Celine Cremer's search party finds hope in a mobile phone discovery, as they eagerly await improved weather conditions. Emotions ran high when the phone belonging to the missing Belgian tourist was found on the first day of a renewed search in Tasmania's northwest wilderness. Adventure filmmaker Rob Parsons, a key searcher, described it as a stroke of fate. He shared, 'I don't think there was a dry eye in the area. Everyone was so emotional. Everything was building up to this point where her friends could be here for the discovery. It felt like it was meant to be.' The last confirmed sighting of Ms. Cremer was in Waratah, Tasmania's northwest, on June 17, 2023. She was reported missing on June 26. Her car was found near the walking track to Philosopher Falls, just outside Waratah, the next day. The initial search continued for two weeks, and police have conducted follow-up searches since, but no further signs of Ms. Cremer have been found until Saturday. Mr. Parsons recounted the moment they heard the phone had been found while searching with Celine's friends from Belgium. He said, 'It must have been a twist of fate because everyone was heading toward the same direction minutes before the phone was found, and then there was a call out that someone had found a phone. There was a lot of emotion and excitement.' The phone discovery provided renewed hope for the search party, which had been postponed on Sunday due to poor weather. Mr. Parsons expressed, 'It put so much wind in everyone's sails. Because it's tough terrain out there and it's easy to get worn out and feel helpless. But having that happen before lunch on the first day—it was incredible.' Two-and-a-half years after the initial police-led efforts, officers will again search for the 31-year-old, joining rather than leading the current search. Inspector Andrew Hanson of Tasmania Police shared, 'Our role [now] is really to acknowledge the work that Ken's done, but it really is to help support him. The area that needs to be searched now is still very large and challenging for technology. Our role will be to support that search by providing extra numbers to increase the footprint on the ground.' Mr. Parsons emphasized the importance of luck and numbers in the search, stating that the police didn't have the same resources as the current search team. He mentioned that social media helped recruit 25 experienced off-track walkers and that some of Ms. Cremer's friends flew in from Belgium to assist. Celine's mother, Ariane, expressed her gratitude to the search crews, including a special mention for volunteer Tony Hage, who found the phone. Around 35 people were part of the search on Saturday, and it is expected to resume on Tuesday, weather permitting. Mr. Parsons welcomed the police reinforcements, highlighting the challenging bushland terrain. He concluded, 'We'll just cross our fingers and keep putting in the work. We've got a few fine days coming up, so we've got a really good opportunity to get that final closure. I think now we know for sure that Celine headed south off the hill, which has eliminated a lot of the area that needed to be searched, so we're right on the tail.'
