British tourist rescued after two days lost in Australian Outback

Geoff Keys wrote a “HELP” message within the sand hoping in that helicopters would spot it. (Queensland Police officers Service) Barefoot, hungry & alone, a 63-year-old British tourist saved himself by scrawling a desperate message within the sand.

Geoff Keys, 63, spent two days in the wildnernes after getting lost in 900 square mile Jardine National Park, Queensland. Helicopters were combing the streams in the area to look for a sign of him and eventually – nearly two days after he’d first lost his way – Senior Constable Brad Foat spotted his message in the sand.

When he failed to return to camp that night, his friends reported him missing.

Geoff Keys had been on holiday and was seeking out an isolated waterfall in the Jardine National Park in Queensland, in the north of the country.

‘After we travelled another six kilometres I asked the pilot to turn back so I could head back to the drawing board, when out of the blue we spotted our missing man standing in the middle of the creek, waving at us’. “I thought this would be enough to get any helicopter that saw it looking in the right place”, he said.

“So I took a bearing off the setting sun and the rising moon and headed north, back the way I’d come”.

Geoff Keys thanks his rescuer, Senior Constable Brad Foat. “I kept swimming – it seemed the sensible thing to do”, added Mr Keys, who by 2am was sat waiting for dawn to come.

It wasn’t until lunch time the next day, after another six hours travelling through the water, he heard a helicopter again. “It took me about two hours to realise it wasn’t the same creek as the one I’d swum down”, Keys wrote. “Whenever I leant on a tree they would be all over my neck”.

Thankfully for Mr Keys, the messasge was spotted by Queensland Police despite not being in the official search zone. But there was no reaction to my efforts.

“He came around again while I continued to jump up and down like a lunatic and this time someone waved to me out of the window. My ordeal was over”.

The outback rescue mission is estimated to have cost more than $800,000.

“It’s safe to say that I’m very grateful to everyone involved in my rescue”, finished Keys.

Mr Keys, who was then checked over in hospital told the Mirror: “I feel stupid but lucky”.

He said he is sorry for causing any worry to his family and friends.