A British backpacker missing in the Australian outback for more than three days has been found safe and well.

Samuel Woodhead, 18, disappeared from a cattle station in Queensland on Tuesday when he went for a jog.

A Queensland police spokesman said Woodhead was a little sunburnt when he was found, but was hydrated and otherwise well. His family has been notified.

The former Brighton College student was having a medical assessment at the cattle station before being transferred to a hospital in the nearby town of Longreach.

There were unconfirmed reports that he was found during a helicopter search, police said.

His sister Rebecca posted the news on Facebook, saying: "We have been told that they have found Sam!! We have no information on his condition or where he was found yet, so keep your fingers crossed."

Local authorities launched a search for Woodhead, reportedly from Richmond upon Thames in Surrey, amid fears he may have become lost in the hot, isolated region.

Rescuers searched for him by land and air. His mother is understood to have urged police to widen their search as her son, an experienced long-distance runner, could have travelled some way from his base.

Temperatures have been around 37C (98.6F) in the area this week.