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

[Ellery84]

The family didn't want people helping from the get go. They wanted to deal with it themselves. So it was the police who were in charge of the search and, from what I gather from media reports, approved the volunteers searching. Even the guy who'd had 20 years SES experience had to get approval to search.

I think you're right and also the Australian Defence Force was brought in to help.

Hopefully the family didn't mind the Defence Force lending a hand?

 

[Dotta]

I think you're right and also the Australian Defence Force was brought in to help.

Hopefully the family didn't mind the Defence Force lending a hand?

I don't think family had anything to say in this matter.
It was coordinated by LE and part of the investigation.

JMO

 

[Marg944]

Quite.
They may not even have a large flock. We don't know.

“The property is about 60 sqkm, and the family run 3000 head of sheep.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/urgent-search-for-missing-fouryearold-boy-in-regional-south-australia/news-story/ec834d5a2e788a7db3fff4c7dd90dde9

 

[tedtink]

“The property is about 60 sqkm, and the family run 3000 head of sheep.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/urgent-search-for-missing-fouryearold-boy-in-regional-south-australia/news-story/ec834d5a2e788a7db3fff4c7dd90dde9

Thank you

 

[Marg944]

Healthy sheep can sell for quite a bit …..

Latest sheep market update

Read the September 2025 sheep market update from Elders. Includes global and local market influences, as well as pricing and commentary from across each state.

elders.com.au

 

[Hercule Holmes]

A rational perspective...

the AFL grand final (4.2 million) viewers tuning in....

Move Over AFL: NRL GF Claims Number 1 Program Of The Year With Record-Breaking Performance

The NRL Grand Final bats aside the AFL. But will the Broncos players embarrass themselves more than the Lions on Mad Monday?

www.bandt.com.au

The current population of Australia is 27,046,010

Australia Population (2025) - Worldometer

Population of Australia: current, historical, and projected population, growth rate, immigration, median age, total fertility rate (TFR), population density, urbanization, urban population, country's share of world population, and global rank. Data tables, maps, charts, and live population clock

www.worldometers.info

A rational perspective that wouldn't be terribly accurate in measuring interest on an outback property in SA.

Half of Australia's population is in NSW (8.6 million) and Qld (5.6 million). They are not traditional AFL states and the viewership would be much lower apart from South East Qld. There is no way on Earth that only 1 in 6 people would watch the game in the traditional states - Vic, SA, WA and Tas.

The family may or may not have been invested, but it only takes one of them to have a casual interest and it would have been on. I don't think this matters terribly much though - the fact is, there was a half hour window where they were preoccupied and Gus went missing.

Given 3000 sheep and shearing season starting in September, it is odd that there has been no mention of others on the property. You can bet your bottom dollar that if there were shearers on the property, they absolutely would have watched the game.

The question for me then becomes, where did they watch it and could Gus have potentially been attracted by the periodic roars (fuelled by alcohol) if they were within hearing distance? The shearing sheds appear as though they would be within the range where the sound would carry far enough IMO.

Unfortunately we don't know whether there were shearers present or not, so the above may all be irrelevant.

 

[Dotta]

A rational perspective that wouldn't be terribly accurate in measuring interest on an outback property in SA.

Half of Australia's population is in NSW (8.6 million) and Qld (5.6 million). They are not traditional AFL states and the viewership would be much lower apart from South East Qld. There is no way on Earth that only 1 in 6 people would watch the game in the traditional states - Vic, SA, WA and Tas.

The family may or may not have been invested, but it only takes one of them to have a casual interest and it would have been on. I don't think this matters terribly much though - the fact is, there was a half hour window where they were preoccupied and Gus went missing.

Given 3000 sheep and shearing season starting in September, it is odd that there has been no mention of others on the property. You can bet your bottom dollar that if there were shearers on the property, they absolutely would have watched the game.

The question for me then becomes, where did they watch it and could Gus have potentially been attracted by the periodic roars (fuelled by alcohol) if they were within hearing distance? The shearing sheds appear as though they would be within the range where the sound would carry far enough IMO.

Unfortunately we don't know whether there were shearers present or not, so the above may all be irrelevant.

Exactly.

Not to mention,
lots of ppl watch matches in pubs, so X people and one TV or two.
Watching sports with friends is a known tradition.
Families watch together.
Also,
part of the population are children
so we cannot depend solely on statistics concerning whole population
or number of viewers (TVs) tuning in...
C'mon!

JMO

 

[jessicalouise]

<modsnip>

Devastated grandparents of missing boy, 4, break silence with defiant five words

Gus Lamont, four, disappeared from a remote garden in the South Australian outback, sparking an enormous land and air search, thought to be the largest in the state's history

www.mirror.co.uk

Aside from the police search itself they've been pretty firm about it.

 

[jessicalouise]

Here's another article detailing how many were involved in the search per day for those who were curious.

Redirect Notice

 

[charminglane]

Does this farm have slurry pits?

 

[sasha17]

I know it's been established that this farm has sheep and dogs. Have we heard if they have other animals? Pigs?

 

[SouthAussie]

Does this farm have slurry pits?

I wouldn't think so.

But I have wondered if they have a grain silo. They might need some grain to help the sheep along during our drought conditions.

If a child/anyone climbed into a grain silo, I think they would be covered up quite quickly and not be easy to see.
Though I would think that SAR would have checked that out as much as they can. Made sure that any silo opening wasn't left open, see if there were any other indications that Gus could have climbed into a silo.

imo

 

[tedtink]

<modsnip>

Devastated grandparents of missing boy, 4, break silence with defiant five words

Gus Lamont, four, disappeared from a remote garden in the South Australian outback, sparking an enormous land and air search, thought to be the largest in the state's history

www.mirror.co.uk

Aside from the police search itself they've been pretty firm about it.

Again.
I posted about this a few days ago. This story originally surfaced in the Daily Mail. It was a direct quote from the G'ma to the Daily Mail, probably after the G'ma was doorstepped, and not the same as the family saying they 'didn't want help' (in general).

But Gus's grandparent, Josie Murray ..............told the Daily Mail the family had not lost hope.
'We're still looking for him,' she insisted, while declining any offers of assistance in the search effort.
'You can't help. We are still dealing with this.'

I don't understand why that direct quote in response to the DM doesn't seem clear.

Missing boy Gus' grandparents break their silence: 'Clashes'

The little boy vanished almost two weeks ago after playing in the yard of remote Oak Park homestead in the harsh South Australian outback, 300km north of Adelaide.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[SouthAussie]

Again.
I posted about this a few days ago. This story originally surfaced in the Daily Mail. It was a direct quote from the G'ma to the Daily Mail, probably after the G'ma was doorstepped, and not the family saying they didn't want any help.

But Gus's grandparent, Josie Murray ..............told the Daily Mail the family had not lost hope.
'We're still looking for him,' she insisted, while declining any offers of assistance in the search effort.
'You can't help. We are still dealing with this.'

I don't understand why that direct quote in response to the DM doesn't seem clear.

I don't think I would want the DM "helping" me either.
What they have done is published some personal information about the family, and that has not been helpful.

imo

 

[jessicalouise]

Again.
I posted about this a few days ago. This story originally surfaced in the Daily Mail. It was a direct quote from the G'ma to the Daily Mail, probably after the G'ma was doorstepped, and not the same as the family saying they 'didn't want help'.

But Gus's grandparent, Josie Murray ..............told the Daily Mail the family had not lost hope.
'We're still looking for him,' she insisted, while declining any offers of assistance in the search effort.
'You can't help. We are still dealing with this.'

I don't understand why that direct quote in response to the DM doesn't seem clear.

Missing boy Gus' grandparents break their silence: 'Clashes'

The little boy vanished almost two weeks ago after playing in the yard of remote Oak Park homestead in the harsh South Australian outback, 300km north of Adelaide.

www.dailymail.co.uk

They've been pretty clear about it. With the family friend coming out to the media to reiterate it on another occasion. It is what it is. I'm not judging them for it, but it has been said and it has been restated.

It's also why I posted the numbers of police, SES, and army volunteers for context on how many people were involved in the official search.

 

[tedtink]

I wouldn't think so.

But I have wondered if they have a grain silo. They might need some grain to help the sheep along during our drought conditions.

If a child/anyone climbed into a grain silo, I think they would be covered up quite quickly and not be easy to see.
Though I would think that SAR would have checked that out as much as they can. Made sure that any silo opening wasn't left open, see if there were any other indications that Gus could have climbed into a silo.

imo

Yes, it happens, a family friend's son, about 10 years old was playing hide and seek on a farm with friends, back in the early 80's, he climbed into a grain silo and was lethally engulfed.

 

[jessicalouise]

This case had me thinking about other incidences where kids have gone missing on large rural properties. The most recent that comes to mind is that of Anthony AJ Elfalak, a 3 yo non verbal autistic boy who went missing on his family's 650 acre property.

Though the boys went missing in different states and the terrain in the case of little AJ was much more challenging, he was eventually spotted by helicopter 3 days later.

Similar resources were used in that search too. Important to note that he wasn't picked up on thermal imaging - most likely due to the terrain.

 

[spiritualdreaming]

This case had me thinking about other incidences where kids have gone missing on large rural properties. The most recent that comes to mind is that of Anthony AJ Elfalak, a 3 yo non verbal autistic boy who went missing on his family's 650 acre property.

Though the boys went missing in different states and the terrain in the case of little AJ was much more challenging, he was eventually spotted by helicopter 3 days later.

Similar resources were used in that search too. Important to note that he wasn't picked up on thermal imaging - most likely due to the terrain.

And found only 200m from where he went missing and missed by searches. So it can happen and could be the case for Gus where he was simply missed.

Search team walked past missing AJ during three-day ordeal, police say

Rescue crews likely passed right by Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak days ago without knowing it before the toddler was seen from the air yesterday as he was drinking from a creek in the NSW Hunter Valley.

www.abc.net.au

 

[jessicalouise]

And found only 200m from where he went missing and missed by searches. So it can happen and could be the case for Gus where he was simply missed.

Search team walked past missing AJ during three-day ordeal, police say

Rescue crews likely passed right by Anthony 'AJ' Elfalak days ago without knowing it before the toddler was seen from the air yesterday as he was drinking from a creek in the NSW Hunter Valley.

www.abc.net.au

Very different terrain though. It says in the article it took them 3 hours to navigate their way down 350m of cliff face, rocks, and gullies to where he was about 15 metres away.

But the point they make in it about little holes and crevices a tiny tot can curl up in that would be protected enough to not be picked up on thermal imaging. Judging by the terrain in this case, though not as challenging, there'd still be pockets in which a 4 yo could no doubt hide - judging by the pictures we've seen in media reports.

 

[katydid23]

Oh they've been very busy, very thorough. Dad's property looks pretty derelict. Imo

I imagine he has to give much of his paycheck to his kids and their mom each month. I'm not surprised he has pretty low rent accommodations for himself.