Miracle as missing Aussie teen is found alive six days after vanishing on a camping trip in Victoria’s high country

A teenage boy who was missing for six days after going on his first ever camping trip with a friend has been found alive.

William, whose last name has not been released, was staying at Walhalla East in eastern Victoria on Friday afternoon when he walked to another part of the site near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track but failed to return. 

The 17-year-old, who has level two autism requiring ‘substantial’ support, was wearing only a pair of shorts and work boots at the time. He had also left his phone at the campsite.

William’s friend ran to get help after the teenager did not return to the campsite and managed to wave down the driver of a white ute. 

Police had held grave fears for the Latrobe Valley teen, who they said may have become disoriented and lost his way in the treacherous terrain.

The Bureau of Meteorology reported temperatures as low as 3C and 4C at Walhalla during the six days he was missing. 

Fortunately, William was found alive on Thursday morning and was pictured on a stretcher as emergency services attended to him.

Victoria Police said: ‘William is in good spirits and, for the most part, in good health.’ 

He was transported by helicopter to a search base at Cowwarr, roughly 30km north of Traralgon in Gippsland, according to the Herald Sun. 

His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, told reporters on Thursday that William was doing well and appeared to be in perfect health.

‘He’s doing fine, everything seems to be fine, he’s in perfect health,’ she said. 

‘He just stayed in one spot and waited to be rescued and I’m just over the moon he’s alive.’

She joked that he would never be allowed to leave the house again.

‘He’s grounded for life,’ she told the ABC.

‘He’s not going anywhere ever again. I’m just over the moon.’

Pictures were shared of the teenager being transported by the Police Air Wing, showing him sitting upright and appearing to have suffered only minor injuries. He was also seen embracing loved ones after arriving at the search base.

The Air Wing was conducting an aerial search of the Cowwarr area when officers spotted a tackle box in bushland about 2km east of Stoney Creek. 

After zooming in on the tackle box, officers found William lying nearby in a creek. 

Flight officers winched down and retrieved William before taking him back to the command post, where he was reunited with his mother. 

More than 100 people took part in the six-day search for the teenager, including officers from the Public Order Response Team, Dog Squad, Mounted Branch and Search and Rescue Squad, alongside State Emergency Service personnel. 

Police said William had fallen down a steep riverbed embankment two days earlier, where he had remained, sleeping and waiting to be found. 

‘He woke up to the sound of the helicopter [and] gave them a thumbs up,’ Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said.

Police said William was exhausted and unable to walk, having suffered cuts to his legs and severe sunburn across his upper body and face.

‘Other than that, he’s talking to us, he’s happy, he’s smiling, he’s giving us an account of what’s happening and he’s hugging his mother and having a doughnut and water,’ Acting Inspector Benbow said.

He was reunited with his mother on Thursday morning after Ms Barkley happened to be at the police staging ground in Cowwarr.

‘I knew in my heart he was still alive, I could feel it. I knew he wasn’t gone,’ Ms Barkley said. 

She ran to the police helicopter with open arms, embracing her son before telling him: ‘You scared the shit out of me.’ 

She later described the overwhelming emotion of the reunion, saying she had been shaking and her heart was racing when she finally saw him.

‘The police helicopter found him. I’m just over the moon. I can’t thank everyone [enough]. It’s a miracle,’ she said.

‘To wrap my arms around him was just a miracle… my baby has come back to me,’ she added. 

William greeted his mother with a wave and a cheerful ‘Hi mum’ as the pair were reunited, Ms Barkley said.

‘You see these stories on TV and you don’t think it can happen to you, but when you do and you find them alive, it’s just… I can’t describe the words. I’m so happy, I can’t speak properly,’ she said.

William was later seen smiling and laughing alongside police officers. 

Authorities said it would not have been possible to find William without the police helicopter.

‘I’ve been praying for this all week. To find him while I was out here, it was such a perfect… you couldn’t write the script any better,’ Ms Barkley said. 

William has been taken to Latrobe Regional Hospital with his mother for monitoring. 

Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said that finding William after six days of searching is one of the highlights of his career.

‘The helicopter found him lying down, waving his arms at them,’ he said.

‘We’re very happy to reunite Will with his mum.’

‘He’s got a few scratches but he’s very chirpy, we fed him a doughnut and a bottle of water and he’s very happy.’  

‘We were confident from the start… there’s some emotional police because we’re all invested in this and this is the best thing about the job,’ Mr Benbow said. 

Andy Cuttler, a volunteer with Australian Search and Rescue K9 who had spent days combing the bushland, said his team was thrilled to have played a part in bringing the search to a successful end. 

‘We heard the call come over to say he’d been located, it was a strange feeling, we were in disbelief,’ the 31-year-old told the Herald Sun.

‘We saw him sitting up in the stretcher smiling, with a bit of sunburn. It’s a great feeling. It’s very rewarding and actually quite humbling to be a part of.’