Major update in urgent search for missing camper who disappeared in Aussie wilderness

Police are returning a missing camper to safety after a gruelling search entered its third day.

Christopher Moore, 38, failed to return home from a camping trip at Jerrawangala, about 32km south of Nowra, New South Wales, on Friday.

He had been dropped off on Wednesday and did not arrive at his pick-up spot two days later.

An urgent search was launched with authorities focusing their efforts around the Jerrawangala and Wandandian regions.

South Coast Police, Police Rescue, and members of the SES, Polair, and NSW Rural Fire Service all joined the search.

Police are due to provide an update on Monday afternoon but said the camper had been found unharmed. 

Fears had been raised a low-pressure system could bring heavy rain and gale force winds and hamper the search on Tuesday. 

Police had said that they and Moore’s family were concerned for his welfare. 

Experts predicted gale-force winds could breach Australia’s east coast, particularly in the nearby Illawarra region. 

The gales could be brought by a potential ‘bomb cyclone’, known for an explosive weather change in a short period of time.

The powerful low-pressure system is forecast to rapidly intensify off the coast of NSW on Monday. 

Starting Tuesday, up to 200mm of rain is expected to lash areas between Newcastle, Sydney, and the Illawarra over 48 hours. 

‘it’s a fairly notable outbreak of weather,’ Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines told Daily Mail Australia, later labelling the event a ‘very nasty system’.

Mr Moore had last been seen in khaki and black pants and a khaki hooded jumper. 

Police described him as about 180cm tall, of slim build, and has short brown hair, a beard and a moustache. 

more to come