On tonight’s Australian Story, a missing hiker case in Tasmania is revisited through the eyes of a friend who refuses to stop searching.
The program follows her cross-continental journey for answers, as volunteers retrace Celine Cremer’s final steps in a deeply personal pursuit of closure.
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How far would you go for a friend? For Justine Ropet, the best friend of Belgian backpacker Celine Cremer since childhood, almost to the ends of the earth.
On a cold afternoon in June 2023, Celine, 31, set out alone on what should have been a short hike in in north-west Tasmania. She was never seen alive again.
The search for Celine Cremer unfolds in Tasmania, with friends and volunteers retracing her final steps in pursuit of answers (image – ABC)
After several failed attempts to find any trace of Celine, the police suspended the search and friends and family were left with no clue as to what had happened.
But Justine needed answers and moved from Belgium to Tasmania for seven months in an effort to find them.
“My biggest fear was that Celine might have been kept somewhere and suffering,” Justine tells Australian Story.
“I really wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case.”
Two and half years later, a team of local volunteers and friends launched a search into the bush where Celine had disappeared.
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“It’s about everyone banding together,” says search leader and private detective Ken Gamble.
“Hopefully we can solve this case and we can get the closure.”
In a gripping two-part story, Australian Story follows the search parties as they scour the rough terrain to retrace Celine’s final steps and find the answers they were looking for.
Remains found in January have now been confirmed as Celine’s and the second episode features moving scenes in Belgium as Celine’s family and friends come to terms with their loss and celebrate a life cut short.
In an exclusive interview, Celine’s mother Ariane expresses her gratitude to all those who were involved in the many searches for Celine.
“They have brought me confidence in humanity,” she tells Australian Story.
For Celine’s friend Justine, she will “continue to remember Celine by travelling” and by living her life “to the fullest”.
Producer: Erin Semmler.
This episode of Australian Story airs tonight, Monday 13 April at 8:00pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
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