Woman survives 5 days on wine and sweets while stranded in Australian bush

The moment rescue workers discovered Lillian Ip after five days (Image: Victoria Police)

A woman survived in the dense bushland of Australia for five days by eating sweets and drinking a single bottle of wine. Lillian Ip had set off for what was meant to be a short trip on April 30. A wrong turn, however, left her facing a dead-end with her car stuck in the mud, the BBC reported.

The 48-year-old woman, a teetotaller herself, was carrying a bottle of wine for her mother. She also had a few lollipops and some other snacks on her person – but no water at all.

When Ip hit a dead-end after taking a wrong turn, she tried to turn her car around. Unfortunately, it became bogged in mud. With no network coverage in the Australian bush, she was unable to call for help, Victoria Police said.

Ip managed to survive for five days on the single bottle of wine and the sweets until she was by emergency services flying overhead to search for her. The moment she was discovered by rescue workers was shared online by Victoria Police.

“After being lost in the bush for five days, she was extremely relieved and grateful to see us and we were just as happy to see her.” said Sergeant Martin Torpey, Wodonga Police. “The only liquid Lillian, who doesn't drink, had with her was a bottle of wine she had bought as a gift for her mother so that got her through.”

Speaking to media after her rescue, Ip said she wrote a farewell letter to her loved ones as she gave up hope of being found alive. “I thought I was going to die there. My whole body shut down on Friday,” Ip told 9News Australia.

The 48-year-old was taken to the hospital where she was treated for dehydration and discharged.