The mother of four-year-old Shayla Phillips says it has been an emotional 24 hours reuniting with her daughter, who was found by rescue teams on the third day of the search operation.
"I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart with everything I have that I am currently sitting here with my precious baby girl with a few bruises scratches bites and an urine infection after spending over 48 hours alone in the Bush," Bianca Page said in a post on Facebook, adding that she is "forever grateful".
The four-year-old Tasmanian girl spent the night with her family after two nights lost in remote bushland.
Shayla went missing on the Tasman Peninsula on Wednesday afternoon and was found on Friday one kilometre from where she was last seen.
About 100 people were involved in the search efforts, and as rescue crews feared she would have to spent another night in the open, she was found just after 4pm Friday.
Ms Page thanked those in the search teams and members of the public for their well wishes.
"The messages I received from everybody your thoughts and prayers were all so over welming [sic] I seriously honestly cannot thankyou enough," she said.
State Emergency Service crews conducting a close-to-ground search spotted her on a steep slope in dense bushland near Halls Rd in Stormlea.
Emergency service workers joined the search for Shayla Phillips. Credit: AAP
"It was obviously very emotional when I passed the happy news on to mum. She was very grateful," he told reporters.
She was then taken to hospital in Hobart by ambulance.
The area where she was found was about 500 metres from the nearest home, and had previously been searched from the air, but not on foot.
Inspector Hallett said he knew that search crews, combing their way through dense bushland, simply had to persevere.
Helicopters and aerial search teams scoured the area for three days, looking for Shayla Phillips. Credit: Tasmania Police
Thermal imaging drones, helicopters, divers and sniffer dogs from Victoria Police were involved in the search.
Shayla had been playing outside with dogs from a neighbouring property when she went missing.
Late on Friday, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said the news was heartwarming and thanked everyone who helped with the search.
"We are all so pleased to see little Shayla reunited with her family and friends following this positive outcome," Mr Gutwein said.
