Sydney - An Australian tourist lost in the Outback scrawled HELP in the dirt next to his dying body, police in the far-west town of Broome said Wednesday.

The 53-year-old man may have been dead for three days when his body was found by chance by a passing farm worker.

"We've had weather out there of 38 degrees," a police spokesman said. "There were no suspicious signs, so it might be natural causes, it might be weather related, we just don't know at this stage."

An empty water bottle was found with the body. Police said there were waterholes and wells around where he was found, but he appeared to have perished from thirst. (dpa)