After more than two years of unanswered questions, searchers say they have found what is believed to be a makeshift shelter, possibly used by missing bushwalker Celine Cremer. The discovery hints at a desperate fight for survival deep in the Tasmanian wilderness — yet it also forces investigators to confront a chilling reality: how long did she last, and why was she never found until now?

The breakthrough came on December 16, 2025, when a private search team led by Cremer’s Belgian friends located the rudimentary structure—branches woven into a lean-to with fern fronds for cover—near Philosopher Falls in the takayna/Tarkine rainforest. Tasmania Police confirmed the find, describing it as “consistent with survival attempts” and linking it to Cremer’s December 2025 phone discovery in the same area. “She fought to stay alive,” Detective Sergeant Mark Gregson said. “This shelter suggests she endured longer than we thought—perhaps days or weeks.”

Celine Cremer, a 31-year-old philosophy graduate from Brussels on a working holiday visa, vanished on April 12, 2021, during a solo hike. Her last text to mother Marieke: “Lost in the wild—pure magic.” Extensive 2021 searches yielded nothing; the case went cold until Belgian volunteers’ 2025 efforts unearthed her phone and now this shelter.

The makeshift structure—3 meters long, camouflaged with leaves—contained traces of Cremer’s gear: a torn rain jacket fragment and food wrapper. “She was resourceful—building this shows determination,” volunteer Sophie van der Velde said. But the haunting question lingers: if she survived initially, why no trace until now? Exposure, injury, or disorientation in the dense, foggy terrain are theories.

Marieke Cremer: “My girl fought—knowing this breaks and heals my heart.” Police expand searches; hope flickers amid grief.