8 South Aussie tales of miraculous survival

From those stranded in the outback to kayakers losing their way on the water, there have been several incredible tales of survival.

Julie Schutt was the latest to find her way out of a difficult situation when she was found more than a week after going missing in bushland near Streaky Bay.

We take a look back at other tales of resilience and determination in the face of extreme adversity.

Deborah Pilgrim

When Deborah Pilgrim, 56 at the time, left her campsite near Sedan, in the Mid Murray, for a sunrise walk on a beautiful morning in spring in October 2020, her intention was always to return. But it would spark a 66-hour ordeal for her family and friends as she became lost and unwell in dense bushland.

Wandering through vast remote properties, she left a trail of messages in dirt and in dust on abandoned cars, and lit many fires in the hope a smoke signal would be seen. She became so desperate, she made the mistake of lighting a semi-circle of trees, which, when the wind changed, became a dire threat that made her think she’d “lit my own crematorium”. Eventually, a local landowner saw the letters SOS scrawled in the dirt driveway of his remote property and alerted authorities, leading to Ms Pilgrim’s rescue.

Jose Merlos and Nicky Wong

When Jose Merlos and his fiance Nicky Wong became bogged on a remote outback road in South Australia’s Far North on January 3, 2021, they thought their time might be up. The pair walked for 12 hours in blistering heat, leaving a trail of messages along the way in the hope that they would be rescued.

After walking 45km in 40C heat, the couple was well and truly lost. They slept through the night and continued their walk the following day for another 20km, even preserving their urine after running out of water. Hope was all but lost until a Santos worker began driving towards them. They were rescued and live to tell the tale.

Zavros family

If you ever find a book telling you what to do when you find yourself stranded in the desert, you might find the Zavros family’s experience. West Australian Orios Zavros, his partner and two young children didn’t panic when they became bogged while crossing the Simpson Desert in November, 2021.

They spent two days digging through mud in an attempt to release their vehicle, but their efforts were in vain. It was on day three that they opted to activate their personal locator beacon.

This allowed authorities to spring into action, dropping supplies off to the family before they were winched to safety by rescuers a couple of days later. “If we didn’t have that beacon, would they have found us in time? Who knows,” Mr Zavros said.

Danika Thomson

One recent tale of survival in the South Australian outback had a tragic twist, with only one half of a stranded couple making it home. Danika Thomson and her partner Dylan Stuart bogged in their 4WD near Junction Dam on the Stuart Creek Station in March last year.

Mr Stuart, 29, rode off on a motorbike to seek assistance while Ms Thomson, 24, remained in the car. Tragically, Mr Stuart’s motorbike later broke down, and his body was located by police near Gregory Creek, around 100km north of Roxby Downs.

Ms Thomson walked from the bogged vehicle after Mr Stuart had not returned for several hours, and was located by a police helicopter. She was treated for dehydration, but survived.

Phu Tran

South Australian man Phu Tran survived on pre-mixed vodka cans, biscuits and water alongside companion Tamara McBeath-Riley for 15 days after vanishing in the Northern Territory outback in 2019.

NT Police said Mr Tran was found by a pastoralist, about 160km southwest of Alice Springs. He was found about 12-13km from where the Mitsubishi dual-cab ute he was travelling in was found.

Ms McBeath-Riley, who was found days earlier about 1.5km from the vehicle and was taken to the Alice Springs Hospital to be treated for dehydration and exposure. A third traveller, Claire Hockridge, was unable to be rescued, with her body found days later. Mr Tran was convicted on drug charges in 2021.

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Chris Blowes

Chris Blowes’ story of survival is of a different ilk to many others, having lost his leg in a shark attack on Anzac Day in 2015.

After surfing for about an hour at the popular rock-bottomed point break on the southern edge of Fishery Bay, near Port Lincoln, the unthinkable happened. As he was paddling out to catch one more wave, a white pointer clamped down on the 26-year-old surfer’s left flank.

He was rescued by two mates who were surfing with him that day and another good Samaritan who came to his aid. After a touch-and-go dash to the hospital Mr Blowes would ultimately survive. Blowes lives to tell the tale and returned to surf the waves again just two years after his attack.

Alexander Stelling

Injured, confused and thousands of kilometres from home, German tourist Alexander Stelling is believed to have survived on honey for almost five days lost in rugged bushland.

Mr Stelling went missing for five days after he crashed his black Renault Koleo station wagon a few kilometres east of Tailem Bend in 2016.

Mr Stelling finally sought help five days after he disappeared when he knocked on the door of a couple’s home, 3km from the crash site. He had spent the night on their outdoor patio with the couple’s 12-year-old dog, Gem. It is believed Mr Stelling had survived his ordeal by taking honey from a nearby house and leaving money to pay for it.

Mount Gambier kayakers

A Mount Gambier woman and her son had a kayaking misadventure that almost led to a “frightening” cold night stranded in the bush, until her teenage son caught the eye of rescuers with the light on his watch.

The woman, 51, and her 13-year-old son set off on a short 4km kayak on Victoria’s Glenelg River, just across the South Australian border, in April last year.

Her husband, who launched the pair at Pines Landing, near Drik Drik, expected to see them at a campsite downstream just an hour and half later.

But they had started heading upstream in the wrong direction and soon became lost and alarmed. As the sun set, some sections of the river were becoming more challenging. When the boy fell out of his kayak, they decided to stop.

Her husband had already contacted authorities after waiting for the pair at a campsite for several hours. In the cold of the night, in the adjacent pine forest, the woman noticed the police helicopter overhead just after midnight and told her son to turn his watch light on.

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