Is the Story of Lost Bushwalker Jamie Neale A Hoax?
Lost British backpacker Jamie Neale has made big headlines in Australia in recent days and now it appears he has made an even bigger pay day:
BRITISH backpacker Jamie Neale has returned to the bush in the NSW Blue Mountains to tell a TV crew how his bushwalk went so horribly wrong.
The 19-year-old was lost for 12 days in enduring sub-zero temperatures, living off seeds and weeds and keeping warm under strips of bark.
He wandered off a walking track during a planned day hike on July 3 and lost hope of ever getting out of the rugged terrain before emerging on Wednesday.
Mr Neale was taken back into bushland on Saturday by Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes, which paid $200,000 for his story.
The teenager left hospital on Friday and is set to travel to Perth to visit relatives.
His father, Richard Cass, left Sydney on Saturday to return home after the extensive search for his son.
Before boarding his flight he again defended his son’s honesty as doubters in Australia and the UK continue to question how the backpacker survived in the cold without food. [AAP]
Whether or not him being lost in the woods for 12 days is a hoax or not is currently a big topic of debate:
But Mr Cass, 54, said: ‘When I told him about the hoax claims he was pretty angry about that.
‘He’s aware that people are disbelieving. But I know my boy and I know he’s been out there for that period of time.
‘He’s been through a God awful experience and for him to then not be believed, that will obviously be quite psychologically damaging.’
Callers to Sydney radio stations have asked why Mr Neale did not hear the search parties who were looking for him in the area he was lost in, roughly between a rocky outcrop known as the Ruined Castle and Mt Solitary.
They also asked why he did not stay in a clearing while a search helicopter was scouring the landscape.
Other doubters have said it seemed an amazing coincidence that on the very day his father, who had flown out to Australia from his home in Watford, was due to fly back to England, Mr Neale should have stumbled upon two bushwalkers who had set up camp and word went out that he had been found. [Daily Mail]
Like this park ranger I am eager as well to hear what he was eating:
Park ranger Geoff Luscomb described Mr Neale’s survival as ‘remarkable’ and said he wanted to learn more about the ‘bush tucker’ he had eaten.
Mr Neale has told his father he lived on seeds and a rocket-like grass, but Mr Luscombe said he could not be sure what the backpacker meant by his description of that grass.
‘I’m just very keen to hear all about that – how, being an Englishman with no previous knowledge of survival in the Australian bush, he managed to stay out there for 12 days eating these foods that I would like to know more about.
‘I’m not doubting his story, because it really is a remarkable story, but I am very keen to hear in detail how he managed it,’ said Mr Luscombe. [Daily Mail]
I guess the truth will probably come out in due time, but for someone who ate nothing, grass and seeds for 12 days in freezing temperatures he looks remarkably well.
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About The Author
Dobbs
I am a avid hiker with a love for travel and the outdoors. I currently call the Evergreen State of Washington my home.
I have no doubts in jamies story having spent a lot of time solo hiking between katoomba and the southern highlands having been under some stress at times in the bush its trully amazing what the human body can do to adapt as long as your will to survive stays strong . For my information i would would to know the tucker jamie survived on .
I'm not saying he made the story up but I would think it would be good to further look into the story before giving him hundreds of thousands of dollars for interviews.
The big unexplained inconsistency in his story is his lack of scratches. He claims to have been lost for 12 days in the Cedar Creek area, south of Ruined Castle. This valley has no tracks and is thick with lawyer vine, which is notorious for cutting bushwalkers. So to get through this area would be a "bush bash"; forcing your way through the undergrowth without the benefit of the clear ground that a track provides.This would certainly mean that anyone bush bashing through that area, even for half a day, let alone 12, would be cut on arms, legs and… Read more »
If he isn't scratched up that is a good point you bring up. I would assume though that he was wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt and probably even a jacket since he was hiking in the winter. This may explain the lack of scratches. His hands should be scratched as well but if he was wearing gloves that might explain that.
I saw footage of him immediately after being rescued; he wasn't wearing gloves and his hands and face were unscathed.Having scrub bashed through lawyer vine myself in the Blue Mountains and other places, I can guarantee you that hands and face would be scratched after 12 days in Cedar Valley. Plus his clothes would be ripped. They weren't.I have a friend up here (I live in the Blue Mountains) who knows the rescuers of Jamie Neale. They expressed these same suspicions to my friend on the day they rescued him.Appearance does not match the claimed experience.
my quest was katoomba to mittagong without touching a walking/fire trail i pulled out on the eastern side of warragamba dam near lakesland and was cut to pieces on the undergrowth/weeds i see what youre saying
There is no doubt in my mind that this was a complete hoax and it really has worked in his favour. 1. He looked too healthy on his return, no scratches to his face even.2. How convenient to leave your mobile behind!
if he has survived in the bush for 12 days without any experience what so ever in bush survival, then it's a miracle he's alive, especially without shelter which should be the first thing you do when you get lost, then find food and water. The body can last a while without food and water, water is easily found, just dig in an old creek bed or channel. food, well lucky he wasn't sick, there's a lot of berries that are posionous, will make you ill etc. personally I'd have eaten bugs, more protein. If this is all a hoax,… Read more »
According to information from authorities in the UK, Jamie Neale has a Duke of Edinburgh award and was a very experienced hiker. According to those who know him:At school "he had a reputation as a resourceful young man", and "blitzed the stage of his Duke of Edinburgh award during which he learned bush survival skills and had to find his way out of Epping Forest in Essex". Although "he was lost in the forest, he made it back to safety in record time". Apparently, he was also lost in Snowdonia, but found his way out. (I was lost in Snowdonia… Read more »
Lots of good points being made. So far I haven't read anything that suggests the authorities are going to even bother investigating this incident to figure out if it really was a hoax or not. I'm still waiting just to hear what seeds and plants he was eating for 12 days.
If the government has not firmly established that this was not a hoax: they should do so. I personally find no evidence to substantiate this Neale's claim beyond the fact that a large amount of money and resources were spent in looking for him. Particulary since Channel Nine awarded him a huge amount of money, his claims should be tested and otherwise he should have been prosecuted. Anyone who has gone through the bush does not look like he did. There should be legislation in place to avoid public nuisances like him.
I have no doubts in jamies story having spent a lot of time solo hiking between katoomba and the southern highlands having been under some stress at times in the bush its trully amazing what the human body can do to adapt as long as your will to survive stays strong . For my information i would love to know the tucker jamie survived on .
I’m not saying he made the story up but I would think it would be good to further look into the story before giving him hundreds of thousands of dollars for interviews.
The big unexplained inconsistency in his story is his lack of scratches. He claims to have been lost for 12 days in the Cedar Creek area, south of Ruined Castle. This valley has no tracks and is thick with lawyer vine, which is notorious for cutting bushwalkers. So to get through this area would be a “bush bash”; forcing your way through the undergrowth without the benefit of the clear ground that a track provides. This would certainly mean that anyone bush bashing through that area, even for half a day, let alone 12, would be cut on arms, legs… Read more »
If he isn’t scratched up that is a good point you bring up. I would assume though that he was wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt and probably even a jacket since he was hiking in the winter. This may explain the lack of scratches. His hands should be scratched as well but if he was wearing gloves that might explain that.
I saw footage of him immediately after being rescued; he wasn’t wearing gloves and his hands and face were unscathed.
Having scrub bashed through lawyer vine myself in the Blue Mountains and other places, I can guarantee you that hands and face would be scratched after 12 days in Cedar Valley. Plus his clothes would be ripped. They weren’t.
I have a friend up here (I live in the Blue Mountains) who knows the rescuers of Jamie Neale. They expressed these same suspicions to my friend on the day they rescued him.
Appearance does not match the claimed experience.
my quest was katoomba to mittagong without touching a walking/fire trail i pulled out on the eastern side of warragamba dam near lakesland and was cut to pieces on the undergrowth/weeds i see what youre saying
There is no doubt in my mind that this was a complete hoax and it really has worked in his favour.
1. He looked too healthy on his return, no scratches to his face even.
2. How convenient to leave your mobile behind!
if he has survived in the bush for 12 days without any experience what so ever in bush survival, then it’s a miracle he’s alive, especially without shelter which should be the first thing you do when you get lost, then find food and water. The body can last a while without food and water, water is easily found, just dig in an old creek bed or channel. food, well lucky he wasn’t sick, there’s a lot of berries that are posionous, will make you ill etc. personally I’d have eaten bugs, more protein. If this is all a hoax,… Read more »
According to information from authorities in the UK, Jamie Neale has a Duke of Edinburgh award and was a very experienced hiker. According to those who know him: At school “he had a reputation as a resourceful young man”, and “blitzed the stage of his Duke of Edinburgh award during which he learned bush survival skills and had to find his way out of Epping Forest in Essex”. Although “he was lost in the forest, he made it back to safety in record time”. Apparently, he was also lost in Snowdonia, but found his way out. (I was lost in… Read more »
Lots of good points being made. So far I haven’t read anything that suggests the authorities are going to even bother investigating this incident to figure out if it really was a hoax or not. I’m still waiting just to hear what seeds and plants he was eating for 12 days.
Ban guns
Ban knives
Ban words
Ban bushwalking
Ban eating food other than McDonalds
All news must come from ACA or Mr Murdock
Approve Coal Seam Gas
Approve Strip Mining on farm land
Take some photos of “The Bush” and sell them in a gallery at “The Rocks”.
Being the most urbanised country in the world is really starting to suck.
This area is famous for getting lost in, but this tale rings hollow; I have walked in this area for nigh on fifty years, One ‘gets off a track’ at his own risk. Civilisation sits atop the plateau, surrounded by cliffs, to the north of rainforest all around.Landmarks, where one can see them,are easily recognisable. Maps are easily got, & the trails are well-marked. He should have had leech bites, mosquito bites, scratches, & extreme muddiness. If not, he lies. Genuine cases include a Czech girl, down in the valley for three nights before being found; along with a group… Read more »