A 17-year-old boy who spent nearly a week lost and alone in dense Victorian bushland has spoken from his hospital bed about how he managed to stay alive, revealing that a family-sized packet of Smith's Chicken Chips, creek water and an old John Denver song were his unlikely lifelines.

William was found by a police helicopter after going missing from a family camping trip in the Gippsland region, spending six days in rugged terrain before rescuers spotted him. His disappearance triggered a large-scale search operation involving more than 100 emergency personnel.

How William survived: chips, creek water and careful rationing

Speaking publicly for the first time since his rescue, William described a strategy of careful rationing that helped him hold on during the ordeal. He had a single family-sized packet of Smith's Chicken Chips when he became separated from his family, and he made it last roughly two days by eating small amounts at a time.

"I had a good old packet of Smith's Chicken Chips. About two days to get me going for a bit," he said. "I just ate some here and there, sat down, drank some water from the creek, ate some more."

Beyond food, the conditions themselves posed a serious challenge. William described freezing nights, rain and hot days that left him with sunburn, as well as terrain he called "pretty treacherous", with steep ground and rocky surroundings adding further danger to every step.

"The nights were pretty cold. I think a couple of times it was raining. Hot days, a little bit of sunburn," he said.

Despite his efforts, William admitted there were moments when he genuinely feared the worst. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it six days," he said. As darkness closed in each evening, he worried that rescuers in the air might not be able to see him. "There was a few times where I'm thinking, gee, it's getting dark, and you don't know if you'll be able to see me."

John Denver helped keep his spirits up through the long nights

To cope with the fear and isolation of nights alone in the bush, William turned to music. He began singing John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads, a childhood favourite that he said brought him genuine comfort in his darkest moments.

"It's a good childhood song of mine. It brings me great comfort," he said. "I started doing it one night, made me feel okay, so I just kept doing it."

William, who has autism, had been missing for close to a week before the police helicopter crew finally located him. His first words to rescuers were heartfelt. "I was saying, 'Thank God you guys found me'. I thought it would never happen," he said.

Emotional reunion with his mother, and what comes next

The moment that William described as the most powerful of the entire experience was his reunion with his mother, Elizabeth Barkley. "Best moment of my life. She was super emotional. I was super emotional, and yeah, it was a very strong point in my life," he said.

Elizabeth had already made clear, with a touch of humour, that her son was grounded "for life" and would not be going camping again any time soon. William appeared to have received that message loud and clear. "She's giving me a firm look from across the room at the moment, so not expecting to go out any time soon," he said.

William remains in hospital following the rescue and is expected to be transferred to Melbourne for further assessment by specialists. He expressed deep gratitude to everyone involved in bringing him home. "I'm super grateful for all the paramedics and nurses and search and rescue police helicopters. Everyone," he said.

His story draws a striking parallel to other remarkable survival rescues that have captivated audiences in recent times, reminding many of just how much the human spirit can endure under extreme circumstances.