Rescued backpacker returns to Germany and taken to hospital

Rescued backpacker Carolina Wilga has bid farewell to Perth, with German media confirming she arrived back in the country at the weekend.

The 26-year-old, in a since deleted Instagram post on Sunday morning, captioned a series of photos as “the great goodbye to Perth” and included a photo of herself with friends at Cottesloe Beach.

Carolina Wilga (left) in one of the photos in a since deleted Instagram post on Sunday. Credit: Instagram

German media outlet Bild said Wilga landed at Düsseldorf Airport about midday on Saturday.

She was reportedly taken by ambulance to Evangelical Hospital in Castrop-Rauxel where she was greeted by medical staff and bodyguards who wheeled her inside.

Wilga was discharged from Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth on Wednesday, managing to slip past media waiting outside.

Carolina Wilga’s bogged car.Credit: 9News Perth

It’s understood she spent a few days staying with friends before flying out to Germany, again undetected by media crews at Perth Airport.

She spent five nights in hospital recovering from dehydration and insect bites after being lost in the West Australian outback for 12 days.

Her ordeal began when she was travelling solo in her Mitsubishi Delica through the Wheatbelt region and became bogged in remote bushland.

After spending a day waiting with her car, she panicked and decided her best bet was to start walking in the hope she came across another vehicle.

Eleven days later she flagged down a farmer travelling along a remote bush track on July 11, who then drove her to meet police.

It brought to an end a massive search that began when Wilga’s worried family in Germany contacted police after not hearing from her. The last confirmed sighting of Wilga had been on June 29, and the search began on July 4.

Wilga has offered little insight into her 11 nights in the bush but said she survived by sleeping in a cave, drinking from puddles and using the sun as her guide.

While in hospital she has released a statement thanking those who were desperately searching for her, and later released two photos from her hospital bed, saying she had lost 12 kilograms.

“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 depth of my soul! For all the incredible support during the search for me,” she said.

“I am deeply impressed by the courage, helpfulness and warmth that has been shown to me here. Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community. Here, humanity, solidarity and care for one another are what truly matter – and in the end, that’s what counts most.”

Celebrity agent and public relations expert Max Markson said Wilga would probably be fielding calls from media outlets across the country wanting to share her story, with Nine’s 60 Minutes and Seven’s Spotlight showing interest.

He said she could demand as much as $100,000, but it is not known if she has been approached.

She returned to Germany after spending 19 months travelling and working in Australia.