German backpacker Carolina Wilga recovering, discharged from hospital after outback ordeal

German tourist Carolina Wilga, who disappeared for 12 days in the remote outback, has had a major development after returning home.

EXCLUSIVE: German backpacker Carolina Wilga — who was lost in Western Australia’s remote outback for nearly two weeks — is making a slow recovery back in Europe and has been discharged from hospital.

The 26-year-old made international headlines when she disappeared for 12 days after getting her vehicle bogged and she subsequently abandoned it, but German authorities have confirmed she is now no longer under the 24-hour watch of medical staff.

Carolina Wilga during her trip to Australia. Picture: Instagram

Ms Wilga returned to Germany last weekend and was admitted to the Evangelical Hospital located at Castrop-Rauxel, about 70km northeast of Dusseldorf, when she returned but has since been released.

Hospital spokeswoman Kathrin Simonis confirmed to News Corp that Ms Wilga “is no longer admitted in this hospital”.

She was found on July 11 and is now recovering at home in Germany with family and friends after she spent freezing nights alone in the outback, with little access to food and water and she lost 12kgs.

The vehicle that German backpacker Carolina Wilga was travelling in was found in dense bushland. Picture: WA Police

Multiple residents at Castrop-Rauxel, which has a population of about 74,000 residents, told News Corp they heard of her disappearance via multiple German media outlets.

Michael Nickel, spokesman for the city’s mayoral office said: “The mayor (Rajko Kravanja) is really, really happy that it all ended this way in this case.”

Rescued German backpacker Carolina Wilga at her hospital bed in Perth. Picture: Western Australian Police via AP

“He was extremely moved by the entire story with Carolina, but it wasn’t of course just about the mayor, it was the whole population here, the people of our town were really moved and and really concerned,” he said on Thursday.

Carolina Wilga, on left, during her Aussie trip. Picture: Instagram

“We are now all so happy that it has ended this way, and that Carolina is now back here in Castrop-Rauxel, and back with her family.”

Apart from releasing a statement after her discovery, Ms Wilga has not spoken to the media and there has been reports that there’s a bidding war going on between Australia’s major TV networks, Seven and Nine, to do a paid interview with her.

Mr Nickel also praised the work of Australians to try and find Ms Wilga - she was finally discovered by WA resident Tania Henley, who runs Bimbijy Station near Beacon, walking barefoot along an unsealed road about 30km from her car.

Carolina Wilga after her outback rescue.Picture: 7News

German newspaper titled Ruhr Nachrichten, run by news boss Fabian Hollenhorst, said the residents of Castrop-Rauxel were still shocked that the disappearance of one of their residents had occurred.

“Nothing like this that I know of has really happened to us before in this town,” he said.

“We are in the headlines for different reasons, but we never had a case like this really.

“It did indeed create a massive impact and it got national and international coverage.”

However Mr Hollenhorst said despite the widespread coverage in the German media, he doubts it will deter Germans from travelling down under.

“I don’t think it will now mean that parents will think they won’t let their kids go to Australia,” he said.

“In Germany it’s almost normal that after studying before going to work or whatever, many young Germans decide to go to Australia.

Originally published as German backpacker Carolina Wilga recovering, discharged from hospital after outback ordeal