Police find missing 8yo boy who vanished from tourist hotspot

A boy who sparked an hours-long frantic missing persons search has revealed exactly where he went.

An eight-year-old boy who slipped away from his parents while riding his scooter on the Gold Coast has spoken of his 18km adventure.

Henry Costello was last seen on his scooter travelling northbound along the Esplanade between the Burleigh Heads Surf Club and the North Burleigh Surf Club at about 8am on Wednesday.

When his father couldn’t find the little boy, it sparked panic, with Queensland Police issuing a missing persons alert at about 10:30am.

Young Henry Costello said he ‘just felt like scooting’. Picture: 9News

His father said the family was ‘a bit embarrassed’ by the attention. Picture: 9News

The young boy undertook a 17km journey on his scooter, riding all the way to the Spit at the end of the Gold Coast’s beaches and turning around to make it back to Main Beach, where he was found.

Shockingly, the little boy wasn’t afraid during the hours long journey, telling 9News his “legs hurt a little bit” but that he was otherwise okay.

His excuse for not reaching out to someone for help was that he ‘just felt like scooting’.

Police released this CCTV photo of the young boy during the frantic search. Picture: 9 News

“Dad told us we were going somewhere and he told me to follow the beach, so I did. And then I guess I went too far,” he said.

Henry was found around midday after an off-duty lifeguard spotted him on his scooter.

“The 8-year-old boy reported missing from Burleigh Heads has been located safe and well in the Main Beach area,” police stated.

He was riding an orange scooter and wearing a black helmet when he was reported missing to police.

The Burleigh foreshore is a popular spot for tourists, as school holidays continue on the Gold Coast.