Missing in the outback for six days – 17-year-old survives on chips and stream water

Miracle in the Australian outback: A teenager who had been missing for six days survived in the dense bushland of the state of Victoria with only a bag of chips and some water. A rescue helicopter discovered 17-year-old William, of whom there had been no trace since last Friday, in the morning (local time) in an impassable area in a stream bed, the police said.

The teenager from the small town of Morwell, about 150 kilometers east of Melbourne, had wandered away from the campsite during a camping trip with a friend at the end of last week. He was only wearing shorts and work boots and didn't have a cell phone with him. When he didn't return, his companion informed the authorities. A large-scale search operation began in the Walhalla East region with more than 100 emergency services, sniffer dogs and helicopters.

What exactly happened in the following days is not yet fully understood. According to his mother, who was now able to hug him again, the teenager had fallen down a slope and was no longer able to move properly. So he stayed in the same place and waited for help.

Because temperatures in the region dropped significantly at night and snow sometimes even fell in the surrounding mountains, concerns about the missing person grew. The police appealed, among other things, to hunters and campers to check recordings from their game cameras. Now William was finally spotted from the air and brought to safety.

According to various Australian media outlets, he had been getting by on a bag of chips and water from the stream for the past few days. "He just stayed in one place and waited to be rescued. I'm overjoyed that he's alive," his mother told ABC.

Police reported that the teenager gave a thumbs up when he saw the helicopter. "He's exhausted and can't walk, but otherwise he talks to us, smiles and is happy." Among other things, he suffered scratches and severe sunburn. After being rescued, he was taken to the hospital.

He is likely to have a long break from the wilderness ahead of him. "He is now under house arrest for life. I will never let him out of my sight again," announced his mother.

The case is reminiscent of the German backpacker Carolina Wilga, who was found living alone in the Australian bush in July 2025 after twelve days. The then 26-year-old got lost in the outback of Western Australia after crashing her van in a remote nature reserve.