The man’s body was discovered on a remote track in the Goldfields region on Wednesday – a cruel stroke of fate dictating that he was found 46km away from his vehicle but just 2km short of his intended destination at Windidda Station, 200km east of Wiluna.
Police said the man had been travelling between Wonganoo and Windidda stations with a woman when their car broke down on Sunday. The stranded duo camped for the night, but when help did not arrive the man set out with a small container of water to walk the 48km to Windidda Station.
The woman waited with the vehicle before she too set out on foot when he failed to return with help. She camped on the roadside on Tuesday night, and was found by workers from Wongawol Station the next day. A subsequent search resulted in the discovery of the man’s body.
ABC reported that the maximum temperature at Wiluna reached a blistering 41.5C on Monday as the victim made his fateful walk. Western Australia Police have since reminded people travelling in remote locations by car to stay with their vehicle if they become lost or break down.
Shortly before Christmas a dad and his two young sons caught rainwater to survive for 11 days lost in the Queensland outback in temperatures of up to 38C.
Steven Van Lonkhuyzen, 37, and his sons Ethan, seven, and Timothy, five, hit trouble when they took a wrong turning and then got stuck in mud during a 1000-mile journey from Brisbane to Cairns. But they stayed with their vehicle, and survived by rationing their meagre supplies and catching rainwater until they were eventually discovered by a cattle farmer.
