A British backpacker has gone missing in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, while on a winter break in Australia.

Jamie Neale, 19, from London, has not been seen since leaving his youth hostel in Katoomba on Friday morning. He had checked into the Blue Mountains hostel on Thursday for a two-night stay in the mountains, about 70 miles (100km) west of Sydney.

Janet McGarry, a spokeswoman for the hostel, said Mr Neale appeared to be in good spirits and had booked and paid for a tour of the nearby Jenolan caves for Saturday morning. He never turned up.

She added that staff had seen him leaving the hostel on Friday of last week.

After discovering his belongings still in his room on Saturday, the hostel reported the Briton missing to local police, who began to search for the teenager. Today police released an alert on behalf of Mr Neale’s family appealing for help in finding him.

A spokesman for New South Wales Police said that most of Mr Neale’s belongings, including his mobile phone and personal papers, were left at the hostel and there were indications on his phone that he had been preparing to take a bushwalk.

The Blue Mountains, a world heritage listed region of sandstone plateaus, gorges, waterfalls and bush, are among the most popular tourist destinations in the state.

There are hundreds of bushwalks through national park areas which are accessible by road and/or foot from Katoomba. However, the terrain can be dangerous for people without proper knowledge of the area as much of it is covered by enormous cliffs and dense bushland in the valleys below.

Mr Neale, who was travelling on his own, was last seen wearing a fleece jumper, T-shirt, blue jeans and black joggers and was carrying a burgundy day-pack.

Police said they are concerned for Mr Neale’s welfare, especially as he has now been missing for almost five days in the peak of Australia’s winter. Temperatures in Katoomba over the weekend reached a 10C average, but dropped to near freezing overnight.

A spokeswoman for the British Consulate-General said that it had been in contact with Mr Neale’s family in England and was providing consular support.

It is not known how long Mr Neale had been in Australia, but he was recently photographed at Wildlife World in Darling Harbour, Sydney.

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