Missed call from mum sparks manhunt for German newlyweds

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Nathalie (Eich), 26, and Benjamin Kress, 29, have been travelling through Australia since October 2019. The couple eloped in Kalgoorlie on July 8 and were last seen at 80 Mile Beach on July 21.

They had told family members they were going to travel the Gibb River Rd, a 660km track through the Kimberley region, recommended only for experienced four-wheel drivers. Mrs Kress told NCA NewsWire she and her new husband had decided to drive from Derby to Kununurra, near the NT border and take their time so they could enjoy the stunning outback with less tourists on the road with them. But in their slow voyage north through an area with notoriously bad reception, the pair missed a very important phone call.

She said, Benjamin’s mum is normally in contact with us once a week and we just told her and other family members that we were driving on the Gibb River Rd. (When we told her), we didn’t know how long we wanted to be on that road. So after one week Benjamin’s mum got nervous, started overthinking and had the worst nightmares.

It was around this time the couple were reported missing and WA Police issued a media release asking for help to find them. The information was shared by dozens of news outlets across the country and widely on social media. As the couple approached the end of the road, they were able to briefly connect to a phone tower, and Mrs Kress said a few messages came through on her phone from people trying to check on her.

She said, I got some messages saying: ‘Hey you OK? There are people searching for you!. We drove the next day to the only point at the Gibb about 80km from Wyndham, where you have Telstra reception and received hundreds of messages on all channels (social media, texts, etc.). We were shocked it was such a big wave.

The couple contacted police to report themselves not missing and had to speak to officers at three different police stations to confirm they were alive and well before attending a station in Kununurra the next day.

Mrs Kress said, It was totally crazy. The police told us they were looking for us and asked where we were, if we were fine … we told them that we were just on the Gibb River Rd without reception. They smiled and said they already thought that but had to check it.

The couple are now headed back to Perth via Lake Argyle, Purnululu National Park and Karijini National Park. They will stop in Coral Bay to get a diving licence before heading back to the city.