Tamra McBeath-Riley found at a water source 1.5km from the trio’s bogged ute two weeks after they went missing

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

A woman who survived almost a fortnight stranded in Australia’s outback saved herself by finding a waterhole, but fears are growing for her two companions.

Tamra McBeath-Riley, 52, was being treated in an Alice Springs hospital for dehydration and exposure on Monday after a traumatic battle for survival in heat that nudged 40C in recent days.

Her companions, Claire Hockridge, 46, and Phu Tran, 40, are still missing after their dual cab ute got bogged in the bed of the Hugh river, south of Alice Springs, almost two weeks ago.

The group was last heard from on 19 November when they told family and friends they were going for a drive outside Alice Springs.

When authorities found the ute late on Sunday afternoon they also found a note, dated 21 November, indicating they were setting off in different directions in search of help.

McBeath-Riley was found after search crews followed her tracks away from the vehicle.

Authorities are hanging on to hope her friends are still alive but conceded they would be severely dehydrated by now, unless they had also managed to find water.

McBeath-Riley’s survival has been hailed as miraculous after she managed to find a water source, and was able to boil it to stay alive.

“She’s had a fairly traumatic period of time. It looks like she had travelled about 1.5km from the vehicle and was in an area where there was some water,” Supt Pauline Vicary told ABC television.

“So sensibly she appears to have stayed where the water is and has been drinking that and that’s probably what kept her going.”

The note found in the ute included the directions they were headed.

It appeared McBeath-Riley went north and the others had gone west towards the Stuart highway, about 22km from where the ute was found.

It has been revealed a keen-eyed pastoralist played a key role in saving McBeath-Riley by going to police to report spotting tracks in an area that had not been searched.

“We got some information from a station worker advising that there were some wheel tracks around the White Hill dam area,” Vicary said. “It wasn’t in one of the areas that we had previously searched.

“As a result of that information, we were able to locate the vehicle and then from there they have followed some of the other tracks and have located her.”