Police are scouring dense bushland in dangerous conditions in far north Queensland for a man who went missing more than a week ago on a trip to see friends.
Shane Holian's car was found at Jourama Falls, north of Townsville, about 6pm on Sunday, a week after he told contacts he would stay there for a night and travel to Cairns the next day.
His car and his camping gear were there when police arrived on Sunday but there was no sign of him.
Inspector Glenn Doyle said it looks like the fit and healthy 60-year-old walked off from there.
"He's been on a trip up north with the final destination being Cairns, he had other camping sites booked between here and Cairns and unfortunately hasn't made any of those appointments," Inspector Doyle told the Townsville Bulletin.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"Unfortunately because of the circumstances it took a while for the alert to be raised before anyone realised that he was actually missing."
Inspector Doyle said the weather conditions made the Jourama Falls area extremely dangerous.
"We're extremely concerned," the officer said.
"We do know he is a fit person and we've got no health concerns for him, but the fact that he has been missing for this length of time causes us concern."
They hope to use the SES drone, weather permitting, he said.
