On Air Now

Tom Hooper

3:00pm - 6:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Body of Australian hiker recovered - day after officials said she had been found alive

The body of an 18-year-old hiker has been recovered from the Australian bush, a day after authorities incorrectly announced she had been found alive.

Lily Hooper left her home in Sydney's southwest on 12 August to hike in the Nattai National Park but failed to return.

Her disappearance sparked a major search operation to find her in the dense bush in the NSW Southern Highlands.

On Thursday, New South Wales Premier Chris ​Minns announced that Ms Hooper had been found alive.

But the leader of Australia's largest state later apologised and confirmed a body, believed to be Ms Hooper's, had been found.

Officials are investigating whether a miscommunication over a police code may have led authorities to wrongly report that Ms Hooper had been found alive.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also "unreservedly" ​apologised for the error and for causing "any additional trauma" to Ms Hooper's family.

The body was airlifted from the site on Friday, NSW Police said.

See more from Sky News:
Hikers' bodies found in Alps
Sussexes to return to UK

A post-mortem examination will be conducted in the coming days to formally confirm the identity and cause of death.

Ms Hooper's car was found at the ⁠start of a challenging 10-mile (16 km) walking track, called the Bunnum Pic Walking Trail, ​described as being suited to advanced hikers.

An extensive search operation was launched involving police and emergency services, with close to 100 members of the Australian Defence Force also joining.

Efforts to find Ms Hooper were hampered by the dense and rugged terrain in the national park about 62 miles (100km) southwest of Sydney.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: Body of Australian hiker recovered - day after officials said she had been found alive

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from World News

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Light rain shower

    High: 16°C | Low: 11°C

  • Filey

    Light rain shower

    High: 17°C | Low: 11°C

  • Whitby

    Light rain

    High: 16°C | Low: 11°C

  • Bridlington

    Light rain shower

    High: 16°C | Low: 11°C

  • Hornsea

    Heavy rain shower

    High: 16°C | Low: 9°C

  • Driffield

    Heavy rain shower

    High: 16°C | Low: 9°C

News