A 17-year-old boy who vanished while camping in remote bushland in eastern Victoria has been found alive and well after six days. William, whose surname has not been publicly released, was located by a police helicopter on the morning of Thursday, 12 November 2026, and safely winched to safety.

William disappeared on Friday, 6 November, during a camping trip with a friend near Walhalla East, roughly 180 kilometres east of Melbourne. He was last seen around 4 pm in the vicinity of Stoney Creek Road between Cowwarr and Walhalla. At the time he left the makeshift camp, he was wearing only shorts and work boots and had left behind his mobile phone, food and water. He had limited experience in the bush.

His disappearance triggered a major multi-agency search involving more than 100 people, including Victoria Police, specialist units, the dog squad, divers, helicopters, SES, Ambulance Victoria, Bush Search and Rescue teams, and local volunteers. Overnight temperatures in the area had been extremely cold, raising serious concerns for his welfare.

On Thursday morning, a police Air Wing crew spotted William’s fishing tackle box approximately two kilometres north-east of Stoney Creek. Zooming in, they saw the teenager lying down nearby and waving his arms. Officers winched him to safety and flew him to the police staging ground at Cowwarr. There he was given a doughnut and a bottle of water while being ᴀssessed by paramedics. He was later taken to a local hospital for monitoring.

William was reunited with his mother, Elizabeth Barkley, at the staging ground. She happened to be present when the helicopter returned. In an emotional embrace, she told her son he had “scared the s**t” out of her. Speaking to media shortly afterwards, Ms Barkley was overcome with relief.

“He’s doing fine, everything seems to be fine — he’s in perfect health,” she said. “He just stayed in one spot and waited to be rescued and I’m just over the moon he’s alive. He’s never leaving the house again. He’s grounded for life.”

She added that he had only a few scratches and appeared fit and healthy. “I knew in my heart he was still alive… Thank god he’s such a fit person.” Ms Barkley also revealed that her son dreams of becoming a famous AFL footballer and joked that any future camping would only be in a cabin with her, complete with a child tether.

Victoria Police Acting Inspector Jason Benbow described the moment of discovery as one of the highlights of his career. “The helicopter found him lying down, waving his arms at them,” he said. “We’re very happy to reunite Will with his mum… There’s a few emotional police in there… this is the best thing about the job to have this sort of result at the end. It doesn’t happen all the time.”

Police thanked the many agencies, volunteers and local community members who ᴀssisted in the search. William remains under medical observation, but early indications are that he is in good spirits and largely unharmed after nearly a week in the bush.