A woman who spent four days lost in a dense Far North Queensland rainforest has revealed she had been "preparing to die" before being found by emergency workers.
Colombian national Juliana Castrillon, 36, was attempting an eight-hour bushwalk from Cedar Bay to Home Rule, south of Cooktown in Cape York, when she became separated from her companions on Saturday.
She had been in the remote area to attend the Orin Aya Festival and decided to stay on to explore.
But a wrong turn on a track saw her alone, dressed in only a singlet and shorts, without food or mobile reception.
"I missed a turn. I crossed a creek and I just ended up in the middle of the jungle," Ms Castrillon said.
"I tried to turn back and then I was walking and walking and eventually I had to accept I was lost in the middle of nowhere.
"That's when I listened for a river, because I thought if I stay close to the water, I would be okay."
Ms Castrillon, who lives in northern New South Wales, said she set up her tent and prayed.
"And I accepted that if I'm going to die, that's fine," she said.
"I was preparing for it"
'Everything is poison'
A large-scale search involving the State Emergency Service (SES), police and a helicopter, began searching for Ms Castrillon on Monday after friends raised the alarm on Sunday night.
Police searching for Ms Castrillon spoke of the area's challenges, which include deep ravines, venomous snakes and crocodiles.
"At the beginning when I realised I was lost, I was very concerned about the animals and the wild, the mosquitoes," Ms Castrillon said.
"Everything is poison, apparently.
"But I tried to keep calm — I'm still alive and I need to help myself."
Surviving on water and faith
Ms Castrillon said she did not eat anything during the ordeal, but did drink water from the nearby creek.
"I was expecting people to come everyday, and then it wasn't today, or the next day," she said.
She was eventually found on Wednesday afternoon by two SES volunteers.
"On Wednesday I woke up and said, 'Today's the day. Please, God.'
"And then I saw two guys crossing the river and I said to them, 'I'm lost', because I didn't know if anyone was looking for me."
Feeling 'extraordinarily grateful'
Ms Castrillon is recovering with family friends, who live in Cairns, until she feels well enough to travel back to NSW.
She said she was "extraordinarily grateful" to those involved in the search effort.
"So many people were involved and I'm so thankful to them but also very sorry for the trouble," Ms Castrillon said.
"The police, the volunteers, my friends and family who didn't give up."
