A missing teenage boy who suffers from Asperger's syndrome has been reunited with his family after cycling 966km down the Australian east coast to prove to bullies that he is not 'an idiot".
Ethan Johnson, 15, sparked a nationwide search when he disappeared after leaving home to walk to school in the Queensland capital on March 30.
Without the knowledge of his family members or friends, he changed out of his school uniform, hopped onto his black mountain bike and set off on an epic journey down the Pacific Motorway.
For six days, he pedalled down the east coast of Australia, from Queensland to New South Wales. He ate only fast food and slept on benches in truck stops and under bridges.
Ethan turned his mobile phone off to avoid being tracked but his parents were reassured he was still alive by his frequent bank activity and occasional sightings on CCTV.
The teen was eventually found by police at a western Sydney train station on April 10 and driven home.
His mother Tammy said her son had set out on his odyssey reminiscent of the adventure undertaken by the character in Mark Haddon's award-winning novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time. He did it to prove to school bullies that he was not an idiot. He also wanted to see Sydney again, after having visited the city briefly on a school trip, she said.
'He rode his bicycle to Sydney for no better reason than to see if he could," Mrs Johnson wrote on a Facebook page set up to help find her son when he went missing.
'He wanted to prove to some bullies that he's not an idiot - and he isn't. He actually planned the whole trip himself, which is so very far outside his comfort zone."
Ethan, now safely back at home nursing some rather sore muscles, said he spent his time 'exploring" and "going to shops".
Asperger's syndrome is a autism-related disorder that can inhibit a person's ability to interact socially.
