AN Irishman backpacking in Australia has been reported as missing.

The Irish Consulate in Sydney have appealed for information on the whereabouts of Declan Whales.

Mr Whales (30) is understood to have been backpacking in Australia in recent months. A police report on his disappearance was made in Ryde, a suburb of Sydney – nearly 2,000km from where a friend last saw him.

Lucas Rathmann (26), from Germany, worked with Whales, an electrician, for a week before leaving the Geiger Earthmoving Fencing Mustering company in the rural town of Winton, nearly 1,400km north-west of Brisbane.

“Last time we’ve seen him was on the 23rd (June). He started about a week earlier than we did. We just worked there for a couple of days and when we left on the 23rd, he was alright. He planned to stay a couple more weeks to save some money,” he said.

“The camp was in the middle of nowhere, no signal and the next town was 140km away. Maybe he’s still just out of signal,” Rathmann continued.

“He was a very nice guy, always spoke to everyone. A really open and friendly guy.”

Geiger Earthmoving Fencing Mustering has been contacted for a comment.

Mr Whales was born in Ireland, but lived in England before travelling to Australia, and spoke with an English accent. It is understood that Whales worked as a Site Project Manager at Unitech Engineering Services in Newbury, Berkshire.

A Facebook post by the Irish Australian Support Association of Queensland, based on information provided by the Irish Consulate in Sydney, was that Whales was travelling to Brisbane to work with a fencing contractor.

He was tagged in an Instagram photo at Gilligan’s Live Music Bar in Cairns on May 28.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said they are “aware of the case” and “providing consular assistance”.

The Irish Consulate in Sydney directed queries to the Australian Police.

Luke Richards (24) from London, said he and his girlfriend Jessica, met Mr Whales at the BigFoot Backpackers Hostel in Bundaberg, a Queensland city known for attracting backpackers looking to earn money through farmwork.

“He’s a really nice guy, always happy, would always stop and speak with you. When I first met him, he came straight out, stuck out his hand and said ‘great to meet you’. He was very friendly.”

“This is strange because he doesn’t seem like the type to just disappear. He was really responsible from what I saw, he was a supervisor for an electrical company in the UK. [I’m] honestly so shocked at all this.”

Richards continued: “He said he was a supervisor when he left but didn’t want to do that anymore as it was too much stress. He didn’t want to be an electrician in Australia. He wanted to extend his visa for a second year.”

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