Rescued hiker survived a fortnight on alpine berries and two muesli bars

A Melbourne hiker who was rescued almost two weeks after he went missing in the rugged Kosciuszko National Park survived on foraged berries along with a couple of muesli bars he found in a deserted alpine hut.

NSW Police confirmed that hikers had found Hadi Nazari, 23, alive just after 3pm on Wednesday.

Soon after, Nazari was in the arms of sobbing loved ones at Geehi campground, where he had been meant to meet his friends days ago.

He wrapped his arms around them, with one man looking his gaunt shirtless body up and down before drawing in a sharp breath through tears, vision shared by the NSW State Emergency Service showed.

Speaking outside Wagga Wagga police station, the Riverina police district commander, Superintendent Andrew Spliet, said Nazari called out to hikers on Wednesday, saying he had been lost in the bush and was thirsty.

“He’s in good health, [and doesn’t] appear to have any significant injuries, Spliet said. “He’ll be conveyed to a hospital in the area to be checked out.

“He’s been reunited with his family, who are very, very happy to obviously have him back.”

Nazari was found near Blue Lake, a glacial wetland about 10 kilometres as the crow flies from a search command post set up at Geehi campground.

“One of my police at the scene had spoken to him, [and] relayed that he found a hut up there in the mountains and two muesli bars up there that he’s eaten, and that’s pretty much all that he’s had to consume over the last two weeks,” Spliet said.

“He’s covered a fair bit of ground … in that type of terrain, [which] is very, very steep, thick bushland.”

Nazari also foraged for food, including berries, where he could, NSW Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

Chris Ryder, the deputy commissioner of volunteer organisation VRA Rescue NSW, spent years working as an alpine search operator for police and said the spot Nazari was found was about a three or four-day walk from the command post.

“I don’t even think you’d want to try to do it,” he said. “It’s ridiculously steep. You’re trying to climb trees to walk up a hill.”

Paramedics treated Nazari for dehydration before taking him to hospital, where he was happy and in “remarkable” condition for the length of time he was missing, NSW Ambulance’s Adam Mower said.

Speaking at Geehi campground, Broadfoot said the search – which involved more than 300 people – was one of the longest successful land searches for a missing person he could remember.

Nazari reported seeing helicopters flying overhead as rescuers scoured the bushland but could not spot him in the arduous and dense terrain, Broadfoot said.

“It’s a massive effort for him to have gotten here to there,” he said. “We’ve had a chat to Hadi, and he said he’s pretty much just been up and just walking from morning to night.”

Nazari’s family earlier told Nine News he had called them after he was found to say he was alive.

“We talked to him ... he is OK ... he is fine,” they said. “We are very happy … it is the happiest day of our lives.”

Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia, Wahidullah Waissi, lauded the search effort for Nazari on social media.

“Wonderful news to hear that Hadi Nazari has been found safe & sound after 13 days,” Waissi wrote on X.

“Truly calls for a joyous celebration of 2025 for his family and friends.”

NSW SES commander Ben Pickup said some volunteers had searched for Nazari for up to nine days straight.

SES superintendent Matthew Price said rescuers from Victoria and the ACT were among the search team.

“[We’re] pretty ecstatic,” Price said. “There were a few surprised voices over the radios when they came through.”

Nazari, a student from Berwick in Melbourne’s outer south-east, went missing on Boxing Day after he was separated from friends at the tail-end of a multi-day hike.

Rescued hiker Hadi Nazari, 23, embraces loved ones on Wednesday.Credit: ABC News

NSW Police said he was last seen by friends about 2.30pm on December 26 descending Hannels Spur trail at Geehi, between Khancoban and Thredbo in the national park.

Two friends, aged 23 and 24, expected to meet up with Nazari at the Geehi campground, but when he failed to show up they began searching for him.

Nazari was ultimately found by other hikers about 3.15pm on Wednesday off the circuit walk near Blue Lake.

“He was winched from the location to the command post,” NSW Police said in a statement.

A search involving police, the SES, NSW Ambulance, VRA Rescue NSW and national parks officers began the day after Nazari went missing.

“We never gave up hope of finding him, and we are elated we can return him safely to his family,” Broadfoot said.

Late on December 31, rubbish and hiking poles believed to belong to the bushwalker were found near Kosciuszko Creek, which was the focus area of the search.

On Sunday, a campfire, lighter, camera and camera bag were found near the Geehi River. Nazari recorded a message on the camera for his family, Nine News reported.

Nazari had studied science at the University of Melbourne, according to his LinkedIn.

With Riley Walter and Angus Delaney

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