“And as we were crossing to the other side, a wall of about a metre of flood water hit us and took us with it,” Tony said.
The pair and their dogs were trapped inside the car, which started sinking into into croc-infested waters.
With about two inches to spare, Lisa managed to get the passenger window open and they swam to safety. But then, they were stranded in 40C heat.
“I found three old cans, a coke can, an old XXXX Gold can and cut the tops off them,” Tony said.
They sheltered under branches, were ravaged by insects and stalked by a local crocodile.
“I’d made myself a pointy stick and we spent the night defending ourselves from a croc, potentially coming up the bank and having us for dinner,” Tony said.
The ordeal only ended when friends reported Tony and Lisa missing and rescue crews spotted the two in the rugged outback.
“You start thinking nobody’s coming, you know somebody’s coming, but your brain’s ticking over,” Lisa said.
While the pair were discovered safe and sound, the two have been faced with the reality of starting from scratch again.
“We’ve literally lost everything,” Tony said, Lisa adding: “Everything’s gone.”