The boy was pulled over near the mining town of Broken Hill in the New South Wales outback on Saturday after a patrol noticed the car's bumper dragging on the ground.
Police said the boy had been trying to drive from Kendall in New South Wales to Perth in Western Australia.
He was arrested and taken to the Broken Hill police station, the BBC reported.
His parents, who had reported him missing, picked him up Sunday, the BBC reported.
Detective Inspector Kim Fehon told the Evening Standard that the boy had taken the family car. "His parents reported him missing immediately after he left home, so they were looking for him."
It was likely the boy would be charged under the Young Offenders Act in connection with three offenses, including failing to pay for gasoline and driving without a license, police told The Guardian.
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