Parents of family trapped in Simpson Desert said they are ‘anxious’
The family of a man trapped in the Australian outback with his wife and two young children said they are “anxious” about when they will be able to return.
A Perth family of four who sit trapped in the Simpson Desert have spent a fourth night waiting to be rescued.
Orios Zavros, his wife Lindsey and children Zoe and Zane were travelling across the country on the trip of a lifetime before they found themselves stranded in South Australia’s Simpson Desert when their campervan became bogged after heavy rain last week.
The family set off their emergency beacon about 10am on Friday after becoming stuck in their modified Mitsubishi Canter about 150km northwest of Oodnadatta in South Australia.
On Tuesday, Mr Zavros’ parents, Theo and Lagis, said that despite the mishap — the family are in good spirits.
“They are doing a lot better,” Mr Zavros said on Channel 7’s Sunrise.
“They are getting very anxious because of the weather conditions. It’s getting warmer out there, but they are very well prepared.
“They knew they had a three or four day crossing of the Simpson Desert but did not anticipate some of the bad weather that came through when they left Birdsville so they just got caught up.”
On Friday afternoon, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spoke to the family and confirmed no one was injured. A rescue plane delivered a satellite phone and water soon after, with police confirming they had enough essential supplies to see them through the weekend.
The family had been travelling around Australia for over a year, meaning their truck was “really prepared” for the relentless Australian outback.
“Our son did not take any chances, he was very well prepared,” Mrs Zavros explained.
“According to them, experiences were more important than gifts so they did everything from helicopter rides to you name it, they actually did it.
“They been through the Northern Territory, Arnhem Land, through all sorts of places. Just to see the beautiful places we have in Australia.”
The family had been heading back home to Perth after the year-long adventure. Recovery efforts have been hindered by bad weather, with police estimating the family could be stranded for weeks, adding it is not known how long they will be stuck in the mud for.
Mrs Zavros said for the first few days, they couldn’t speak with the children but now that the weather is improving their spirits are lifting.
“For three or four days we did not speak with them and I was very anxious,” she explained.
“They were a little bit frustrated because the first few days it was very windy so they had to be inside all the time but once the weather got little bit better they were able to do morning and afternoon walks.”
Mount Dare Hotel owner Graham Scott said the family will have to wait for the ground to dry out before they can leave the desert and continue their journey back to Perth.
“All the roads around here are partially under water. There are vast flat areas that have still got water laying on them, and where the water has recently been on the roads – it’d be a quagmire if you tried to get through,” he told the ABC.
“There’s only one track out there … [and] it’d be at least a week before you’d be able to get onto roads with any confidence.
“They’ll be fine, as long as they’ve got food and water … I gather they’re not on a fixed time schedule so my advice is to find as many good board games as you can and just sit there and wait until it dries out.”
– with Mitchell Van Homrigh
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