73-year-old woman found after four nights missing on Fraser Island
A 73-year-old woman missing on Fraser Island for four nights was found alive and well on Sunday morning.
Madeleine Nowak was reported missing after going on an organised hiking tour on Wednesday afternoon.
Madeleine Nowak, 73, is reunited with her husband after spending four nights missing on Fraser Island.Credit:Queensland Police Service
When Ms Nowak became separated from the group, her husband raised the alarm a short time later, sparking a large ground and air search involving Queensland Parks and Wildlife, the SES and LifeFlight.
Although police were concerned for her safety, she was reportedly in good health for her age and had a small amount of food and water with her.
She also had a mobile phone and managed to send an SMS on Wednesday night saying she was lost, but mobile reception is notoriously poor on parts of the island and authorities were not able to contact her again.
Police said Ms Nowak eventually stumbled across a campsite early on Sunday morning and authorities were notified that she had been located.
She was reunited with her husband on Sunday morning after being assessed by emergency services.
Stuart Layt covers health, science and technology for the Brisbane Times. He was formerly the Queensland political reporter for AAP.