Australia AUSTRALIA - 4YO AUGUST (GUS) Missing from rural family home in Outback, Yunta, South Australia, 27th Sept 2025

[mickey2942]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>


My guess!!! is
the family didn't have any photos of Gus.
(Except maybe "baby" ones)

Then they remembered the Orientation Day at school
and probably contacted it to send the photo
as teachers usually take pictures of future pupils as souvenirs.

And it likely took time to get this particular photo.

Just Speculation on my part!!!

JMO

That seems odd to me. I have noticed some parents have very few pictures of their children. While others, have a plethora of pictures.

 

[MIG214222]

Hey zesszesszess, how big is a Wombat, are there Wombat holes out on that ground, and could Gus fall down in to one, or crawl in one and be lost down under ground?

Hi @statt#1,
Clearly I'm not @zesszesszess -> welcome to them, but I love Wombats so, I'm participating: the southern hairy-nosed wombats, are found on the Eyre Peninsula, and the Gawler Ranges region. The Eyre Peninsula is abt 560km/350m approx. - away from Yunta while the Gawler Ranges are approx. 500 clicks or 310m tother way.
Wombats live in burrows, that can go for kilometers in length, IF (you) ever want an Aussie to dig a trench, employ a wombat or a team of them: Scientists are watching wombat burrows from space.
The attached article gives insight into: WOMBATS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Weight & length can vary obviously but W up to 33kg / 73lb & L up to 93cm / 37inches

Other fun facts abt wombats, they're related to koalas, some of them do cubic poop, they like to sleep a lot - I could go on, there's so much more to love abt wombies BUT (imo) the mighty wombat & their burrows are unlikely to have played a role in the tragic disappearance of Gus Lamont.

Ms

Edit - added approximates for weight & length

 

[MIG214222]

Ran out of time to edit @statt#1 & @zesszesszess,
There's also SA, Department for Environment and Water 2025, Common wombats - status = rare, location, along the coast from the Coorong south to the Victorian border, extending as far north as the Bordertown area - approximately 680k/423miles from Yunta - these lovely critters are also out of the picture for any involvement in the tragic disappearance of Gus Lamont (imo).
Ms

 

[statt#1]

Ran out of time to edit @statt#1 & @zesszesszess,
There's also SA, Department for Environment and Water 2025, Common wombats - status = rare, location, along the coast from the Coorong south to the Victorian border, extending as far north as the Bordertown area - approximately 680k/423miles from Yunta - these lovely critters are also out of the picture for any involvement in the tragic disappearance of Gus Lamont (imo).
Ms

I appreciate the info. I was watching a reputable video and this grown man entered a large wombat hole.....it was a tight fit, but he went in with a camera. The reason I researched it a bit as it came up in discussion as a potential place where a child could wind up and possibly never be seen or found.

Thanks.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

I know we keep harping on about the photo of Gus that was released, but I thought I'd put forth my thoughts too.

IMO, it looks just like a cropped version of the professional photos I have of my kids at 4 year old kinder. Much like school photos, a professional is employed to attend one day to take individual photos of each child doing a variety of activities, such as painting, playing with dolls, outside on a swing, riding a trike etc. Parents can then choose what photos to buy, or perhaps certain packages are offered.

Do we know if Gus attended any form of kindergarten? In the suburbs, kindergarten can come in a variety of forms, but it's usually several times a week. Whilst I don't see Gus attending this regularly, perhaps he did attend sporadically? Or perhaps he didn't attend at all due to the distance and not a huge amount of importance being placed on it?

Anyway, that's the vibe I got from the photo released for what it's worth.

 

[BreakingNews]

It's nice the grandparents and mother have the memories in their brains. But even the children themselves would likely enjoy seeing pictures themselves growing up. And be able to show them to their future partners and children. And there might be other people who'd like to see what the kids looked like? How about the father's family? Pictures are for posterity, and for the future, imo.

I was thinking of whoever was in a position over the past six months to take the quantities of photographs some posters are demanding to exist.

If it's true that Josie opposes Jess receiving Josh (and carries the point, which does worry me), I don't think the desires of Josh's parents are going to be given much weight.

There is at least one good, reasonably recent photograph of Gus, the one we've seen. I'm just pushing back at the idea that there should be a bunch taken every week or so. For my taste, two or three a year is ample.

Maybe life on a sheep farm doesn't allow much time for photos. Maybe they don't have mobile phones (no point if they don't have reception). Maybe the cash flow of a property in drought doesn't leave much money left for luxuries.
There appeared to be little ride on toys at Josh's house.
MOO

 

[BreakingNews]

Hmmm....



The problem was
that the photo appeared a week after the child went missing.

Usually,
in cases concerning missing children Police publish photos immediately.

Well,
that is my general observation re such cases in my country.
Time is essential for potential witnesses.

Also
Police demand the most recent, actual photo of a missing child.

JMO

Agreed. However the photo didn't seem to be a priority given that LE have always maintained Gus wandered off. Although LE are keeping their options open. Quoted in numerous links.

 

[nao]

Moo...what about pythons? They do get large enough to take a small child. Though I don't think there are any cases of them actually taking a child...there's always a first time..moo

 

[Greenestdays]

Hmmm....



The problem was
that the photo appeared a week after the child went missing.

Usually,
in cases concerning missing children Police publish photos immediately.

Well,
that is my general observation re such cases in my country.
Time is essential for potential witnesses.

Also
Police demand the most recent, actual photo of a missing child.

JMO

But consider the setting. It is a very remote homestead. There is zero benefit from releasing photos if the working theory is that the child wandered off.

 

[Lady-J]

Very interesting first post!

Welcome to Websleuths

The closest occupied homestead, in terms of travel time, is Tiverton. A young family lives there. The drive from there to Oak Park before all of the search activity (traffic) destroyed Oak Park Road would take less than 20 minutes. There are now multiple bulldust holes and badly corrugated sections, increasing this travel time.

The property at Spring Dam is closer, but is not permanently inhabited.

You can also get from the Panaramatee and Manunda homesteads to Oak Park quite quickly because most of the drive is on Sturt Vale Rd, which is very well maintained - you can safely drive it at around 90km/h.

There are minor station tracks from other properties like Bulyninnie that go straight to/through Oak Park, but they are slow going. On some of these tracks it can take you 30 minutes just to travel 10 kilometres and they're sometimes impassable after rain. There are so, so many minor station tracks out there - even the most detailed maps don't show them all.

Welcome zesszesszess, it’s great to have you onboard

Can you tell me whether locals ever drive past Oak Park Station please?

 

[musicaljoke]

That seems odd to me. I have noticed some parents have very few pictures of their children. While others, have a plethora of pictures.

We haven't a clue how many pictures they have. They might have piles of pictures, but the school picture might be the best one that shows his face.

 

[libraryg]

Are you saying they (who? DM?) saw that the fridge and freezer doors in Josh's kitchen were open, and there was no one in the house? Did they mention if there was furniture still in the house?

Sounds to me like Josh is currently defrosting his freezer, or he's moved out!

... the plot thickens?

Has it ever been divulged when Josh last saw Gus?

 

[PNW]

Have you seen the homestead? I doubt they would be classified as "poor".

Yes, I’ve seen the pictures. I wouldn’t bat an eye if they were described as “poor”. Doesn’t look expensive, at all. Looks rundown, to me.

 

[Ellery84]

Has it ever been divulged when Josh last saw Gus?

Not to the public.

IMO

I’ve read all of the news articles; it’s not in them. IMO

Unless it’s in the article that’s not accessible in Australia??

 

[musicaljoke]

Yes, I’ve seen the pictures. I wouldn’t bat an eye if they were described as “poor”. Doesn’t look expensive, at all. Looks rundown, to me.

In South Australia active sheep farmland is averaging about $5000 per hectare. They have 6000 hectares. Plus houses, barns, outbuildings, equipment, vehicles, machinery, livestock, fencing and other infrastructure adds up to ... millions.

Startup Costs for Sheep Farming vs Cattle Farming in Australia: Which is More Affordable? -

Starting a livestock enterprise in Australia requires careful financial planning and a clear understanding of the substantial upfront investments involved. […]

www.grainshed.com.au

 

[zesszesszess]

Hey zesszesszess, how big is a Wombat, are there Wombat holes out on that ground, and could Gus fall down in to one, or crawl in one and be lost down under ground?

BTW, you being local could lend a huge and valuable amount of insight in to this case, good to have you here!

I don't believe there are any wombats in the area. The closest I've seen one was a couple hours south, at World's End, near Burra.

There are many animal burrows dotted around the place, but none that I believe are big enough to accommodate a 4-year-old boy.

 

[Lucy6226]

Yeah, I recently had a look through my parents' photo album from when I was about Gus' age, and I noticed that the vast majority of the pictures of me are candids. There are only a handful where I'm actually looking at the camera, and in about half of those I have my eyes closed If I'd gone missing as a four-year-old, my (very loving and attentive) parents might have had to use a six-month-old photo of me, too

But consider the setting. It is a very remote homestead. There is zero benefit from releasing photos if the working theory is that the child wandered off.

As a mother of 5yr old twins, I've got hundreds of photos of them on my phone. Very few could be used for decent identification if they went missing...they never stay still long enough! It's perfectly reasonable that a photo taken in a more professional setting like school would be used. In fact you often see school photos being used in missing children appeals, in the UK at least imo.

I agree with the lack of a photo early on. In such a remote area, who would have seen him wandering off. Most of the 'locals' would have no doubt known what he looked like anyway. There was no benefit to releasing a photo.

All MOO.

 

[zesszesszess]

Welcome zesszesszess, it’s great to have you onboard

Can you tell me whether locals ever drive past Oak Park Station please?

There's no reason for anyone to drive anywhere close to the Oak Park homestead itself, unless they are there to visit.

It's not uncommon for people from surrounding stations to use minor tracks that traverse the periphery of the Oak Park property, however, to get to other portions of their own properties. For instance, the quickest way to get from the Tiverton homestead to the Tiverton outstation is via a road that cuts through the eastern edge of Oak Park.

Also, apologies, I've only just realised that I can reply to multiple people in one post.

 

[drsleuth]

There's no reason for anyone to drive anywhere close to the Oak Park homestead itself, unless they are there to visit.

It's not uncommon for people from surrounding stations to use minor tracks that traverse the periphery of the Oak Park property, however, to get to other portions of their own properties. For instance, the quickest way to get from the Tiverton homestead to the Tiverton outstation is via a road that cuts through the eastern edge of Oak Park.

Also, apologies, I've only just realised that I can reply to multiple people in one post.

Thanks for sharing your local knowledge & welcome to WS

 

[BreakingNews]

Moo...what about pythons? They do get large enough to take a small child. Though I don't think there are any cases of them actually taking a child...there's always a first time..moo

Pythons usually squeeze the life out of cats and dogs, rather than eating them. They might eat a frog or two. Where I lived north of Cairns we had diamond pythons just about weekly in our yard. We would relocate them to the nearby nature reserve after they had a good try at squeezing the life out of your leg.