Australian teenager survives six nights lost in bush, singing John Denver song

A 17-year-old boy named William, whose surname has been withheld, was airlifted to safety on Thursday after almost a week lost in dense bushland in eastern Victoria, Australia. A Victoria Police air wing crew found him near Walhalla, about 130km east of Melbourne, following a search involving more than 100 people.

How he went missing

His mother dropped him off last Friday to camp with a friend. At about 4pm he was reported missing after he failed to return from a trip to collect more camping equipment. He was wearing only shorts and work boots, and had left his phone, food and water behind. He took a wrong turn on a track and later slipped and fell down a cliff.

Surviving in the bush

William lived on one packet of chicken-flavoured chips, which he rationed over several days, and drank water from the creek where he sheltered. He told the television program Sunrise that he sang John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" at night, a childhood favourite that gave him comfort. The nights were cold and it sometimes rained, while the days were hot and left him sunburnt. He said he honestly had not thought he would make it six days.

When he saw the helicopter, he waved and fist-bumped before being lifted out. Pilot Dave Wylie said parts of the forest are so thick that the ground cannot be seen from above, and that crews could have flown past him had he not been in an open area.

Current condition

William was taken to the Alfred hospital in Melbourne for further observation and tests after suffering dehydration. His condition was stable on Friday afternoon. His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, said her son is a footballer who is very fit and tough, and that she had known in her heart he was still alive.