Police then went to a campsite at a nearby national park where they arrested Ms Michels, his fiancee, in Dimboola about an hour later.
Police said other campers also in the national park raised the alarm after recognising the pair from media reports.
They had been holed up in a bush campsite on a river bed in the Dimboola National Park, police said.
Speaking outside the Frankston Police Station, Detective Inspector Shayne Pannell said police had made contact with the couples’ families.
He said police were uncertain how long the pair had been camping, but said it had been at least “several days”.
He said the pair appeared to have lost some weight, but had not attempted to disguise their appearance and were both arrested without incident.
“It was an approach to Craig, (he was) identified and taken into custody. When police attended the campsite on the river bank, Rebecca came forward and identified herself,” he said.
The couple had been aware of the media coverage about their case, but he was unsure whether that included pleas for them to come forward from their families.
Ms Michel’s father, Ross McAdie, told the Herald Sun that her family was “very, very relieved” they had been found safe.
“It’s been a long time,” he said.
“We haven’t spoken to her yet, but from a parent’s point of view you hope every minute of the day it was going to end. Thankfully we are there.”
Mr McAdie was due to fly from Darwin to Melbourne, with wife Patricia, last night or this morning.
“Now we can turn our attention to defending the allegations,” he said.
heraldsun.com.au
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