Australian teen who went missing in bushland wearing only shorts and boots found alive after six days
William, 17, was reported missing after straying from his camp near Walhalla in Victoria’s Gippsland region Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A teenage boy has been found alive after disappearing in dense bushland wearing only shorts and work boots nearly a week ago. Police AirWing found…
Covered by 10 sources from 7 countries. First reported by ABC News Australia ·
How 10 newspapers cover this story
Breaking: Police find teen who had been missing in Victorian bush for six days
William was found this morning and reunited with his family, after going missing while camping on Friday.
‘He’s grounded for life’: Teen survives six days in bush on chips and water
A 17-year-old boy has been reunited with his mother after being found alive in Walhalla East, surviving six days on just a packet of chips and water.
· The moment missing teen is rescued
· A 17-year-old boy has been found after missing in Victorian bush
Australian teen who went missing in bushland wearing only shorts and boots found alive after six days
William, 17, was reported missing after straying from his camp near Walhalla in Victoria’s Gippsland region Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A teenage boy has been found alive after disappearing in dense bushland wearing only shorts and work boots nearly a week ago. Police AirWing found…
Australian teen missing in bush for six days rescued alive
The 17-year-old's mum has joked that he is "grounded for life" and "never leaving the house again".
A missing teen found alive after 6 days in Australian woodlands
A 17-year-old boy with autism has been found found alive after six days lost in eastern Australian woodlands
Australian teen found alive after six days in the bush
The teenager was spotted during an aerial search, after spending days navigating rugged terrain. He had fallen down the side of a riverbed two days before being found.
Boy found alive after 6 days lost in wilderness: "Grounded for life"
Video shot from the rescue helicopter showed the boy was shirtless and sunburned. He was wearing shorts and boots and was using towels as blankets.
Australian teen, 17, found alive after six days lost in bushland without food
A 17-year-old boy named William went missing while camping and survived for six days in the bushland. He was separated from his friend and lacked a mobile phone, food, and water. Hundreds of volunteers and police searched the area, focusing on challenging terrain and dense vegetation. Eventually, a helicopter spotted…
Australia: Teen found alive after six days missing in bush
A 17-year-old Australian has been found alive and well after spending six days missing in bushland east of Melbourne. After being spotted by helicopter, the teen was winched to safety before an emotional reunion with his mother who joked that “he’s never leaving the house again”.
Missing 17-year-old found alive after 6 days lost in Australian woodlands
A police helicopter crew found William, who has Level 2 autism, lying asleep on a flat rock beside a creek and he was later reunited with his mother.
Coverage details
10 outlets from 7 countries are covering this story: ABC News Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, BBC News and 6 more. ABC News Australia published it first, on November 12, 2026; the last outlet to join was Global News, 18 hours later.
Key names in the coverage: William, Victoria Police, Take Me Home, John Denver and Country Roads.
By country: Australia (2), United Kingdom (2), United States (2), Germany (1), India (1), France (1), Canada (1). In total 13 articles have been published, because some outlets updated the story several times.
