Hi Dan, thought I may add this - after some similar experiences to yours in remote places but still wanting to get off the beaten track I now mitigate the risk by taking a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) with me - I use the SPOT system
SPOT Satellite Communication Devices | Saved by SPOT (findmespot.com)
It's lightweight and compact and holds pre-recorded messages so you can let those at home know you're safe and where you are.
I use the tracker function to ping good spots I find along the way so that I can track them on google earth when I get back so that's been very useful.
Never had to use one for emergency as yet but feel so much better that I have it in case I do (eg I can spend a day on Oberon Dam and not see a soul the whole day where I fish and some spots have nil or patchy phone comms - a rolled ankle or busted leg (or even stuck in the mud for over an hour as happened to me a few years ago in when crossing a creek feeding Lake Jindabyne) could see you there for quite an extended period without the ability to call for help and, dependent upon the time of year it can be very cold or very hot!)
Fishing the NT, back country NZ or even the Snowy's hard to get to spots mean there's not a lot of people getting to them as they hard to get to so I don't leave home without means to contact the cavalry.
Of course the usual precaution of letting people know where you're going and when you'll be back is a given.