Police hunt for Scots backpacker missing in Australian outback
‘He tends to go off into the wild a lot’
A SCOTS backpacker has gone missing in the Australian outback, sparking a police search.
Daniel Buckner, 28, was travelling in the Northern Territory.
When he last contacted his family on Skye he was in the city of Darwin but they have alerted police after not hearing from him for three weeks.
Mr Buckner’s father Roy runs a welding business on the island.
He said: ‘He’s been in Australia for a couple of years now. It’s not like him to be out of contact.
‘He hasn’t made contact in three weeks.
‘We just want to know what’s happened to him. He’s out in the outback so we want to know he’s OK.
‘We’ve put the feelers out with Darwin police but it is still early doors.’
Mr Buckner said his son had a tendency to go ‘off grid’, which he was hoping would explain the recent lack of contact.
He added: ‘It’s unusual for him to go this long, which is three weeks.
‘The last contact we had with him was when he was in Darwin. He was heading east but taking a lot of detours off for travelling.
‘He tends to go off into the wild a lot and camps along as he goes. He has a tendency to go off grid.
‘We don’t know what exact direction he was heading in last time. So if he has gone off grid he might be out of signal totally so that’s why we’ve lost contact.
‘We just want him to get in contact as the only course of action that we’ve got from here, is to go through the authorities and ask if they can locate him and get him to get in contact.
‘He was enjoying himself, he was on the road doing his own thing. He does what he does, he travels about. He loves travelling.
‘We’ve got some distant relatives over there but no one that is in touch with Daniel.’
A picture released by police shows Mr Buckner with long dark brown hair and a full beard and sporting several piercings including his ears, nose and bottom lip.
Police in Skye are also assisting the family in their search and they posted an appeal on social media yesterday asking for help in tracking down the missing man.
The tweet said: ‘OK followers, here is your biggest challenge yet.
‘Daniel Buckner, 28, has been reported missing by family on Skye while travelling in Darwin, Australia. Last heard from on May 21.
‘Can this be shared enough across the globe to make sure he’s safe and well.’
The tweet had been shared more than 1,300 times yesterday. Dozens of Scots have responded to the request, passing on the details to friends and family living in the area.
No one at Northern Territory Police was available to comment on the search.
Darwin, which sits on the Timor Sea at the most northerly point in Australia, is the capital city of the Northern Territory.
The region is sparsely populated. Temperatures in Darwin at this time of year can reach above 85F (30C), while in the outback they can soar even higher.