‘I wouldn’t want to live this again’: Tourists lost for a week after Google Maps mishap (original) (raw)

‘I wouldn’t want to live this again’: Tourists lost for a week after Google Maps mishap

By Savannah Meacham

February 21, 2024 — 4.24pm

Two German tourists are lucky to be alive after a misdirection from Google Maps sent them to a remote Queensland national park.

Philipp Maier and Marcel Schoene were driving from Cairns to Bamaga in Far North Queensland at the start of February when Google Maps directed them to follow an old dirt track through Oyala Thumotang National Park.

At the time, this did not worry them.

“We thought just do it because maybe the main road is closed because of a high river,” Maier said.

But almost 60 kilometres along the track, their 4WD became bogged.

“Where we got stuck, it looks really dry. The surface was dry, but under the surface, it was really wet and muddy – almost impossible to get out of there,” Maier said.

The bogged 4WD from which the Germans set off into inhospitable wilderness to seek help.

With no phone or internet reception, the pair started walking.

At first, they headed towards Archer River as it seemed closer. They tried to cross it using a fallen tree but soon realised it was too swollen from the recent cyclones and heavy rainfall.

Schoene said they slept there under a shelter, which provided little protection from the elements.

They then circled back with their 12-kilogram packs to nearby Coen, walking from sunrise to midday, when the searing heat was at its peak.

The men would then start walking again from 4pm until midnight.

“It’s very hard to get out of there,” Schoene said.

A week after getting stuck in the mud, they arrived in Coen and told authorities what had happened.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger Roger James said it was lucky they were alive and well.

“Rangers assisted the local mechanic in retrieving the tourists’ car, which is much better than assisting emergency services in the search for bodies,” James said.

A mechanic eventually retrieved the German tourists’ bogged vehicle.

Their experience was not the first in which Google Maps led people off-route into national parks.

“People should not trust Google Maps when they’re travelling in remote regions of Queensland, and they need to follow the signs, use official maps or other navigational devices,” James said.

The men were thankful to have survived the experience and will surely question Google Maps on their next adventure.

“It was a good experience but a hard experience. I wouldn’t want to live this again,” Schoene said.

–AAP