Incredible moment missing teen realises he's saved after six days lost in the rugged Australian wilderness

Remarkable footage has emerged of the moment a teenager was found by a search helicopter after six days lost in the Australian wilderness. William, whose last name has not been released, was on his first ever camping trip with a friend at Walhalla East in eastern Victoria on Friday afternoon when he walked to another part of the site near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track but failed to return. The 17-year-old, who has level two autism requiring 'substantial' support, was wearing only a pair of shorts and work boots at the time. He had also left his phone at the campsite.The new footage showed a severely sunburnt and shirtless William lying on a flat rock near a creek, where it appears he survived on fresh drinking water.Still wearing his boots, he was covering himself with a blanket as he lay on his side when the helicopter hovered over him.He does not react at first, clearly fatigued and appearing to not realise what he is seeing, until he then waves at the helicopter and fist pumps the air in joy as he realises he is saved. At the camp six days ago, William's friend had run to get help after the teenager did not return and managed to wave down the driver of a white ute. Police had held grave fears for the Latrobe Valley teen, who they said may have become disoriented and lost his way in the treacherous terrain. The incredible moment an autistic teen, 17, lost in Victoria's bush for six days was found The boy took a minute to realise what he was seeing before fist-pumping the air The Police Air Wing was scouring this type of country when officers spotted a tackle box in bushland about 2km east of Stoney Creek The Bureau of Meteorology reported temperatures as low as 3C during the six days he was missing. Fortunately, William was found alive on Thursday morning and was pictured on a stretcher as emergency services attended to him.Victoria Police said: 'William is in good spirits and, for the most part, in good health.' He was transported by helicopter to a search base at Cowwarr, roughly 30km north of Traralgon in Gippsland, according to the Herald Sun. His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, said on Thursday that William appeared to be in perfect health. '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.'She joked that he would never be allowed to leave the house again. The boy didn't have his shirt when he walked off and was heavily sunburnt He was winched onto the helicopter about midday on Thursday A teenage boy who was missing for six days after going on his first ever camping trip with a friend has been found alive His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, told reporters on Thursday that William was doing well and appeared to be in perfect health 'He's grounded for life,' she told the ABC.'He's not going anywhere ever again. I'm just over the moon.'Pictures showed the teenager being transported by the Police Air Wing sitting upright on a stretcher. He was also seen embracing loved ones after arriving at the search base. The Air Wing was conducting an aerial search when officers spotted a tackle box in bushland about 2km east of Stoney Creek. After zooming in on the tackle box, officers found William lying nearby in a creek. Flight officers winched down and retrieved William before taking him back to the command post, where he was reunited with his mother. More than 100 people took part in the six-day search for the teenager, including officers from the Public Order Response Team, Dog Squad, Mounted Branch and Search and Rescue Squad, alongside State Emergency Service personnel. Police said William had fallen down a steep riverbed embankment two days earlier, where he had remained, sleeping and waiting to be found. Victoria Police said: 'William is in good spirits and, for the most part, in good health.' He was transported by helicopter to a search base at Cowwarr, roughly 30km north of Traralgon in Gippsland, according to the Herald Sun 'He woke up to the sound of the helicopter [and] gave them a thumbs up,' Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said.Police said William was exhausted and unable to walk, having suffered cuts to his legs and severe sunburn across his upper body and face.'Other than that, he's talking to us, he's happy, he's smiling, he's giving us an account of what's happening and he's hugging his mother and having a doughnut and water,' Acting Inspector Benbow said.He was reunited with his mother on Thursday morning after Ms Barkley happened to be at the police staging ground in Cowwarr.'I knew in my heart he was still alive, I could feel it. I knew he wasn't gone,' Ms Barkley said. She ran to the police helicopter with open arms, embracing her son before telling him: 'You scared the shit out of me.' She later described the overwhelming emotion of the reunion, saying she had been shaking and her heart was racing when she finally saw him.'The police helicopter found him. I'm just over the moon. I can't thank everyone [enough]. It's a miracle,' she said. Acting Inspector Jason Benbow (left) said he was 'very happy to reunite Will with his mum' (right) William disappeared while camping with a friend at Walhalla East (above) in eastern Victoria 'To wrap my arms around him was just a miracle... my baby has come back to me,' she added. William greeted his mother with a wave and a cheerful 'Hi mum' as the pair were reunited, Ms Barkley said.'You see these stories on TV and you don't think it can happen to you, but when you do and you find them alive, it's just... I can't describe the words. I'm so happy, I can't speak properly,' she said.William was later seen smiling and laughing alongside police officers. Police said William may not have been found when he was without the assistance of the police helicopter. 'I've been praying for this all week. To find him while I was out here, it was such a perfect... you couldn't write the script any better,' Ms Barkley said. William has been taken to Latrobe Regional Hospital with his mother for monitoring. Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said that finding William after six days of searching is one of the highlights of his career. William, whose last name has not been released, was on a camping trip on Friday when he walked to another part of the site near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track, but failed to return More than 100 people took part in the six-day search for the teenager William has been taken to Latrobe Regional Hospital with his mother for monitoring'The helicopter found him lying down, waving his arms at them,' he said.'We're very happy to reunite Will with his mum.''He's got a few scratches but he's very chirpy, we fed him a doughnut and a bottle of water and he's very happy.' 'We were confident from the start. There's some emotional police because we're all invested in this and this is the best thing about the job,' Acting Inspector Benbow said. Andy Cuttler, a volunteer with Australian Search and Rescue K9 who had spent days combing the bushland, said his team was thrilled to have played a part in bringing the search to a successful end. 'We heard the call come over to say he'd been located, it was a strange feeling, we were in disbelief,' the 31-year-old told the Herald Sun.'We saw him sitting up in the stretcher smiling, with a bit of sunburn. It's a great feeling. It's very rewarding and actually quite humbling to be a part of.' Timeline of the search for William Friday, November 6 - About 4pm: William, 17, was last seen near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track between Cowwarr and Walhalla East after walking back towards the drop-off point to collect additional camping gear.He left behind his phone, food and water. When he failed to return, his friend searched for him and later raised the alarm.Saturday, November 7: A major search operation began involving local police, SES volunteers and specialist search crews in the dense bushland around Walhalla East.William's mother, Elizabeth Barkley, described living through 'one of her worst nightmares' and said she feared her son, who had little camping experience and a poor sense of direction, would be cold, hungry and distressed.Sunday, November 8: Search efforts intensified, with about 70 personnel, the Dog Squad, Water Police and a police helicopter deployed.Wednesday, November 11: Police urged hunters, campers and landowners to check trail-camera footage from around Cowwarr, Stoney Creek and the Lower Thomson River.Family members said they maintained hope he would be found alive despite deteriorating conditions and freezing overnight temperatures.Thursday, November 12: William was found alive by the Victoria Police Air Wing after six days missing in bushland.He was flown by helicopter to the search base and reunited with his family.