We’ve probably all thought about what we would want to have if we were going to be stranded on a desert island. Would you want a good book, your favorite card game, maybe another adult for some fun? Many of us might like our favorite bottle of red wine to keep us company, but practically, we’d need real food and water. Or would we?
It’s not quite a tropical island, but an Australian woman recently got stranded and made the best out of a dire situation. The woman, identified only as Lillian, was rescued after she got lost in the woods with nothing but a little wine and some lollipops. She made it five days on her own before police in a helicopter spotted her. The whole story is wild, but she lived to tell the tale.
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Lillian's family reported her missing.
The Victoria Police released a statement on May 5, detailing Lillian’s harrowing rescue. The 48-year-old woman had gone on a vacation to Bright, Australia, and checked in regularly with family.
When she missed her daily call on April 30, they reported her missing. Police began a massive search of Mitta Mitta, Wodonga, Bright, and Albury, for five days, but there was no sign of Lillian. It seemed as though she disappeared.
The area has no cellphone reception.
According to the police statement, Lillian was trying to drive to Dartmouth Dam when she hit a dead-end road. It was then she realized she had taken a wrong turn and attempted to backtrack. But her car got trapped in the mud and she had no way to call anyone.
Lillian wasn’t planning on a long day out, the release explained, so she didn’t pack snacks or water. The longer she was stranded, the more dire the situation became.
Although she had nothing substantial to eat or water to drink, she did have something in the car.
Lillian had a bottle of wine and some candy that she ended up using sparingly throughout the five-day period. It was enough to sustain her.
“She was only planning a short day trip so had only taken a couple of snacks and lollies with her, but no water. The only liquid Lillian, who doesn’t drink, had with her was a bottle of wine she had bought as a gift for her mother so that got her through,” Wodonga Police Station Sergeant Martin Torpey was quoted in the release.
A police helicopter spotted her and sent a rescue team.
While conducting an air sweep, police spotted Lillian’s car in the forest. When she heard the helicopter, she quickly made herself seen, waving feverishly at police from the woods below. Helicopter police directed ground officers to the missing woman. The release stated that Lillian has underlying health issues that prevented her from walking away, so she stayed near her car.
“After being lost in the bush for five days, she was extremely relieved and grateful to see us and we were just as happy to see her,” Torpey said.
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Doctors treated Lillian at a local hospital.
With just wine and a couple of lollipops in her, Lillian needed to see a doctor for an evaluation after her extended stay in the Australian bush. She was taken to a hospital and treated for dehydration. Police lauded her for being smart and staying close to her car.
“She used great common sense to stay with her car and not wander off into bushland, which assisted in police being able to find her,” Torpey explained.
Lillian shared with 9news Melbourne all she could think about was water and a cigarette. She was certain she was going to die and even wrote her family a letter to tell them she loved them. “I thought that I was going to die there. My whole body shut down on Friday,” she told the outlet.
This is surely a vacation she will never forget, and we bet from now on, she’ll pack a bottle of water. Shoot, she may even grab a gallon. Better safe than sorry.
