William, a 17-year-old camper who went missing for six days in dense Australian bushland in Victoria’s east, was rescued on Thursday morning after police air wing crews spotted him lying near a creek.
The teenager had been dropped off by his mother on November 6 to camp with a friend near Walhalla. He failed to return from a trip to retrieve camping equipment, prompting a search operation involving more than 100 people.
Search crews faced steep terrain and thick forest canopy during the six-day operation. Pilot Dave Wylie told reporters that the dense vegetation made spotting anyone from the air exceptionally difficult.
“A lot of the areas are so thick that you can’t actually see the forest floor so even if someone was there, potentially you could fly right past them,” Wylie said.
Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said that William was discovered after the Air Wing spotted a tackle box, which led crews to zoom in on the teenager. William woke up to the sound of the helicopter, gave rescuers a wave and a fist-bump, and was winched to safety.
Did You Know? William survived the nearly week-long ordeal by rationing a packet of chicken-flavoured chips, drinking water from a nearby creek, and using towels to keep warm during freezing nighttime rain.
William lost his way after taking a wrong turn on a track and subsequently slipped down a cliff. Stranded with only shorts and work boots, he left his phone, food supplies, and water behind at camp.
To cope with the isolation and cold nights, the teenager sang John Denver’s country classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. He told Seven’s Sunrise program that the song was a childhood favourite that brought him comfort.
“It’s a good childhood song of mine. It brings me great comfort,” William said from his hospital bed. “I started doing it one night, made me feel OK, so I just kept doing it.”
Following his rescue, William was airlifted and later transported to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne for observation and testing by specialists after suffering from dehydration. Hospital officials reported that he was in a stable condition on Friday afternoon.
His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, experienced an emotional reunion with her son after spending days praying for his safe return. Barkley told reporters that she knew in her heart he was still alive.
“I just couldn’t believe he survived that long,” Barkley said. “I’m just over the moon, a miracle, I was praying and praying, and a miracle happened, he’s alive.”
William was reported missing at about 4pm last Friday after failing to return from a trip to retrieve further camping equipment.
The Victoria Police air wing spotted a tackle box in bushland about 2 kilometres from where he was last seen, leading crews to locate him lying near a creek.
William was treated for dehydration and transported to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne for further observation and testing by specialists.
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