Back in 2014, a woman was stranded naked and alone in the Australian bush for 17 days. While this event happened several years ago, the story of her survival still amazes me. Find out how she managed to survive without even the clothes on her back.
Woman Somehow Survives 17 Days Naked And Alone in Australian Bush
I am sure when Shannon Fraser was enjoying the day at a Golden Hole Reserve, a popular fishing spot, with her fiancé she did not think anything bad was going to happen. After all, the day was beautiful and she, her fiancé (Heath Cassidy) and a friend of theirs were having a great time. However, that all changed quickly after an altercation broke out. Daily Mail shares that Fraser confessed that she was growing bored of the outing and wanted to return home. Cassidy and the friend were still enjoying themselves fishing, so they disagreed with her choice.
Flustered by their lack of agreement, Fraser decided to walk off into the Australian bush. Granted, at this time she was just planning on taking a few moments to herself to cool off. She was not expecting to have to survive 17 days in the Australian bush. However, she was so weary from the argument that she let exhaustion consume her and she fell asleep. When she awoke, the light was fading and she could no longer see the tracks leading back the way she had came.
Disoriented and scared she began to push through the bush, trying to make her way back to the reserve, however it was to no avail. The plant life seemed to fight against her as it covered her skin in cuts and ripped the clothes off of her body. Now, she was naked and alone in the wilderness.
Shannon Fraser Addresses Media Speculations And Shares Her Story
After Fraser's story came out, many people had their speculations. They assumed that Fraser had been on drugs and that is why she fell asleep and was disoriented. However, in an interview with 7 News Spotlight, she admitted that she was not on any drugs, she was just "tired and cranky." Additionally, some people assumed that there was foul play from Fraser's fiancé, rumors she also put to rest. Then, in a tell all Youtube video Shannon and the news team recreate the events of her 17 days in the Australian bush. They start off showing the exact path that she missed once she woke from her nap.
Cassidy began calling and searching for his fiancé. He did so for three hours, but he couldn't find her. Then, he called police and the search for Shannon Fraser began. From there Fraser began to go deeper and deeper in to the bush, the plants cutting at her skin and ripping the clothes from her body. She was now naked and alone. The news reporter also shared some of the other dangers of the bush, mentioning how besides the thorny plants Shannon also had to fear snakes, spiders, and crocodiles.
Fraser walked all through the night and eventually ripped the remainder of her clothes off. They had become saturated from the rain, so she opted to remove them. Additionally, she admitted that after her first night, at the first sign of darkness she would try to sleep through the night. Being lost and alone in the dark just distressed her more, so she used that time to rest. However, by her seventh day, the hunger pains started. She was also being eaten alive by flies and leeches, the list of dangers just went on and on.
How Did Shannon Fraser Survive 17 Days In The Australian Bush?
Screenshot from YouTube
Ms. Fraser survived because of her sheer will and determination to go on. After 12 days in the wilderness, her desire to be found was stronger than her fear of crocodiles. So she began to swim downstream, hoping she would find her way out. However, instead she became stranded on a rock for three days, exposed to the sun and the elements. On day 15, the search was called off and Fraser was "weak and half-starved, delirious with hunger and exhaustion, covered with cuts and bruises that were now infected. "
Despite almost everyone giving up home, Mr. Cassidy never did. "I knew she was alive. I could feel it," he said in the video...and he was right. After she finally made it off of the rock, Fraser was losing hope. She said, "I sat down on the ground that morning, and I thought I can't get out, I'm going to die out here." However, despite those negative thoughts, something told her to get up and keep moving, so she did.
The Aftermath
Thank goodness she listened, because on the sixteenth day of surviving in the Australian bush, she stumbled into the dense scrubland. It was there that she spotted a pink ribbon. The ribbons had indicated areas of the bush that the search teams had looked for Shannon. She followed those markers all the way back to the path. then, she emerged into the car park that she had wandered off from 17 days before.
There was one driver in the park and he welcomed Ms. Fraser immediately, telling her that everyone had been looking for her. She was immediately taken to Innisfail Hospital and assessed. There doctors found that Fraser had multiple infected wounds, severe sunburn, and had lost a significant amount of weight. She shared that she had lost 17 kilos, about 37 pounds, in 17 days. Once she was fed and treated of her injuries she was ecstatic to be reunited with her family.
Now, she claims that she is a bit wiser and will never taken life for granted again.
