Carolina Wilga‘s now-famous Mitsubishi Delica has been moved after its mammoth misadventure.
It took four days to pluck the vehicle from the rugged bushland, where it had sat abandoned for a month.
The German backpacker made global headlines with her miracle survival story after bogging her van in the remote WA Wheatbelt.
She then wandered off to find help, rescued on a lonely track 11 days later.
With the 26-year-old now back home in Germany, a team of locals banded together to retrieve her heavily bogged van.
Farmer and fire brigade volunteer Andrew Sprigg led the charge on the complex mission, which required heavy machinery.
“The most difficult thing was going down the 32 kilometres of track, cause it was so overgrown,” Sprigg said.
“Originally we thought we could use a 4WD but eventually we had to give up on that idea and go for a loader.”
The van’s now being stored at a secret location until Carolina’s friends can pick it up.
9News understands Wilga wanted it kept out of the public eye and has offered to cover the cost of its retrieval.
“She’s very embarrassed and very thankful,” Sprigg said
Questions remain about how Wilga ended up in such a remote spot but locals hope it serves as a warning for other travellers.
“Rule number one, tell someone where you’re going,” Sprigg said.
“And the second one is probably the back-up plan is communication. Phones don’t work very well out here and preferably take a friend, take another car.”
