A six-year-old boy has been found "without a scratch" after spending the night lost in thick bushland at Olinda, in Melbourne's outer east. A local teenager who was out on his usual weekend mountain-bike ride came across the boy sitting on a path. The boy has been reunited with his mother and cleared of any injury by paramedics.
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00:00These were the scenes hailed an Easter miracle.
00:05Six year old passer back in his mother's arms as his father comes face to face with the teenager who through sheer luck saved him.
00:13He's our hero.
00:14But the miracle could have easily been a nightmare.
00:17The boy's family celebrating Good Friday at a playground in Elinda yesterday afternoon when they realised he'd wandered off.
00:24Hundreds of emergency service crews and volunteers quickly joined the search
00:29and as night fell and temperatures dropped they were assisted by dogs, a helicopter and a dash of ingenuity.
00:36We actually got some intel from his parents that he liked the song Hickory Dickory Dock and a special ABC tune.
00:43So all our police members played that tune from their phones and through the police speakers on the car trying to call him out.
00:50But as day broke and teams geared up to resume the search there was still no sign.
00:56Until this 18 year old mountain biker set out on his regular trail ride.
01:01I see a passer.
01:02Knew from like boot chats and stuff that he was missing and like called the police quick.
01:08Just sitting with him hoping that he's alright.
01:11I think he was alright.
01:12Police say it was somewhere here about eight kilometres away from where he went missing that passer was eventually found.
01:18A little shaken but otherwise in good health.
01:20He was found with not a scratch on him.
01:22Reunited with mum and was just so happy to be with him.
01:27I think he just curled up in a ball and went to sleep straight away with mum.
01:30Reunited with mum to the relief of an army of volunteers.
01:34His father today describing the moment as.
01:36The happiest thing.
01:37The happiest thing I've had in my life.
01:39I cannot think of anything that can top that.
01:42It's not that often that I get to stand here with a smile on my face at the end of the day and say how happy I am to be a part of something like this.
01:51It's really quite special.
01:52Absolutely.
01:53An Easter miracle.