In the deep green folds of the Victorian high country near Walhalla, a seventeen-year-old boy spent six nights learning how thin the line is between being lost and being found. A single packet of chips, creek water, towels spread against the cold, and a song from childhood carried him through a wilderness that can hide a person even from those flying overhead. His return from that silence, into his mother's arms and then into hospital care, reminds us how often survival rests on something as small as being seen in an open patch of ground.
Lost for six nights in Victoria's bush, teenager William survives on creek water and chips
A 17-year-old spent six nights alone in harsh bushland, suffered dehydration and sunburn, and was hospitalised for observation and testing.
"I honestly didn't think I'd make it six days."
Mark
Six nights with a packet of chips and creek water. What stands out to you first?
Mimi
How small the margin was. He was found lying in a creek, in an open spot, and the pilot said that was lucky.
Luke
Let's be careful there. The pilot said dense canopy can hide the forest floor and that they could have flown past him. That's his professional judgment, not proof it would have happened.
Mark
Why does the song matter to the story?
Mimi
It's the one thing he did to steady himself through the nights. He said it comforted him, and he kept doing it.
Luke
Worth noting that's his own account, given in interviews after the rescue. Nobody else was there to confirm the details.
Mark
And the fall down the cliff?
Mimi
He says he took a wrong turn, then slipped and fell. His mother says he missed a turn and curled up under bushes the first night.
Luke
We don't know how badly he was hurt in the fall. The reporting says dehydration and sunburn, and that he's stable, and that more tests are planned.
Mark
What comes next for him?
Mimi
Observation and specialist testing at the Alfred in Melbourne.
Il Polso
- A teenager who wandered off a track and slipped down a cliff vanished into thick bush wearing only shorts and work boots.
- More than a hundred searchers, dog squads and the police air wing combed terrain where the canopy hides the forest floor from above.
- The breakthrough came when a helicopter crew spotted him lying in an open patch by a creek, a stroke of luck the pilot says may have saved his life.
- Stable but dehydrated and sunburnt, he is now under observation at the Alfred in Melbourne, reunited with a mother who never stopped believing he was alive.
In the deep green folds of the Victorian high country near Walhalla, a seventeen-year-old boy spent six nights learning how thin the line is between being lost and being found. A single packet of chips, creek water, towels spread against the cold, and a song from childhood carried him through a wilderness that can hide a person even from those flying overhead. His return from that silence, into his mother's arms and then into hospital care, reminds us how often survival rests on something as small as being seen in an open patch of ground.
A police air wing crew, flying over dense bushland near Walhalla, spotted a teenager lying in a creek on Thursday morning. It was William, 17, who had been missing for almost a week. He waved at the helicopter and fist-bumped as he was airlifted out, and later described the feeling as pure euphoria.
He had been dropped off by his mother the previous Friday to camp with a friend in Victoria's east. When he failed to return from a trip to fetch more equipment, he was reported missing. He was wearing only shorts and work boots, and his phone, food and water had been left behind. By his own account he took a wrong turn, slipped and fell down a cliff.
He spent the days sheltering on a rock under towels near the creek, rationing a single packet of chicken-flavoured chips and drinking creek water. The nights were cold and it rained a couple of times. As darkness fell he wondered whether searchers could see him at all. To get through the nights he sang John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads, a childhood favourite. It made him feel okay, so he kept going.
His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, told reporters between tears that she was over the moon and that he was never leaving the house again. She said she had known in her heart he was alive, and she prayed and prayed. William called the embrace the best moment of his life. That night he slept in a comfortable bed, ate a proper meal, and thanked the paramedics, nurses and rescuers who had brought him home. By Friday afternoon he was stable.
A police air wing crew, flying over dense bushland near Walhalla, 130km east of Melbourne, spotted a teenager lying in a creek on Thursday morning. He was William, 17, who had been missing for almost a week. He waved at the helicopter and fist-bumped as he was airlifted out. He later described the feeling as pure euphoria.
William, whose surname has been withheld, had been dropped off by his mother the previous Friday to camp for the weekend with a friend in Victoria's east. He was reported missing at about 4pm that day, after he failed to come back from a trip to fetch more camping equipment. He was wearing only shorts and work boots. His phone, food and water were all left behind.
By his own account, he took a wrong turn on a track and lost his way. He later slipped and fell down a cliff. His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, said he missed a turn on Friday and curled up under some bushes when darkness fell.
The search grew to more than 100 people, including police dog and rescue squads, along with the police air wing. The terrain made it hard going. Pilot Dave Wylie told reporters it had been an incredibly challenging search. In many areas, he said, the growth is so thick that the forest floor cannot be seen, so a crew could fly right past someone who was there. William was sheltering in an open area, which Wylie called lucky. Without that, he said, they could absolutely have missed him.
William spent the days sheltering on a rock under towels, near the creek. He rationed a single packet of chicken-flavoured chips over several days and drank water from the creek. The nights were cold and it rained a couple of times. The days were hot enough that he was heavily sunburnt. "I honestly didn't think I'd make it six days," he said. There were moments at dusk, he said, when he wondered whether searchers would be able to see him.
To get through the nights he sang John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads, a favourite from his childhood. Speaking to Seven's Sunrise program from his hospital bed in Traralgon on Friday morning, he said it brought him great comfort. He started singing it one night, it made him feel okay, and he kept going.
His reunion with his mother came soon after the rescue. Barkley told reporters on Thursday, between tears, that she was over the moon and that he was never leaving the house again. William said the embrace was the best moment of his life. He laughed that she would probably hold to her word, adding that she was giving him a firm look from across the room. Barkley told Nine's A Current Affair she had been sure throughout that he was alive. She said she knew in her heart, and that she prayed and prayed. She put his survival down partly to football. He is tough and very fit, she said, and his agility is incredible.
William said he slept well in a comfy bed on Thursday night, finally had food in him, and even had Macca's for dinner. He thanked paramedics, nurses and search and rescue crews. He was suffering from dehydration and was being transferred to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne for further observation and testing by specialists. By Friday afternoon he was in a stable condition.
Citazioni salienti
A lot of the areas are so thick that you can't actually see the forest floor, so even if someone was there, you could fly right past them.— Pilot Dave Wylie
I honestly didn't think I'd make it six days.— William, 17
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su The Guardian ↗