Australian woman stranded for five days, survives on wine and candy until rescue

In Australia, a woman who found herself lost in a remote part of the Victoria bushland was rescued by authorities. She had survived for five days on a bottle of wine and lollipops, local authorities reported.

Lillian Ip, a 48-year-old woman on vacation near Dartmouth Dam in remote northeastern Victoria, took a wrong turn. She then proceeded to hit a dead-end, and her vehicle became stuck in mud in the process of trying to turn around, just before losing cell phone service.

Ip was out of service range, and as far as it looked, she was also out of luck. She was unable to call for help, leaving her to fend for herself until she would hopefully be found.

Authorities in Victoria launched an extensive, days-long search following requests from Ip's loved ones who had not heard from her in days, local police reported.

Victoria Police released aerial footage via Twitter of the moment Ip and her car were spotted via helicopter, as she waved in anticipation.

Since Ip was only planning to be gone for a short period, she only had a couple of snacks - specifically candies - and no water available. She did, however, have a bottle of wine in her car purchased as a gift for her mother.

Survivor could not stray too far off path for health concerns, Police Sergeant says

Wodonga Police Station Sergeant Martin Torpey said in a statement that Ip made the smart choice by not wandering further than she already had ended up.

"Lillian was found a good 60 kilometers away from the nearest town, and due to health issues, she was unable to try and walk for help, so stayed with her car," Sergeant Torpey said, adding that she demonstrated common sense by staying nearby, and that the wine "helped get her through."

Ip told local 9News Australia that upon her rescue, she was most excited for water and a cigarette, asking the responding officers for some immediately.

See the moment Air Wing located a woman, who was missing for five days in dense bushland.Yesterday afternoon, Air Wing was conducting a sweep of the hilly terrain when they spotted Lillian’s car at the end of a dirt road in the Mitta Mitta bushland. https://t.co/dgjOkkgdY0 pic.twitter.com/DwbaJHLUMn

— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) May 6, 2023

She had almost given up hope, having written parting words and an expression of love to her family, hoping the message would make it to them. Luckily, there would not be a need for the message to be passed along.

BBC News reported that Ip thought she had met her end; "I thought I was going to die there. My whole body shut down on Friday," she told the media outlet.

She was later taken to a hospital to be treated for dehydration before returning to her home in Melbourne, nearly five hours away from Dartmouth Dam.