further 20km of walking the next day, with frequent stops due to exhaustion, they spotted a car heading towards them.

Behind the wheel was a Santos worker, known to the pair only as Craig, who stopped to help.

“She (Ms Wong) cried of happiness. And I had the biggest smile,” Mr Merlos said.

Jose Merlos, Nicky Wongand Loki when they finally arrived in Innamincka. Picture: Supplied

“I told him there’s a high chance my son will be called Craig, because without him we would not have made it.”

Craig took the couple to his base camp, south of Innamincka, for food, before taking them to the town where they were treated by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Mr Merlos, from France, and Ms Wong, from Hong Kong, had left messages throughout the Outback during their two-day ordeal, including a giant SOS scratched into the roadside dirt and a handwritten note calling for help.

Jose Merlos and Nicky Wong scrawled SOS into the dust on their stranded car. Picture: supplied

A note left after their rescue. Picture: Supplied

Notes left for people who came across their path. Pictures: Supplied

On the second day of walking, Ms Wong became exhausted.

“Even as we were walking, I had my eyes closed … my steps were dragging,” Ms Wong said.

After a couple of days recovering in Innamincka, the pair, and Loki, made their way back to Adelaide.

Mr Merlos said he would no longer take life for granted.

“We’ve been given a second chance, now every day, I’m just so grateful to be here,” he said. “I’m still shocked about what happened, that we’re still alive. We should have not made it.”

Ms Wong said the ordeal had also made her think about what was most important in life. “I just feel like we need to be kinder to everyone,” she said.