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

  • #1,261
There’s a fair chance some shearers and roustabouts given it’s shearing time.

Gus was a little young to need one, 5 would be the start of school age. But large stations often have a governess living on the property to educate any children who live on the property (in conjunction with “school of the air”).

I’m very doubtful they were shearing at the property.
The footage in the media doesn’t show anything indicating the shed/yards/general property is bustling like it would be if shearing.
The yards would be full of sheep, there would be shorn and unshorn mobs in holding paddocks nearby the shearing shed, there would be towels, water bottles etc hanging outside of the shearers quarters, multiple cars parked in the vicinity and lots of fresh tracks / both footprints and tyres.
Not to mention if there were a shearing crew on the property I dare say you’d have heard from at least one person present, or seen them in the media footage - I know if one of my kids went missing at shearing time they’d be the last people to stop looking, whether police, ses etc were in attendance or not.

You’d be hard pressed to find people more hard working, fit, or methodical than anyone I’ve met in the shearing industry.
 
  • #1,262
If Gus’s family were watching the Grand Final, which was on at the time of his disappearance, he could’ve been taken without being seen by them.
There may not have been noticeable tyre marks if the road is gravel or well used with farm vehicles
The road is definitely not gravel.
 
  • #1,263
Strange as it may seem to others, not all people, not all families have even the slightest interest in football.
 
  • #1,264
Just to be clear, the whole state of SA is ½ an hour behind the Eastern states (not just Yunta).

The footy Grand Final was scheduled to end at 5pm eastern standard time, which is 4:30pm in South Australia. IIRC it did not go into overtime as it was a clear win for the Lions.

Also of note is that neither of the teams playing in the Grand Final was a South Australian team. Our Adelaide Crows almost made it, but didn't.


The 2025 AFL Grand Final will take place on Saturday, 27 September at 2.30pm AEST, and should finish around 5pm, depending on quarter lengths and whether extra time is required.

Not saying it is or isn’t the case, but very few of the station based families I know give much of a toss about footy (AFL) to be totally honest.
If “your” team happens to be playing and there’s a pipeline to fix or cattle to load - too bad, you’re missing out on watching the game, so it takes much of the fun out of following a season - someone with a 9-5 “normal” job with weekends etc is much more likely to be able to actually engage with the whole event.

To the point I’ve been to a wedding on a stations that happened to be planned on grand final day, and the whinging from “townie” guests was so incessant that the groom took an hour out of the day to set up a TV unit with starlink at the area the reception taking place on the property.
 
  • #1,265
Strange as it may seem to others, not all people, not all families have even the slightest interest in football.
Snap - was just writing a comment to this same point haha.
 
  • #1,266
Unless it's an official Police search, wouldn't it be up to the family if they allow family or people they trust to try and have another look.

I doubt that the Police get final say if it's not a search organised by them.


Outside of the Police search I can understand not wanting strangers wandering around my property.
If randoms came onto the property to search, insurance would come into play. Usually if you are given permission to come onto the property, it is the owners who are responsible for accidents, injuries etc. These are private people. They don't want randoms hanging around
 
  • #1,267
Seeing how big the property is I wouldn't be surprised if there are some people who sneaked onto the property to search, maybe even set up camp.

Away from the house area.
That would be so disrespectable if they did that
 
  • #1,268
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 :)
However people living out bush on working farms know all too well that farm work over rules any sport. They don't play AFL themselves, I'm assuming, never see a live game, so maybe not interested in AFL like a lot of private people. Putting a tv on before tea time is probably unheard of anyway.
 
  • #1,269
  • #1,270
If randoms came onto the property to search, insurance would come into play. Usually if you are given permission to come onto the property, it is the owners who are responsible for accidents, injuries etc. These are private people. They don't want randoms hanging around
Agree, insurance liability is just one problem with uninvited people wandering around your property. How would you keep them under control? They could turn up at any time and decide to tear apart your sheds, take off across your paddocks in their 4 wheel drives searching, damage machinery, hay bails, wool bails or anything else they think he is in or near! Theft could also be a reason to turn up. Not to mention if they were mentally unstable what could happen. If someone wants to volunteer to help search they need to go through the correct channels and contact the services involved, not just turn up.
 
  • #1,271
  • #1,272
Strange as it may seem to others, not all people, not all families have even the slightest interest in football.
To your point.... Football is BORING to me (and some others).
 
  • #1,273
Plenty of properties where I live, over the years have caught people camping near the river that runs through their property which is on private land.

Many have caught out of towners shooting on their property. And fishing

Some even made themselves a dirt bike riding track and brought their whole extended families, kids and all.

There are people who do things whether they're legal or not.
It seems if the property is large and the house isn't nearby they seem to think they can just do what they want.
 
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  • #1,274
I’m very doubtful they were shearing at the property.
The footage in the media doesn’t show anything indicating the shed/yards/general property is bustling like it would be if shearing.
The yards would be full of sheep, there would be shorn and unshorn mobs in holding paddocks nearby the shearing shed, there would be towels, water bottles etc hanging outside of the shearers quarters, multiple cars parked in the vicinity and lots of fresh tracks / both footprints and tyres.
Not to mention if there were a shearing crew on the property I dare say you’d have heard from at least one person present, or seen them in the media footage - I know if one of my kids went missing at shearing time they’d be the last people to stop looking, whether police, ses etc were in attendance or not.

You’d be hard pressed to find people more hard working, fit, or methodical than anyone I’ve met in the shearing industry.

Indeed. And they would know if one of their group was missing for a period of time around 5:00 p.m.
 
  • #1,275
This was posted on the 7News FB site just 20 mins ago. I am not finding any other links at the moment, but it does say "Breaking" news.

ETA: It is now also breaking on the ABC (News) North and West FB site .... ABC North and West


a.webp


 
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  • #1,276
This was posted on the 7News FB site just 15 mins ago. I am not finding any other links at the moment, but it does say "Breaking" news.


View attachment 619522

 
  • #1,277
  • #1,278
You can see from the photo that it's not like a desert
There are plenty of shrubs around, and even trees.
 
  • #1,279
An MSM article ... it doesn't add any more details.


SA Police and ADF personnel will resume their search for missing four-year-old Gus in South Australia's mid-north tomorrow.

In a statement, SA Police said they would resume search activity at the family's station, about 43km south of Yunta.

"The search, which will involve police and ADF personnel, will concentrate on an expanded area outside of the zone already searched extensively following Gus’s disappearance on Saturday, 27 September," police said.

 
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  • #1,280
I wonder if they've got a bit of data back from the infrared aerial search
 

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