Celine CREMER
Celine CREMER
The sister of missing Belgian tourist Celine Cremer has posted on social media, asking for help to find her after her car was located on Tuesday afternoon in Tasmania's remote north-west.
Police received a "concern for welfare" report for the 31-year-old on Monday.
They say she was last seen in the town of Waratah on June 17.
Inspector Steve Jones said Ms Cremer's car had been found unattended in a car park at the Philosopher Falls Track near Waratah yesterday.
"We believe it's been there at least a couple of days, and we're seeking members of the public's assistance to help us ascertain if it's been there any longer," he said.
Searchers resumed scouring the area at first light on Wednesday.
Weather conditions are poor, with light snowfall.
"This morning we have search and rescue members abseiling down some steep areas where we can't actually access through walking," Inspector Jones said.
"We've also got the Westpac rescue helicopter on the way, as well as having a drone in the area as well to try and see if we can locate her.
"It's always our goal to find someone alive, safe, and well. It's obviously a concern given the amount of time she has been missing or hasn't reported into her family."
Ms Cremer's family says she has not been in contact with them since June 16.
Her sister, Amelie Cremer, asked for help finding her sister in a post on Facebook.
"We have not heard from my sister Cé Crmr Wber since June 16, 2023," she wrote.
"She was on a road trip to Tasmania before joining Victoria by Ferry on June 21, 2023 aboard her vehicle.
"If you have any information on my sister, please contact me directly or my mom Ariane Cremer."
"Please share this post widely and help us find her."
Amelie Cremer also shared a message of hope.
"Thank you everyone for your tokens of support, messages and shares," she posted.
"We are all keeping hope alive, we are putting things into place, keep sharing and talking about it around you. Thanks again so much!"
Police have urged anyone who has been in the Philosopher Falls car park since June 17 to call them.
The falls are about 10 kilometres from the town of Waratah, and the track walk takes about 45 minutes.
The falls are set in thick rainforest and the track is described as easily accessible.
Daytime temperatures in the area have been about 5 to 8 degrees Celsius, and about 1C to 2C at night.
Ms Cremer was travelling the state in a white Honda CRV with registration number E40TF.
Police will hold a media conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Police searching for Belgian tourist Celine Cremer say the freezing conditions where she is lost in Tasmania's north-west are "not survivable' for the length of time she has been missing.
The 31-year-old who has been living in Tasmania since the start of the year set off on a solo road trip earlier this month, with the aim of travelling by ferry to Melbourne on June 21.
But she failed to board the Spirit of Tasmania, and as the days ticked by her family became increasingly concerned, reporting her missing on June 26.
The following day, her white Honda CRV was found at a car park near Philosopher Falls in the state's north-west where authorities have been focusing their search efforts.
There has been no sign of Ms Cremer, who was last seen in the nearby town of Waratah on June 17.
Police believe her car has been at the falls since at least June 20 the same day her mobile phone sent its last signal.
Conditions in the area are extremely cold, with snow falling over recent days.
About 20 police and State Emergency Service personnel are involved in the search near Philosopher Falls a 45-minute stroll from where Celine's car was located.
But after three days of searching, Inspector Anthea Maingay said police held "growing concerns" about her welfare.
"The search so far has included ground search crews and police drones and helicopters, but unfortunately no further signs of Celine have been located since her car was found in the Philosopher Falls car park on Tuesday," she said.
"Weather conditions have been challenging over the past few days, with freezing temperatures, snow and rain occurring."
"Unfortunately, we have received expert medical advice that indicates the recent conditions are not survivable for the length of time that Celine is thought to have been exposed in the wilderness."
"All Indications are at this stage that she has gone to take a walk, and she has perhaps slipped, injured herself and fallen, become disorientated, or maybe fallen into the water," Inspector Maingay said.
She said search teams had focused on the track to the falls, as well as the sides of the track.
"Weather dependent, we will be going down into the base of the waterfall and searching the canopy leading down into the waterfall, and the water at the base of it."
Inspector Maingay said police remained in close contact with Celine's family.
"The search effort is continuing but we are dealing with extremely dense bushland and the challenging weather conditions are expected to worsen over the coming days."
Earlier, Ms Cremer's sister Amelie told the ABC the family had "started to be worried last week because we sent her messages and [didn't] have a response".
"So we started to contact police on Monday this week."
Amelie, who lives in Belgium, said her sister came to Australia to "pursue her dreams".
"She's always loved to travel, she loves family, she loves her friends," she said.
"She has a big heart."
Amelie said Celine communicated regularly with her family but prior to setting off on her road trip, she advised them she would be out of range for part of the journey.
"She said to us, 'don't be worried, I will go on trek, I will go visit [places], maybe I don't have a signal on my phone, so don't be worried.' "
Rescue efforts for a missing Belgian tourist will now turn to swift water searching in Philosopher Falls, as a week passes since she was reported missing.
Celine Cremer is thought to have parked her car and journeyed on a day walk at Philosopher Falls in Tasmania's north-west.
Police found the vehicle on June 27, and believe it had been there since at least June 20, which was the last time her mobile phone had signal.
The 31-year-old was due to board the Spirit of Tasmania to the mainland on June 21, but never arrived at the terminal.
Her last reported sighting was at the nearby town of Waratah on June 17.
Police have said with the hostile weather conditions freezing temperatures, rain, snow and wind and the understanding Ms Cremer was only prepared for a short walk, she is unlikely to have survived her time in the wilderness.
On Tuesday, police search and rescue teams will conduct swift water searching, with trained personnel entering fast-moving waterways while secured by ropes in the Philosopher Falls area.
Philip Benfield, a swift water technical instructor with the private company Search and Rescue Services, said searches generally involved a watercraft, which trained rescuers were attached to.
He said personnel were usually kitted out with ropes, carabiners, pulleys, life jackets, wetsuits and helmets as they worked in moving water the advantage is it can help rescuers search beneath the surface, in areas which might not be visible from a boat.
"You can't see under rapids because of the bubbly whitewater," he said.
Mr Benfield said swift water search was risky, depending on the river's grading, but if areas were isolated and searched in sections, it could be done safely.
"Realistically, anything above grade three, you're going to need really good experts to come in and perform some sort of search of that area," he said.
Inspector Anthea Maingay said there had been no trace of Ms Cremer since her car was found.
"We're doing this in a bid to find some answers for Celine's family, before we begin to scale back the search," she said.
"Our thoughts continue to be with Celine's family and her loved ones at this difficult time."
Last week, Inspector Maingay said if Ms Cremer had ended up in the river, she would most likely be caught by the fourth or fifth obstacle.
At the weekend, crews searched tracks surrounding the falls, and trails offsetting nearby Butlers Road, and redeployed a rescue helicopter, after it was halted due to conditions.
Last week, they concentrated efforts around the Philosopher Falls waterfall, with the rescue team rappelling from the viewing platform into the surrounding bushland and thick vegetation.
They also scoured the Philosopher Falls track and its surrounds.
A search for Celine Cremer in fast-moving water at Philosopher Falls in Tasmania has failed to uncover any sign of the missing Belgian tourist.
The last reported sighting of Ms Cremer was on June 17 in Waratah, a short drive from the falls in the state's remote north-west.
Police began searching for the 31-year-old after a "concern for welfare report" was lodged by her family in Belgium on June 26.
The next day police located her car at the falls' car park, where they believe it had been there since at least June 20 the same day her mobile phone gave out its last signal.
Ms Cremer is believed to have parked her car at the car park and set out for the short day walk.
On Tuesday, police search and rescue teams conducted swift-water searches in the Philosopher Falls area, which involved trained personnel entering the rapids while secured to ropes.
They were kitted out with wetsuits, life jackets and helmets as they waded through the water.
Police Inspector Anthea Maingay said the search did not uncover any signs of Ms Cremer.
"Unfortunately, today's search efforts did not provide us with any further answers about Celine's whereabouts," she said.
"We are continuing to review the search effort so far to determine next steps, and our thoughts continue to be with Celine's family and loved ones at this difficult time."
Inspector Maingay urged anyone who had been to the Philosopher Falls area on June 17 and 18 to contact police, whether they believed they had relevant information or not.
On Monday, Inspector Maingay said the water search was an effort to give Ms Cremer's family some answers before the search was scaled back.
Crews have spent days scouring the track and its surrounds on foot, using ATVs, a helicopter and a drone.
They have also rappelled from the waterfall's viewing platform into the surrounding bushland.