‘I thought i was a dead duck’: Missing camper found alive after 9 days in Australian wilderness

Troy Milne was lost the Gippsland region for more than a week, until he found a way to get the attention of rescue teams

Australian Troy Milne survived nine days lost in the bush (Supplied by Victoria Police)

A diabetic camper who went missing in the Australian wilderness has been found alive after nine days, with his wife declaring the rescue was like “something out of a movie”.

Troy Milne, 61, was lost in Victoria’s bush in the Gippsland region for more than a week, but was found after he lit a fire to draw rescuers to his location.

Air rescue crews found Milne on Thursday when they spotted the fire at Kirby Cross Track near Buchan, about 354km east of Melbourne.

Milne was found near his Jeep Wrangler which had “bottomed out and was not drivable”. (Victoria Police)

Milne is an insulin-dependent diabetic who did not have medication when he went missing, having left his campsite at Woodside Beach to try to pick up supplies.

Pnina Rosenberg, Milne’s wife, told the Herald Sun it was the greatest news finding out he was safe and well after being stranded for more than a week.

“We are so very, very thankful to all the emergency services and everybody that had a part in Troy’s recovery. What a fantastic outcome,” she said.

“He chose a good day [to light the fire] and it worked for him 100 per cent … it’s like something out of a movie.”

Milne was found by fire rescue crews near his Jeep Wrangler which had “bottomed out and was not drivable”.

Milne has been reunited with his family (Victoria Police)

Wellington Police Service Area Inspector Wayne Rothwell described the “challenging” search effort that led to Milne’s rescue.

“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,” he said.

“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. Troy’s family also expressed how grateful they were that he was returning home safely.”

Milne was taken to hospital for treatment.

In a similar recent incident, Hadi Nazari was lost for almost two weeks in Australian bush (NSW Police)

After being transported to a Melbourne hospital on Friday, Milne told Nine News he feared he would not survive.

"I thought I was a dead duck in water ... I just drank lots of water," he said.

Earlier this year, a 23-year-old hiker went missing for nearly two weeks in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park and was found alive.

Hadi Nazari went missing on Boxing Day in 2024 and was found January 8 after surviving on foraged berries and two muesli bars.

Nazari was found by a group of walkers on the circuit walk near the Blue Lake which Riverina police district commander Andrew Spliet said at the time was a relief.