In a stunning development deep in Tasmania’s rugged wilderness, a private search team has uncovered the mobile phone belonging to Celine Cremer, the Belgian tourist who vanished more than two and a half years ago. The find, made on December 13, 2025, near Philosopher Falls, marks the most significant progress in the case since phone data was initially recovered from servers over two years prior. For Cremer’s family, enduring endless uncertainty, this discovery has sparked the first glimmers of hope – and even smiles – amid years of heartache.

Celine Cremer, a 31-year-old experienced traveler from Belgium, was last seen on June 17, 2023, in the small town of Waratah, northwestern Tasmania. She had been exploring Australia for months and planned a short bushwalk to the scenic Philosopher Falls, a relatively easy trail near Cradle Mountain. Her white Honda CRV was found parked at the trailhead nine days later, on June 26, prompting an immediate missing person report. Extensive initial searches by Tasmania Police, involving helicopters, ground teams, and challenging winter conditions, turned up nothing. Experts concluded survival beyond a few weeks was unlikely in the harsh, dense rainforest terrain.

The case went cold despite occasional follow-ups, including cadaver dog deployments based on earlier phone pings. Frustrated but determined, Cremer’s friends and family hired private investigator Ken Gamble, who analyzed recovered GPS data suggesting she may have veered off the marked track. This data indicated Cremer possibly used a mapping app to take a shortcut back to her car as daylight faded, leading her into thicker bushland where she became disoriented.

In December 2025, a renewed private effort brought friends from Belgium to Tasmania, joining local volunteers and organized by historian Rob Parsons and others. On the very first day of this five-day search, veteran volunteer Tony Hage spotted a damp but intact purple Samsung phone partially hidden under leaves – just 60-100 meters from her last known GPS point, in an area previously scoured multiple times. The serial number confirmed it was Cremer’s device, sending waves of emotion through the team. Hage described the moment as overwhelming, with high spirits returning as the group realized this could unlock new clues.

Tasmania Police quickly confirmed the find and announced they would formally join the independent search, deploying trained rescue officers and SES volunteers once weather permits. The phone, now undergoing forensic examination, supports the theory that Cremer dropped it while attempting a direct route, continuing onward without it and getting lost in the treacherous undergrowth.

This breakthrough has reignited optimism. While the dense, unforgiving Tasmanian bush holds many secrets, the discovery validates years of persistent efforts by loved ones. Police remain in close contact with Cremer’s mother in Belgium, providing updates that have brought rare moments of relief. As searches resume, the focus shifts to the likely path she took after losing the phone, offering a renewed chance for closure in one of Australia’s most baffling missing persons cases.

The wilderness of Tasmania reminds us how quickly plans can unravel, but also how perseverance can shine light into the darkest unknowns.