Kidnapped British backpacker in Australia was rescued after secretly sending texts to her father back in the UK

Mary Kate Heys claimed she was kidnapped and driven more than 80km from her hostel in Queensland, Australia. Photo / via Instagram

A British backpacker has been rescued from an apparent kidnapping after she sent texts to her father showing her location on Google Maps.

Mary Kate Heys, 20, from Manchester, said she was kidnapped from a hostel in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, yesterday.

Heys claims she was taken by a man who was possibly mentally unstable, and driven more than 80km up the coast.

She told Queensland paper the Courier Mail, she had met a 22-year-old Swedish man in her accommodation and he woke her early on Monday morning "in a manic state" to ask her to go to Brisbane with him.

Fearing for his safety, she agreed and he then told her they would go as far as Cairns, to get "away from the aliens".

Convincing him she needed to stop for a drink, the pair pulled over at a petrol station and Heys told the woman at the counter the man she was with wouldn't let her leave.

She asked her to call the police but an hour later as they continued up the coast, resorted to sending texts to her father on the other side of the world.

The messages told him not to worry, but the 20-year-old said she knew it would be any parent's worst nightmare.

Her messages started: "Dad, are you awake? I need you to call Australian police".

Mary Kate Heys is in Australia and has been sharing pictures of her travels. Photo / via Instagram

She then sent: "I've been taken by a man... please hurry".

Her father called the police and she kept covertly sending him messages with her location so she could be tracked by police.

A police car approached them 88km away from the hostel.

A Queensland police spokesman told the Mirror: "They have gotten in a car down at the Sunshine Coast and they have driven up to Gympie.

"She has said that she was being held against her will. So it was a deprivation of liberty job. Police have then pulled the car over in Gympie.

"They have spoken to both parties involved. He was then taken to the hospital but I believe he did go to the mental health unit there.

The 20-year-old was rescued by sending messages to her father who was at home in England, who called police in Australia. Photo / via Instagram

"Then the woman has told police she did not want any further action taken on it. Basically, not press any charges.

No further action would be taken, police said.

The man is said to have been taken to a mental health hospital unit.