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

[RedHaus]

Sunset times Yunta September 2025

Yes.

I had posted the same data source for Adelaide ^^^. It's the Atronomical Twilight end point that is key to the feasibility question here: 7:30pm.

Per your data snip, it would've been pitch black (save any moonlight or milky way light) by 7:30pm.

But I posit wee Gus likely did not trudge too far after 6:11pm sunset. What would have drawn Gus so far from his home just before dinner as the sun was setting?

And what would have kept him going further from his home as the sun set, temperatures dropped sharply, and his belly was likely hungry for dinner?

I'm glad to hear these mine shafts were found and are being searched, and then cordoned off to prevent falls, I presume. But I have a hard time imagining Gus trucking that far on 27/9. IMO.

 

[statt#1]

Nobody aware of 1, maybe 2...but 6? And little Gus walked 5.5 k straight in to one? What are the odds?

 

[Deleted member 372361]

Gus Lamont update: Fresh search launched for Gus Lamont at old mineshafts near Oak Park Station

 

[Deleted member 372361]

Hopefully new evidence on tyre trails, hopefully new evidence on gate situations, hopefully new evidence on persons nearby, and mostly hopefully new evidence on where Gus is..

 

[jepop]

Yes.

I had posted the same data source for Adelaide ^^^. It's the Atronomical Twilight end point that is key to the feasibility question here: 7:30pm.

Per your data snip, it would've been pitch black (save any moonlight or milky way light) by 7:30pm.

But I posit wee Gus likely did not trudge too far after 6:11pm sunset. What would have drawn Gus so far from his home just before dinner as the sun was setting?

And what would have kept him going further from his home as the sun set, temperatures dropped sharply, and his belly was likely hungry for dinner?

I'm glad to hear these mine shafts were found and are being searched, and then cordoned off to prevent falls, I presume. But I have a hard time imagining Gus trucking that far on 27/9. IMO.

Re the section of your post I bolded. This is all speculation that will make sense only if Gus is found in the next three days, however if he is, then I can think of at least one thing that could have kept him going: namely if he had become lost and disorientated.

I imagine Gus' subjective experience when lost would have involved fear and confusion at a minimum. But imo none of us can really know with any exactitude how Gus' subjective state would have translated into action in those first hours. Let's not forget... he's four years old so he does not have access to any of the rationalisations and thought processes an adult might benefit from in a similar situation. Jmo

It's not like after a certain point Gus would have been be able to retrace his path back home. In a matter of minutes after leaving the familiar area of the homestead and its immediate surrounds he could have been over an undulation/rise and lost, the homestead out of sight.

We are not dealing with a flat landscape where a four year old child could see the homestead for miles on end. This is a deception born from aerial images which do not do justice to what it's really like when travelling on foot. IMO

And surely fully fledged adults might just as easily get lost in this sort of vast, uneven, undulating terrain. Where there are no reference points, disorientation would be completely the norm. I think we read about some poor trail walker in the US rather regularly who leaves a marked trail and is lost within minutes don't we? The same potential applies in Australia, particularly in this sort of landscape. Jmo

Moo It's possible that Gus' movement in that state of lostness and wandering, randomly had him reach the area of one of these shafts the following morning ie he might, alone, exhausted and lost, seek comfort for the night by crawling under a bush or into a crevice on a dry creek bed, or some other natural landform to find solace in sleep. Then continue walking at first light ( maybe the onset of nautical twilight the day following) and come upon one of these shafts shortly thereafter. Moo

So if (emphasis on if) Gus is located in one of these shafts, I'm not on board with the idea that he had to have been walking in a straight line. It is possible, but imo not probable that he could end up there randomly through wandering. However if he is located in the new search then I will be listening for the forensic experts to opine on that possibility and on manner of death in due course. Jmo

Personally I have no reason to dis-believe SAPOL when they say there is no evidence of foul play. And in stating that I believe specialist crime detectives are satisfied family members were where they said they were and Gus was alive and well playing at the homestead that late afternoon in the care of SM, whilst JM and JL were tending sheep elsewhere on the property. Moo

 

[drsleuth]

Official police release

Update - Gus Lamont search on 25 November

Police will tomorrow (25 November 2025) return to Oak Park Station to continue the search for four-year-old Gus Lamont who was last seen on 27 September 2025.

www.police.sa.gov.au

Update - Gus Lamont search on 25 November​

24 Nov 2025 12:00pm
Police will tomorrow (25 November 2025) return to Oak Park Station to continue the search for four-year-old Gus Lamont who was last seen on 27 September 2025.
The search, which is expected to last up to three days, will involve STAR Group officers and Task Force Horizon officers using specialised equipment to search six mine shafts in the area.

The uncovered and unfenced shafts are located between 5.5km and 12km from the Oak Park homestead in areas not searched on foot by police. Police were not previously aware of the location of these sites.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Linda Williams said the new searches were part of ongoing investigations as part of Task Force Horizon.

“We are determined to explore every avenue in an effort to locate Gus Lamont and provide some closure for his family,’’ she said.

“These searches will either locate evidence or eliminate these locations from further investigation by the Task Force.’’

This phase of the investigation is being conducted to ensure all locations of possible interest in a wide radius of the homestead are scrutinised to try and locate Gus Lamont.

On 31 October 2025 police drained a large dam on the property and eliminated the possibility Gus Lamont may have drowned.

This followed extensive ground and air searches of the area surrounding the Oak Park Station homestead since Gus Lamont disappeared.

On 17 October 2025 police concluded a four-day ground Oak Park Station for Gus Lamont. It followed an initial 10-day search with both involving SA Police, ADF members, SES volunteers, trackers and local property owners.

The ground searching at Oak Park Station has now extended to 5.5km from the homestead. This equates to 95 sqkm searched on foot. The original search area extended well beyond this with the use of the mounted operations unit and Polair. This area has been estimated at 470 sqkm.

Police had been hopeful the extensive ground searches would locate Gus or provide evidence of the direction in which Gus may have walked, but this has not been the case.

Task Force Horizon is conducting multiple lines of inquiry to locate Gus Lamont. These investigations have not uncovered any evidence of foul play.

The family of Gus Lamont have continued to cooperate fully with police and are being supported by a victim contact officer.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1992791879277228461

"Officers will head to Oak Park Station
with tactical gear and specialised equipment
to search the mine shafts on Tuesday.

The unfenced and uncovered shafts of interest
are located between 5.5km and 12km from the homestead,
in an area not yet searched on foot.

The most recent phase of the investigation
is being conducted to ensure all locations of possible interest in a wide radius of the homestead are scrutinised to try and locate Gus Lamont,
according to SAPOL."

 

[Lady-J]

imo it would be a good idea to take some trackers to the new search sites before the ground gets trampled

 

[essareem]

Why do the police need to announce these searches ahead of time to the media? Is that normal?

What if there was foul play involved somehow, and announcing it just gives the perpetrator a heads up?

 

[drsleuth]

https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/new-search-underway-for-missing-4yo-gus-lamont-at-oak-park-station/news-story/e2a02b4baeb24e9c64d710d1cdbd30a5

New search underway for missing 4yo Gus Lamont at Oak Park Station​

Police will begin a fresh search for four-year-old Gus today, two months after he disappeared, after discovering six unsealed mine shafts on the family property.

Police will search six unsealed, unfenced mine shafts on Oak Park Station, about 40km south of Yunta, on Tuesday morning.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It does seem to be a normal thing in Australia to keep the public informed of planned searches.

 

[katydid23]

Thanks for that. The 20 minutes is feasible, giving him enough light to see in front of himself until 6:30pm.

We don't know that he left at 5pm though . He likely played for a while in the sand, then got bored.

The thing is, a 4 year old is extremely unlikely to walk in one precise direction. At times he was likely going sideways relative to his original direction. He may have even backtracked unknowingly. For him to cover 5.5km (shortest option possible to reach a mine) as the crow flies, how many kilometres would he realistically cover? Factoring in the odd trip, stumble, probably starting to cry, needing a wee etc. Getting harder to see, and yet he somehow maintained his bearings to continue to head away from the one source of light (homestead) once the sun disappeared?

None of these trips or stumbles managed to kick up a bit of ground or snap a branch or cause his hat to fall off? No cuts on his knee to leave a trace of blood? The longer he walked in fading light, the more likely he would leave signs for the trackers to find.

If there was one straight track for 5.5km, I could see it would be maybe possible. An average 4 year old would probably need to cover in excess of 8km of ground to go 5.5km from his starting point in that terrain. Possibly significantly more.

I think there is a possibility that he was left to his own devices outside, for longer than 30 minutes. I think it is common to try and mitigate any blame or fault in cases like this. So he may have traveled further than estimated? JMO

 

[acutename]

Re the section of your post I bolded. This is all speculation that will make sense only if Gus is found in the next three days, however if he is, then I can think of at least one thing that could have kept him going: namely if he had become lost and disorientated.

I imagine Gus' subjective experience when lost would have involved fear and confusion at a minimum. But imo none of us can really know with any exactitude how Gus' subjective state would have translated into action in those first hours. Let's not forget... he's four years old so he does not have access to any of the rationalisations and thought processes an adult might benefit from in a similar situation. Jmo

It's not like after a certain point Gus would have been be able to retrace his path back home. In a matter of minutes after leaving the familiar area of the homestead and its immediate surrounds he could have been over an undulation/rise and lost, the homestead out of sight.

We are not dealing with a flat landscape where a four year old child could see the homestead for miles on end. This is a deception born from aerial images which do not do justice to what it's really like when travelling on foot. IMO

And surely fully fledged adults might just as easily get lost in this sort of vast, uneven, undulating terrain. Where there are no reference points, disorientation would be completely the norm. I think we read about some poor trail walker in the US rather regularly who leaves a marked trail and is lost within minutes don't we? The same potential applies in Australia, particularly in this sort of landscape. Jmo

Moo It's possible that Gus' movement in that state of lostness and wandering, randomly had him reach the area of one of these shafts the following morning ie he might, alone, exhausted and lost, seek comfort for the night by crawling under a bush or into a crevice on a dry creek bed, or some other natural landform to find solace in sleep. Then continue walking at first light ( maybe the onset of nautical twilight the day following) and come upon one of these shafts shortly thereafter. Moo

So if (emphasis on if) Gus is located in one of these shafts, I'm not on board with the idea that he had to have been walking in a straight line. It is possible, but imo not probable that he could end up there randomly through wandering. However if he is located in the new search then I will be listening for the forensic experts to opine on that possibility and on manner of death in due course. Jmo

Personally I have no reason to dis-believe SAPOL when they say there is no evidence of foul play. And in stating that I believe specialist crime detectives are satisfied family members were where they said they were and Gus was alive and well playing at the homestead that late afternoon in the care of SM, whilst JM and JL were tending sheep elsewhere on the property. Moo

Isn't it weird that he left no scent trail for dogs?... or are small children less smelly than sweaty adults and harder to track?

 

[musicaljoke]

Nobody aware of 1, maybe 2...but 6? And little Gus walked 5.5 k straight in to one? What are the odds?

Who says he walked straight there? This was outside the search area. He may have taken a convoluted route over a couple of days to get that far away from the house.

This isn't the first that we've heard of mine shafts on the property. Their presence was told to us at the time of Gus' disappearance.

 

[essareem]

Who says he walked straight there? This was outside the search area. He may have taken a convoluted route over a couple of days to get that far away from the house.

This isn't the first that we've heard of mine shafts on the property. Their presence was told to us at the time of Gus' disappearance.

If that were the case, wouldn't the thermal imaging helicopters have seen him?

 

[Lucy6226]

If that were the case, wouldn't the thermal imaging helicopters have seen him?

There would have to be enough of a heat signature to be picked up. Mines are deep and very cold even when the outside temp is high. Moo

 

[essareem]

There would have to be enough of a heat signature to be picked up. Mines are deep and very cold even when the outside temp is high. Moo

No, I was referring to @musicaljoke's idea that perhaps it had taken Gus a couple of days to walk there.

 

[Kemug]

DId someone say that the Murrays' sheep station is about 30,000 square miles? Mr Google tells me that is roughly tbe same size as Belgium.

 

[Ellery84]

No, I was referring to @musicaljoke's idea that perhaps it had taken Gus a couple of days to walk there.

He’s 4. How far could he have walked without a packed lunch and 5 bottles of water?

IMO

 

[SouthAussie]

DId someone say that the Murrays' sheep station is about 30,000 square miles? Mr Google tells me that is roughly tbe same size as Belgium.

60,000 hectares.

..... of the 60,000-hectare Oak Park station near Yunta.

GUS LAMONT: What we know so far about the missing boy

Over the weekend, SA Police confirmed the heartbreaking news the search for Gus Lamont was over after finding no trace of the little boy.

www.nowtolove.com.au