A couple’s ideal four-wheel-drive journey deep into the Australian outback was transformed into a terrifying experience when their automobile caught fire, but they were finally saved by the quick decision to remove a satellite phone from the flaming car.
The husband and wife team were on the 4WD adventure of a lifetime, travelling more than 596 kilometres across the Western Australian desert on the treacherous Talawana Track.
The track is extremely hazardous; 4WD enthusiasts rank it among Australia’s most difficult drives, and due to its seclusion, travellers must be completely self-sufficient in terms of water, food, and gasoline.
On Monday around 10:30 am, the couple’s four-wheel-drive unexpectedly caught fire so much 120 kilometres into the track as they were driving along it.
They were able to escape the flames, but the car was totally wrecked.
They were fortunate to have a satellite phone with them, and by managing to get it out of the flames, they avoided dying in the sweltering Gibson Desert.
With the goods they had managed to recover, they made their way away from the automobile and used the satellite phone to dial triple-0.
The call was passed to their West Australian coworkers by South Australia Police because to the distance of their location.
Additionally, the pair had a portable charger with them that they could use to maintain phone power until help came.
Before they arrived, police made plans to contact the couple often to make sure they were safe.
They went to the BHP Air Ambulance, which was stationed in Newman, to rescue the pair since travelling to the closest police station in Jigalong would take six to eight hours.
Fortunately, despite the fire totally destroying the automobile, the pair managed to escape safely.
Nearly 24 hours after the automobile caught fire, the chopper travelled three hours to find the husband and wife before rescuing them at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
A WA Police spokeswoman said that the couple was in excellent health and praised the precautions they had taken before leaving to make sure they were ready for anything.
The spokeswoman said: “We recommend anybody travelling in rural or isolated locations to bring safety equipment with them, notably Personal Locator Beacons, or PLBs, or other devices, including satellite phones to assist notify authorities to emergency circumstances.”
The journey may have been fatal if the couple had not made such thorough preparations.
Two men’s remains were discovered on the infamous route in 2005. According to the police, the guys had minimal water and an old, dilapidated car, making them ill-prepared for their journey.
After running out of water, it seemed they perished from exposure to the hostile desert environment.
Before looking for water, the guys had left a message, but they had come back empty-handed.