A MAN who was found dead after a camping trip has been described as a "beautiful soul".

Aslan King, 25, was found three days after he “sprinted” into the Australian bush after hitting his head.

His body discovered in a creek near to where he had been staying in Princetown, a tourist destination on the Victoria coast, about 150 miles south-west of Melbourne.

Mr King, an illustrator and print-maker from Brighton, moved to Australia just two weeks ago and was said to have been on a “trip of a lifetime”.

Hundreds of people have been paying tribute since the news was announced.

A JustGiving page to raise funds for a funeral has already had £8,000 donated.

One person wrote on it: “I’m so sorry about the tragic loss of your darling son Amanda.

"There is nothing we can say here that seems appropriate at this time, but will do anything at all to be of help.”

Another said: “My love and blessings to all Az’s family and close friends. Such a kind, genuine and lovely lad. Always laughing and smiling with everyone. Rest easy old pal.”

A third wrote: “All our love to you and Lola. We loved Aslan he was a fantastic ray of sunshine in our lives.”

Simon Goddard, director and co-founder at Yoga in The Lanes, said: “Aslan was a regular practitioner here at Yoga in The Lanes and attended two or three times a week.

"He had all the qualities that you would want in a human being. He was kind, compassionate, creative, calm and very handsome.

"He was a beautiful soul who had so much to give – a very bright light has gone out.

“We are all extremely sad to hear the news and will be supporting his mum, Amanda, as much as we can as she is also part of our yoga family.

“We are looking to hold a service for Aslan in the coming days at our yoga school in Middle Street.”

The Argus:

Authorities said Mr King had been drinking with four friends when he hit his head on the ground about 2am on Saturday and suffered a suspected seizure.

He then ran suddenly into thick bushland surrounding the campsite and might have been disoriented, police said.

David Lindsay, who lives in the area, said: “[His friends] said he just got up and sprinted. By the time they grabbed torches and their phones he was gone. They were all really worried and concerned. They all looked like ghosts.”

Dozens of people were involved in the search near the Twelve Apostles beauty spot. A helicopter, horses, boats, motorcycles and sniffer dogs were all involved in the operation.

Hayley Cullis, one of the five campers, had urged the public to keep an eye out for Mr King, saying he may “be very confused”.

His body was discovered half a mile from where he was last seen. 

Victoria Police said: “Police have located the body of a man following the search for missing tourist Aslan King in the Princetown area.”

Sergeant Danny Brown said Mr King’s behaviour appeared to be wildly out of character.

“This is why it made it so hard for us [to search] because there was no intelligence to suggest why he left or where he went," he said.

"His behaviour took everyone by surprise. By all accounts he was a very fit, physically and mentally.”

He added Mr King’s body was identified by friends. Police will now prepare a report for the coroner.

The Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man following his death near Princetown, Australia, and are in close contact with the Australian police.”