Rescue experts say a missing teenage boy did everything right after going missing in dense bushland for six days.
William, whose surname has not been released, was found huddled beneath a blanket by a creek bed on Thursday.
The 17-year-old kept his spirits up by singing to himself, staying warm and hydrated, and remained in one spot in clear view of rescuers.
Search and rescue experts are praising a 17-year-old boy who "kept his wits about him" and survived six days alone in dense bushland, after becoming lost on his first unsupervised camping adventure.
William, whose surname has been withheld, sparked a major search after disappearing on November 6 while he was camping with a friend at Walhalla East, nearly 200 kilometres east of Melbourne.
What followed was a gruelling near week-long ordeal in some of Victoria's most rugged bushland.
As the days passed, sun and temperatures soared before plummeting overnight, bringing bitterly cold conditions.
All the while emergency services faced a serious challenge as they navigated hundreds of kilometres of impenetrable bush in a desperate attempt to find the teenager.
It forced searchers to take to the skies. The race was on to find the missing 17-year-old.
With no serious camping experience, very limited supplies and precious little protection from the elements, William was without food or shelter.