Lone driver stranded in Simpson Desert for five days tells of 'daunting' wait for rescuers
A chopper pilot flew to Tony Woolford's rescue on Wednesday afternoon. (Supplied: Tony Woolford)
In short:
A 66-year-old South Australian man has been airlifted to Birdsville in a stable condition and high spirits.
He was stranded for five days in the Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert when heavy rain made driving impossible.
What's next?
The park's ranger says tourists must check for weather warnings before travelling into the desert.
A South Australian man has been airlifted out of the Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert after five days stranded without phone service as rising floodwater threatened to swamp his vehicle.
Tony Woolford, 66, was on Wednesday evacuated by helicopter to Birdsville in a stable condition and high spirits.
"It's been quite an adventure," he said.
Heavy rainfall across western and south-west Queensland has cut off outback towns, including Birdsville.
Mr Woolford intended to spend three days exploring the Madigan Line, a popular 4WD track, but heavy rain on Saturday made driving impossible.
Frequent desert traveller Tony Woolford. (Supplied: Tony Woolford)
He said his situation was "quite daunting when it dawned on me":
"I tried to proceed the next morning, only got another nine kilometres down the track and there was more rain."
On Sunday afternoon, Birdsville authorities received word travellers were stranded in the desert as tracks turned to mud.
Two other groups eventually reached their destination or returned to Birdsville, but Mr Woolford was out of rescuers' reach.
'Just have to wait it out'
Mr Woolford said his high-frequency radio became a lifeline, with volunteers from radio network VSK 737 checking on him several times a day.
"The operators there were really good," he said.
"They kept my family in the loop and made arrangements for me to get back to safety.
The Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert is Queensland's largest protected area, spanning more than one million hectares. (Supplied: Tony Woolford)
"I did start to feel a bit hopeless but I was very grateful for the communication …t alking to those guys kept me sane."
He spent nights in his 4WD and explored the waterlogged desert when the rain allowed.
"There was this really heavy downpour and this channel filled up within 20 minutes," he said.
"It was overflowing and got to a point where it was a metre away from my car.
"I thought I would float away."
Mr Woolford had food and water to last a week.
"I also harvested rainwater … in a tub I put under my awning," he said.
He thanked Birdsville authorities, the chopper pilot, radio operators and emergency services for coordinating his evacuation.
Tony Woolford said he was able to collect 15 litres of rainwater in one night by putting a tub under his awning. (Supplied: Tony Woolford)
Check weather forecasts, ranger warns
Don Rowlands, ranger-in-charge for Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert, coordinated the rescue with police and emergency services.
He said travellers should always check the weather forecast for warnings before driving into unknown terrain.
"[Tony's] been coming here for the last 20 years and this time he's just made the mistake of not checking the weather forecast," he said.
Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert ranger Don Rowlands. (ABC News: Maddelin McCosker)
Mr Rowlands said Mr Woolford's car would not be retrieved for at least a month.
"The rivers are coming down and even once the roads dry up, the flood will be here and we still won't be able to get out," he said.
Mr Woolford said he did check the weather forecast before his trip, but underestimated how heavy the falls would be.
He said, despite spending more time in the desert than he planned, it wouldn't stop his love of traversing the outback.
"As soon as conditions permit, I'll get back up here and retrieve my car," he said.
"Then the holiday will continue."