Shannon Fraser: Australia's accidental Bear Grylls Shannon was lost in the Queensland bush for 17 days, starving, naked and alone. We retrace her steps through snake, croc and spider-infested forest and reveal the true miracle of her survival. Courtesy Sunday Night. Shannon Fraser with her daughter Takirah. Sunday Night viewers heard the brutal details of an Australian woman's harrowing ordeal, lost in the bush for 17 days, as she finally recounted exactly what happened in an interview on Seven last night. Queensland mother-of-three Shannon Fraser went missing in rugged bushland just north of Innisfail, Queensland after wandering off from Golden Hole Reserve, a popular fishing spot she was visiting with her fiancee and a friend. Awaking at dusk after a nap, Ms Fraser, 30, became disoriented and was unable to find the track leading back to the reserve. Her panicked fiance, Heath Cassidy, wandered the bushland for three hours yelling Ms Fraser's name before he called the police and reported her missing on September 21. Her disappearance sparked a vast search in which emergency crews spent 800 hours scouring the area. Shannon Fraser's partner Heath Cassidy said he took a photo of his fiancee with him everywhere. Seven reporter Denham Hitchcock retraced Ms Fraser's steps through the snake, croc and spider-infested bushland over the course of the 17 days, where she remained naked, starving and totally alone. Ms Fraser, who survived on insects, creek water and fish, said after seven days the severe hunger pains began to kick in and she was constantly exhausted from endless walking and exposure to the harsh elements. "The nights were the scariest because it was pitch black, that's how dark the jungle is," she said. I just wanted to go home ... I cried for my dad a lot, and kept thinking that I miss my family, I miss my kids. I kept seeing pictures of my youngest girl as a baby. I knew she would be taking it the hardest. Crocodile warning signs at Golden Hole swimming place near Mt Bartle Frere. Mr Cassidy said he knew Ms Fraser's family were convinced he was involved in her sudden disappearance, but said he was adamant she was still alive and never gave up hope. I knew she was alive. I could feel it. There was a reason why I could feel it, it's because she's got a hand over my heart," he told Sunday Night. It was hard knowing that they're pretty much thinking that I've done something. I was in and out of interviews with police. The pair met in 2006 and had gotten engaged just two days before Ms Fraser disappeared. Shannon Fraser's family at her Innisfail, Queensland home. With an awareness of the dangers of the river Ms Fraser said she tried to stay inland, but after 12 days she had no choice but to face the water - and crocodiles - to see if she could find her way out. By this stage she was delirious, naked, starving and covered in cuts and bruises that had become infected. Swimming downstream she then crawled onto a rock in the middle of the river to sleep and waited on that rock for another three days, too terrified to get back in the water while she was menstruating. Exposed to the blistering sun and burning on the rock, Ms Fraser suffered intense burns to her whole body. 15 days after Ms Fraser disappeared, the search was suspended and her family began to face the devastating reality. Police thought she may have been murdered or even taken by a croc. The extent of Ms Fraser's physical injuries can be seen here. But on October 8, 17 days after she went missing, Ms Fraser stumbled out of the bush about 30 metres from where she was last seen. She was discovered by a farmer and was wearing a hessian bag she had found. "When I ran down I saw the one car in the car park, but I stopped because I didn't want to scare the driver," she told Sunday Night. But he opened the door right away and said, everyone's been looking for you. Rushed to Innisfail Hospital, Ms Fraser suffered extensive injuries, including insect bites, scratches, severe sunburn and infections and had lost 17 kilos. Mr Cassidy said of the first time he saw his partner in the hospital: "It took me a couple of minutes to realise it was her, she looked so different. She looked like a wild woman. Ms Fraser's incredible tale of survival triggered plenty of doubts. Police said at the time they were confident the extensive 800-hour search would have located her. But her story was treated as nothing short of miraculous by Sunday Night viewers last night, with many even referring to her as Australia's very own "Bear Grylls." "I'm so happy to be home with family, I couldn't wish for more than that," Ms Fraser said in the interview. I feel like I've grown a bit wiser. I think I've aged a bit too. I won't take life for granted again. Life's too short. The creek near Golden Hole swimming place that runs up towards Mt Bartle Frere. Originally published as How did "Australia's Bear Grylls" survive?