An Australian woman has been found 17 days after she went missing in the bush in northern Queensland without any food.
Shannon Leah Fraser stumbled out of the bush yesterday morning, according to local media.
The 30-year-old had gone to the Golden Hole swimming spot with two men, including her partner, when she disappeared on 21 September.
She is now recovering in a hospital and is being treated for sever sunburn and infected cuts.
Ms Fraser's friend and partner first raised the alarm after she got separated from them and failed to return to their vehicle, said Queensland Police.
The mother-of-three's disappearance sparked a search operation involving 25 officers from the police and state emergency services.
Divers combed the pond while officers searched the area on foot and quad bikes. Helicopter searches were conducted as well, with search teams dropping coloured markers.
Family members said Ms Fraser followed these markers out of the bush.
Police said she was eventually found just 30m from where she went missing. Asked by reporters why teams did not find her, country patrol group Inspector Rhys Newton said her movements had "gone out of what we could reasonably expect a person who is lost in those circumstances".
A banana farmer who was having his breakfast spotted her when she came out of the bush at 8am on Wednesday, and immediately brought her to a nearby hospital, ABC are reporting.
Family members told media that Ms Fraser had survived on creek water, small fish and insects. At one point, she sat in a creek for three days to soothe her cuts and burns.
They also said she had to fend off wild animals such as a cassowary and a freshwater crocodile.
Ms Fraser, who weighed 90kg previously, reportedly lost about 16kg during her ordeal.
Her partner, Heath Cassady, told the Courier Mail that they had been on a "bender" prior to her disappearance and had gone to Golden Hole to "chill out".
"Her whole body is scarred and peeling, she's been through a lot," Mr Cassady said. "It is amazing she's still alive."
