Chips, stream water and Take Me Home, Country Roads: how an Australian teenager survived six nights in the bush | Victoria

A teenager who survived almost a week lost in the dense Australian bush sang John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads as he held out hope of being rescued during long nights alone in the wilderness.

William, whose last name has not been released, was dropped off by his mother for the weekend at camp with his friend in eastern Victoria last Friday.

The 17-year-old was reported missing around 4pm that day, after failing to return from a trip to collect extra camping gear. He was wearing only shorts and work boots and had left behind his phone, food supplies and water.

After a large operation involving more than 100 people, including the police dog and rescue teams, the police air wing found William lying in a cove near Walhalla, 130 km east of Melbourne, on Thursday morning.

He got lost after taking a wrong turn on a trail, then slipped and fell off a cliff.

He told Seven’s Sunrise that John Denver’s country classic, which repeats the phrase “take me home, to the place where I belong”, was one of his childhood favorites which brought him comfort as he braved harsh conditions and loneliness.

“It’s one of my beautiful childhood songs. It brings me great comfort,” he said Friday morning from his hospital bed in Traralgon. “I started doing it one night, it made me feel good, so I kept doing it.”

William shared an emotional reunion with his mother, Elizabeth Barkley, shortly after being rescued. She told reporters Thursday, through tears, that she was “over the moon” and that he would “never leave the house again.”

William told Sunrise that their warm embrace was the “best moment of my life”.

“I think she’s going to stand by that comment,” he said with a laugh. “She’s staring at me from across the room right now, so I don’t expect to come out anytime soon.”

William said he was “doing great” after enjoying a “good sleep” in a “comfortable bed” on Thursday night and “finally eating some food”.

“I’m over the moon to be safe,” he said. “The nights were quite cold. I think it rained a few times. The days were hot, so I got a bit sunburned, quite a dangerous environment.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to last six days.”

After seeing the helicopter fly overhead, William, who was sheltering on a rock under towels and badly sunburned, waved and high-fived before being carried to safety. He said he felt “pure euphoria”.

“Just happiness and gratitude that a moment that I thought would never happen has arrived, and I’m finally going to see my mother again,” he said.

“There were a few times where I thought ‘damn, it’s dark in here, I don’t know if they’ll see me’.”

William got by on a packet of chicken-flavored chips, which he rationed for several days. He said he also drank water from the stream near which he was sheltering.

“Last night I had dinner…and I had Macca’s, which was good, so I had plenty of food,” he said. “I am very grateful to all the paramedics and nurses, search and rescue teams… everyone who was involved.”

Pilot Dave Wylie told reporters the search for crews had been incredibly difficult and it was fortunate that William took refuge in an open area.

“A lot of areas are so thick that you can’t actually see the forest floor, so even if someone was there, you could potentially walk right past them,” he said.

“If he hadn’t been in the open area like he was, we absolutely could have passed him without seeing him.”

William was taken to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital for further observation and testing by specialists after suffering from dehydration. His condition was stable Friday afternoon.

Barkley told Nine’s A Current Affair she was impressed with how her son had coped with days alone in the bush.

“I just couldn’t believe he survived this long,” she said. “But he’s a footballer. He’s tough, he’s very, very fit.

“His agility is incredible.”

Barkley said William missed a turn on a track and got lost Friday and cowered under some bushes after dark.

“I had an instinct…I knew he was still alive,” she said of the following days. “I knew in my heart…And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.”