Police feared the worst when diabetic man Troy Milne vanished in the Australian wilderness during a camping trip. Nine days later, the 61-year-old was found, under miraculously fortunate circumstances
A missing camper has been found alive following a frantic nine-day search, having believed he was a “dead duck in water”. Troy Milne vanished on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 7, after leaving his campsite at Woodside Beach, southeast of Melbourne, to pick up supplies. For a while, authorities expected the worst.
The 61-year-old, who had been camping with his wife, has diabetes, and there were “deep concerns” that he’d suffered a medical episode while out on his own in the wild Victorian wilderness. Fears grew when, the day after his disappearance, Troy was captured on CCTV at an Omeo service station, looking “lost and confused”.
On October 12, police issued a desperate public appeal for information while scouring a large area towards the east of the Australian state. To the great relief of searchers, Troy was eventually found on the evening of Thursday, October 16, after Forest Fire Management Victoria staff responded to a fire close to Kirby Cross Track in the Gippsland region, more than 200km away from the caravan park where he’d been staying.
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Victoria Police spokesperson Acting Inspector Kris Hamilton said: “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.”
Explaining how he’d managed to survive out in the rugged terrain, Troy told 9News: “I thought I was a dead duck in water … I just drank lots of water. I thought that was it. They saved my life, mate.”
Troy, who’d reportedly been without his insulin for at least a week, told his rescuers how he’d ended up stuck in the same spot for four days after his Jeep became bogged down on the unforgiving terrain, leaving him unable to drive it. Hoping to attract the attention of search parties, he lit a small fire. Fortunately, his efforts paid off.
It’s understood that Troy was taken to a local hospital for treatment and observation, where he was found to be in “remarkably good shape”. Speaking with 3AW on Friday, October 17, Ambulance Victoria senior manager Dave Jones shared: “He was in remarkably good shape considering what he had been through. I suspect his bloods were out of whack by the time they got some pathology done.”
Describing the rescue of Troy as a “remarkable outcome”, Inspector Wayne Rothwell said: ‘To be able to contact Troy’s family and give them the fantastic news was a wonderful result. Troy was without his medication for a long period, which left him disoriented 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.”
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