A 17-year-old boy has been found alive and in good spirits after spending six days and nights lost in rugged bushland near Walhalla, a former gold-mining town about 115 miles east of Melbourne.
The teenager, identified only as William, was spotted by a police search helicopter on Thursday, lying asleep on a flat rock beside a creek. He had been dropped off by his mother, Elizabeth, the previous Friday to go camping for the weekend with a teenage friend, and had walked a short distance from their campsite back toward the drop-off point before disappearing.
More than 100 emergency workers and volunteers searched the dense alpine terrain for days. Acting Police Inspector Jason Benbow said investigators believe William spent his days hiking up and down steep terrain before becoming trapped by the surrounding landscape near the creek. Although he was found only 1.2 miles from his campsite, the steep ground prevented him from making his way back, and he spent his final two days beside the water.
Footage from the rescue helicopter shows William shirtless, sunburned, wearing shorts and boots, and using towels to keep warm.
“He woke up to the sound of the helicopter, gave them a thumbs up and they winched him to safety,” Benbow told reporters.
William’s family said he has what is known as Level 2 autism, a condition that requires substantial support and often depends on predictable routines. Mild spring weather and low rainfall during the week are thought to have helped him survive.
Police said William was in good spirits and mostly good health when he was reunited with his mother before being taken to hospital for medical monitoring.
“I’m just over the moon that he’s alive,” Elizabeth told reporters. “And he’s never leaving the house again. He’s grounded for life. He’s not going anywhere ever again.”
Authorities withheld the family’s surname to protect William’s privacy.
