AN Aussie couple were rescued from a crocodile-infested swamp after they lit fires and wrote ‘HELP’ in the mud.

Shantelle Johnson and her partner Colen Nulgit got their vehicle stuck in Keep River National Park, in the Northern Territory, during a fishing trip.

The couple, from Kununurra, and their puppy, Ace, were rescued by a search team at Barra Hole, Marralum on Monday afternoon after they had been missing for 26 hours.

The couple spent Sunday night in their stuck car but didn’t get much sleep as they had spotted crocodile tracks earlier and were worried the tide might bring the reptiles closer to where they were stranded, reports ABC News.

Colen said: "We were stuck on the marshland and we were right next to saltwater.

“Earlier that day we saw two, three croc tracks – they were about five, six metres long.

"We stayed in the car the first night and then we saw the water rising.

"We grabbed everything and took it about 20, 30 metres from the car."

Shantelle said: "We tried digging and we tried putting stuff under the tyres but it didn't budge.

“We were pretty scared and worried, but we were just hoping someone would come.”

Fortunately the couple had told their families where they were going and when they would be back.

But by the time the search team spotted the smoke from their fire and the sign in the mud the pair were getting worried.

Colin said: "When they [the rescuers] came a bit lower to the ground, we jumped out of the car and started to wave them down.

"It was overwhelming, emotional yeah … we were pretty happy that we'd made it."

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Kununurra police praised the couple for staying with their vehicle and letting family know where they were going.

Acting Sergeant Dean Andrzejaczek said: "It could have been a different story if they hadn't done that.

"It's always a good idea to tell family where you're going and what time you are expected back."

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