On Saturday, 7-year-old Simon Kruger went missing.
He had been having lunch with his family at Deep Creek Conservation Park, on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula, when he wandered off, following a wallaby into the bush.
He spent that night in the wilderness, surviving near-freezing temperatures.
Almost 24 hours after he disappeared — and after an extensive search by police that involved parachute flares — Simon was spotted by a rescue helicopter and winched to safety.
Simon then recalled his incredible story of survival.
"Dad, I'm okay — I slept under a tree and there were kangaroos," he said as they were reunited.
Simon told his parents that he was picking flowers for his mother when a kangaroo approached him.
"A kangaroo came closer to him and ate the flowers from him, and the kangaroo fell asleep next to him," Simon's father, Etienne Kruger, told 7News. "I think God sent a kangaroo to keep him warm."
"I think it was a miracle, when I smell his jacket, it's kangaroo – bush and kangaroo," Simon's mother, Linda,added.
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Etienne thanked the huge search party who volunteered to help.
"He left a quiet picnic and came back to a large crowd," he told The Advertiser.
While the relieved parents are vowing to keep a closer watch on their "resourceful" son, they hope the ordeal won't squash his adventurous spirit.
"Hopefully he’ll refer to it as an adventure, so we’ll keep it at that, a bit of a jungle book story," Etienne told7News.
Etienne told the Daily Telegraph that his son is doing well.
"He's definitely doing well...he just got up this morning as if nothing had happened yesterday," he said on Monday. "He's had a nice shower last night and a good sleep. It's such a relief to have him back home and be back to normal."
He added that Simon is excited to share his story with his classmates.
"He's certainly got something to tell at show and tell now."
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