Carolina Wilga was found alive in Australia's remote Outback 12 days after she went missing and a day after her abandoned van was spotted by a helicopter crew.

"Miracle is a word that gets bandied about a lot, but to survive 12 days and cross-country - she went cross country to come to my road," she said. Wilga spent 11 nights in the elements after leaving her bogged vehicle, a decision the German tourist told police she made in a "pure panic".

The first words of the German backpacker who was miraculously found alive after 12 days in rural bushland have been revealed.