An teen-aged Australian girl is in good spirits but a little bit sore on Thursday after a 10-hour ordeal with what appeared to be a bomb chained around her neck.

Sydney police have closed off streets and are searching through bushes in search of clues that might lead to the masked intruder who chained the device to 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the episode as something out of a Hollywood script.

Police finally managed to remove the device shortly before midnight Wednesday. After further examination they determined it did not contain real explosives and appeared to be an elaborate hoax.

Police are also examining an apparent extortion note left by the man at the home in an upscale Sydney neighborhood.

The girl's father, William Pulver, is the chief executive of an information technology company. Police said it was not clear why the family was targeted.

Pulver told reporters his daughter woke up Thursday morning sore and tired but in good spirits. He appealed for the media to respect the family's privacy and allow it to return to normal life.