{"id":435555,"date":"2026-01-25T01:23:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T01:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435555\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T01:23:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T01:23:21","slug":"searching-for-celine-how-youtube-filmmaker-rob-parsons-helped-the-search-for-missing-tourist-celine-cremer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435555\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for Celine: How YouTube filmmaker Rob Parsons helped the search for missing tourist Celine Cremer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A renewed search for Celine Cremer, more than two years after she disappeared in remote north-west Tasmania, attracted international attention.<\/p>\n

Many of the people who tuned in to the private search party’s efforts have done so through the action camera and smartphone lenses of Rob Parsons.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

Filmmaker Rob Parsons has helped draw attention to the search for Ms Cremer. (ABC News: Mackenzie Heard)<\/p>\n

He calls himself a filmmaker, though some may know him as a YouTuber, who lives about two hours away from where the Belgian woman disappeared in June 2023.<\/p>\n

Before her disappearance, Mr Parsons cast himself as a wilderness explorer and amateur prospector, and amassed hundreds of thousands of views on remote gold panning and mineral fossicking videos.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Rob Parsons initially cast himself as a wilderness explorer and amateur prospector. (Supplied: Rob Parsons)<\/p>\n

But in recent months, it is his videos documenting the wilderness where the 31-year-old tourist vanished that have made up for the bulk of views to his channel, and garnered widespread support.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Celine Cremer disappeared in June 2023. (Supplied: Facebook)<\/p>\n

A visitor to Tasmania disappears<\/p>\n

Celine Cremer disappeared in June 2023 on a bushwalk at Philosopher Falls, near Waratah in Tasmania’s north-west, in wintry conditions police said were “not survivable”.<\/p>\n

Despite a weeks-long search effort by emergency services, including with the use of a cadaver dog, they found no further trace of her at the time.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Celine Cremer visited Hobart’s kunanyi\/Mount Wellington. (Supplied: Facebook)<\/p>\n

Over the next two-and-a-half years Ms Cremer’s loved ones started organising a private search.<\/p>\n

During that period, Mr Parsons was travelling to the area and filming his own search efforts.<\/p>\n

Celine Cremer searchers ‘take a breath’ to wait for forensics<\/a><\/p>\n

After a “massive step forward” in the search for missing tourist Celine Cremer, the wait begins for the results of forensic tests on items discovered in the dense Tasmanian bush.<\/p>\n

A five-day search took place in mid-December.<\/p>\n

Although the stated goal of finding Ms Cremer’s remains was unsuccessful, finding her mobile phone was a significant breakthrough.<\/p>\n

The discovery was a vindication for Mr Parsons, who had stirred such interest in the case online that outdoor enthusiasts travelled from across Australia to volunteer their time and expertise for the search.<\/p>\n

\"Rob<\/p>\n

Rob Parsons has been documenting his searches for Celine Cremer. (YouTube: Rob Parsons)<\/p>\n

Building a following through exploring wilderness<\/p>\n

Mr Parsons started filming his ventures into Tasmania’s wilderness about six years ago while working at his family grocery store on the north-west coast.<\/p>\n

He began researching areas of the Tasmanian wilderness that had been popular with gold prospectors in previous decades and centuries, which he said had never been recorded or shared online.<\/p>\n

“It was a void I was glad to fill,” he said.<\/p>\n

Without significant outdoor experience beforehand, he said he was able to begin making an income from documenting his wilderness experiences online.<\/p>\n

“It was a massive leap, and it took a lot of focus and commitment,” he said.<\/p>\n

“And I’m so glad that it did, as it set me on a totally new trajectory for life.”\"A<\/p>\n

Rob Parsons has been filming his ventures into the Tasmanian wilderness for the past six years. (Supplied:\u00a0Rob Parsons)<\/p>\n

Although he publishes his videos on YouTube, Mr Parsons shies away from the term ‘YouTuber’ as he does not want to be associated with social media influencers.<\/p>\n

“I consider influencers people of lesser talent,” he said.<\/p>\n

“At least with ‘filmmaker’, it’s like, well, this is my skill.”Joining forces with a private investigator<\/p>\n

With that skill, and an interest in unusual stories and unanswered questions, Mr Parsons connected with the private investigator Ken Gamble, seeking Ms Cremer’s phone data, in 2024.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ken Gamble says his objective has been to try and give closure to Ms Cremer’s family. (ABC News: Christopher Gillette)<\/p>\n

Mr Gamble had been given access to Ms Cremer’s online accounts by her family, after her friends had sought him out while he was investigating the disappearance of another Belgian tourist \u2014 18-year-old Theo Hayez<\/a> \u2014 who went missing from Byron Bay in New South Wales.<\/p>\n

Mr Gamble provided Mr Parsons with the data, as he knew about the filmmaker’s interest in the case, and they appeared set on reaching the same goal.<\/p>\n

“My objective always has been to try and give closure to the [Cremer] family,” Mr Gamble said.<\/p>\n

Mr Gamble said that the two cases were “strikingly similar” in how Ms Cremer and Mr Hayez had both left a trail of GPS coordinates from their phones, which proved vital to search efforts.<\/p>\n

And that data became the hook of the first video Mr Parsons published on Ms Cremer’s disappearance, which as at the time of writing had more than 900,000 views on YouTube.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

An indicative map showing the general area of Celine Cremer’s final known movements, based on mobile phone data. (ABC News: Magie Khameneh)<\/p>\n

Mr Gamble said he was initially surprised Mr Parsons published that video, as he did not expect the phone data to be a part of any filmmaking.<\/p>\n

But, he said, the data being made public was ultimately a good thing if it painted a clearer picture of where Ms Cremer had disappeared.<\/p>\n

And, Mr Gamble said, Ms Cremer’s family was supportive of Mr Parsons’ efforts, which is highlighted across social media as her friends and loved ones shared his posts and videos.<\/p>\n

“The family was very happy with what Rob was doing as he was creating awareness,” he said.\"Ken<\/p>\n

Ken Gamble holding Ms Cremer’s phone after it was found by a volunteer who was part of the private search in December. (Australian Story: Morgan Timms)<\/p>\n

A volunteer army makes an incredible discovery<\/p>\n

And that awareness led to a large contingent of volunteers putting their hands up to invest their own time and money to be a part of the search.<\/p>\n

“He was responsible for stirring up these volunteers and getting all these people to come forward,” Mr Gamble said.<\/p>\n

The day before the search, some of those volunteers spoke to the ABC and singled out Mr Parsons’ YouTube channel as the reason they had travelled \u2014 in some cases thousands of kilometres \u2014 to Waratah.<\/p>\n

But, to ensure safety and minimise distraction, Mr Gamble separated the search party into two groups.<\/p>\n

Mr Parsons, intending to film his involvement, was in one group with Ms Cremer’s friends and his father.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A water bottle found during the search for Celine Cremer in December. (YouTube: Rob Parsons)<\/p>\n

Mr Gamble led a second group of about 30 volunteers with a broad range of expertise in wilderness searching, including Tony Hage, the man who found the phone.<\/p>\n

And it’s agreed by those involved in the search, the phone would not have been found without the sheer number of people who volunteered in response to the YouTube videos.<\/p>\n

“It was really heartwarming,” Mr Parsons said.<\/p>\n

“I knew that as soon as we got the numbers in there, that something big was going to happen.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Rob Parsons with friends of Ms Cremer’s who travelled from Belgium to take part in the December search. (Supplied: Rob Parsons)<\/p>\n

Responding to criticism<\/p>\n

Despite the outpouring of support from the volunteers and ongoing praise shared on social media, Mr Parsons is aware of a small number voicing scepticism about his involvement.<\/p>\n

He was asked what he makes of people who think he is using the tragedy to build an online following.<\/p>\n

“I feel sorry for people who think that way,” he said.<\/p>\n

“If you look at life through that type of negative lens, you’re never going to see the good in the world.<\/p>\n

“There’s just a certain percentage of the world that when it comes to online stuff you just need to ignore.”<\/p>\n

Similarly, Mr Gamble knows that some may be cynical about private investigators and believes the successes of the search may change some minds.<\/p>\n

“There are unfortunately people out there in this profession that aren’t very professional,” he said.<\/p>\n

“But I think that we have a reputation, we have been around a long time.<\/p>\n

“I knew that if we do this properly, we have got a high chance of success.”<\/p>\n

And, he says, his business took on Ms Cremer’s case on a pro-bono basis \u2014 free of charge \u2014 but not because he expected it to attract widespread attention.<\/p>\n

“We don’t need the publicity, to be honest.”The future of the search<\/p>\n

Weeks on from the search, both men have returned to their versions of normality, but the search for Ms Cremer is never far from their minds.<\/p>\n

Tasmania Police is doing forensic tests on her phone, as well as on a garbage bag and water bottle discovered during the search that may have belonged to her.<\/p>\n

\"Celine<\/p>\n

The search for Celine Cremer is continuing, Rob Parsons says. (Facebook)<\/p>\n

Mr Parsons has published three videos about what was found during that week to his YouTube channel, which have racked up more than half-a-million views so far.<\/p>\n

And Mr Gamble said the WhatsApp group set up among the search volunteers continued to be updated regularly as efforts continue to find more clues about where Ms Cremer went.<\/p>\n

What were Celine Cremer’s final known movements?<\/a><\/p>\n

More than two years on, new evidence is helping clarify what is known about Celine Cremer’s disappearance.<\/p>\n

In recent posts in the private Facebook group dedicated to the search for Ms Cremer, other members also continue to share ideas and document their own efforts.<\/p>\n

Mr Parsons recently shared a photo of a wilderness campsite, updating those following that “the search hasn’t gone quiet”.<\/p>\n

“We’re back into it, and we’re pushing deeper,” he said.<\/p>\n

In the comments and elsewhere on social media, people continue to praise his efforts.<\/p>\n

Ms Cremer’s mother, Ariane, posted a simple message on her own social media.<\/p>\n

“Thank you, Rob Parsons,” she wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A renewed search for Celine Cremer, more than two years after she disappeared in remote north-west Tasmania, attracted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,190884,191900,16872,227438,44,190887,227439,3973,24024],"class_list":["post-435555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celine-cremer","tag-ken-gamble","tag-missing-person","tag-missing-tourist","tag-news","tag-rob-parsons","tag-tasmania-search","tag-youtube","tag-youtuber"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}