THE father of a young Melbourne man who went missing near Swan Hill believes his son may have headed for Mildura, and is pleading with Sunraysia people to look out for him.
Samuel Thomson, 19, is the subject of a police search after his car was found abandoned near the Murray River about 20km from Swan Hill. He had left his family what has been described as a "cryptic" note inside the book Into the Wild, the story of a young man who goes into the wilderness to live alone, when he left their outer-suburban Lysterfield South home last Thursday.
Samuel's father, David Thomson, who coincidentally lived and worked in Mildura decades ago, said his son had since spent a short amount of time with a couple who had not known he was missing.
But, in conversations about the river, they had told him Mildura was a good place to visit.
Mr Thomson said Samuel was "drawn to the Murray River" and might be making his way to its mouth in South Australia. SA police in the Riverland have been alerted to the theory and have joined efforts to find the teenager.
But Mr Thomson says that while search efforts have so far concentrated on the Murray, people might see his son "in the street, in a cafe, he could be anywhere".
The last confirmed sighting of Samuel was on Saturday, when he was picked up from the roadside near Nyah by a couple. He had slept on their property in a small red tent he had with him and they had later said the only luggage he carried was a day pack that was virtually empty.
He was still wearing the dark T-shirt – with a karate championship logo across the chest – he had left home in and white football shorts. It is believed these are the only clothes he had with him.
He also had a distinctive pair of wraparound sunglasses with bright green frames and a green floppy hat.
"Sam has purposely gone off with no resources whatsoever," his father said. "He has no phone, no ID, wallet, money, clothes, water, food.
"We hope he's by the river because there is at least water
"All the early search was based on the idea that Sam was somewhere and not wanting to be found ... (but) we are hoping that Sam has decided that hitchhiking is a different type of adventure that he wants to do.
"He might be remotely by the river, he could be down the street, he could be on a road. It's highly likely he's staying away from people."
Mr Thomson said the family, which includes three other children and their mother, Elizabeth, was "rattled".
"Liz is trying to hold it together, being mum to the other three kids, but all our thoughts and efforts are for Sam at the moment," he said. "Sam needs some help."
Mr Thomson said his son, who is 185cm tall, was a "big, striking kid" who might stand out and although he was "a pretty reserved young fellow", he was also friendly. He urged his son, if he reads this, to "ask anybody for help".
"That help could be water, food, a phone call home. People will help you if you ask. Stay safe and please let us know you're OK.
"I just want Sam to be OK. He would know that all his family are worried and would be deeply affected, but it's not about us. We want him to be OK."
Anyone who encounters Samuel, or has information that may help find him, should either urgently contact their local police station or call 1800 333 000.