Teenager found alive after six days in Gippsland bush; hospital recovery continues

Recovery update: November 14

William, the 17-year-old whose disappearance prompted a major search in eastern Victoria, has been found alive after six days in the bush. Emergency crews located him in a creek bed at Walhalla East on Thursday, November 12. A Friday hospital update described him as stable and in good spirits, with further specialist assessment planned in Melbourne. The earlier search report is retained below as a dated account, not a continuing missing-person alert.

Speaking from his hospital bed in Traralgon on Friday, William said he had not always believed he would survive long enough to be found. He described cold nights, rain at times, hot days, sunburn and difficult surroundings covered with rocks and sticks. He said he began singing John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads one night because it lifted his spirits, and kept doing so.

He said a packet of chicken-flavoured chips was his only food and that he rationed it across the six days. After rescue, a comfortable bed, sleep and a proper meal were a marked change. He said he was delighted to be safe with his family. The search had involved hundreds of people, including police divers, dog teams and helicopters, after he disappeared while camping with another teenager.

Hospital care and family reunion

Latrobe Regional Hospital chief executive Don McRae said William had been cared for overnight with his mother beside him and was in a stable condition. He said a transfer to The Alfred in Melbourne was planned for Friday morning for further testing and specialist review. That was a planned next step in treatment, not a statement that all medical concerns had ended.

His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, described an overwhelming reunion and said it was wonderful to have been near the search when her son was found alive. She joked that he would never go camping again. She also said he was unhappy about having to fast rather than have his usual morning coffee or a takeaway breakfast.

Barkley said William had spent time in intensive care overnight after dehydration caused his blood pressure to drop. She said his condition was stable but needed close care because it could become serious if not treated properly. By Friday, she said, his singing had switched from John Denver to AC/DC. These comments describe the family's Friday account, rather than a new clinical update on Saturday.

A difficult sighting from the air

Senior Constable Emma Quick, part of the Victoria Police Air Wing crew, said the helicopter's front-seat observer noticed something unusual in the creek bed. It was William lying under towels. The crew initially struggled to believe they had found him, before he lifted his head and they realised he was alive.

Pilot Dave Wylie said thick vegetation hid the forest floor across much of the search area, making it possible to fly past someone without seeing them. William's position in a more open area was crucial to the sighting. The rescue brings the missing-person search to an end; the continuing issue in Friday's account was his recovery and specialist care.

Earlier report: November 10 search

Police are continuing to search for a 17-year-old missing in bushland in eastern Victoria, with concern heightened by cold overnight conditions. William, also known as Will, was last seen near Stoney Creek Road between Cowwarr and Walhalla at about 4pm on November 6.

He had been dropped off by his mother to camp with his stepbrother at Walhalla East. Police said he walked towards the drop-off point to collect more equipment but did not return. His stepbrother searched nearby without finding him. Investigators believe he may have become disoriented.

William was wearing shorts and work boots after removing his shirt in warmer weather. Conditions changed over the weekend, with snow on nearby mountains and temperatures falling below freezing overnight. Those conditions increase concern but do not establish his location or condition.

His phone, food and water were left behind. A tackle box, pillows and a fold-out tabletop are missing, but police do not know whether he reached the drop-off point to collect them. Police have spoken to the occupants of a white four-wheel-drive, who assisted with information.

The operation is coordinated from Cowwarr and has involved specialist officers and emergency-service volunteers. Anyone with relevant information or footage from the Cowwarr, Stoney Creek or lower Thomson River areas on November 6 can contact Sale police on (03) 5142 2200 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.