A camper lost for more than a week has been located alive after lighting a fire to draw the attention of searchers in remove and rugged bushland near Buchan last night.
Cockatoo man Troy Milne went missing after leaving his campsite at Woodside Beach for a quick trip to pick-up supplies on Tuesday, 7 October.
An extensive nine-day search – involving Victoria Police, Department of Energy, Environment & Climate Action (DEECA), and the State Emergency Service (SES) – was carried out to try and locate the insulin-dependent diabetic after fears he had suffered a medical episode.
Troy was found near his vehicle by Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) staff following reports of a fire near Kirby Cross Track about 5pm.
On arrival, fire crews spotted the Jeep Wrangler on the unmarked track adjacent to the fire and subsequently located Troy nearby.
Troy’s vehicle had bottomed out on the terrain and was not drivable, as a result, the 61-year-old lit a fire in the hope emergency services would respond.
He was transported to hospital for treatment and observation.
Wellington Police Service Area Inspector Wayne Rothwell said finding Troy alive after 9 days missing was a remarkable outcome.
“We really feared the worst so to be able to contact Troy’s family and give them the fantastic news was a wonderful result,” he said.
“Troy was without his medication for a long period which left him disorientated and confused so we believe he turned off the highway at some point and became lost in the bush.
“It was a challenging search due to the huge area that Troy had been spotted travelling around so it was extremely difficult to narrow down where to concentrate our efforts.
“Once Troy lit the fire, it drew the attention of our fire crews who quickly responded and located him.
“We would like to thank the public, our partners at DEECA, FFMV, SES and the media for their assistance in the search.
“Troy’s family also expressed how grateful they were that he was returning home safely.”
