Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a young Sydney man from a resort in the Blue Mountains, with the search becoming increasingly urgent ahead of possible snow showers forecast to hit the area this weekend.
Gary Tweddle, from Cremorne on Sydney's lower north shore, was attending a work conference at the Fairmont Resort in Leura this week when he vanished in the early hours of Tuesday morning after attending a function.
The 23-year-old, who worked as a sales representative at computer technology corporation Oracle, appeared to be in good spirits when talking on his mobile phone to a friend shortly after midnight, the last time he was heard from. He told his friend that he had been separated from a group and was lost in bushland near a main road.
Mr Tweddle's phone now has been either switched off or is out of battery.
Police and officers from the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service have been scouring bushland near the resort since Tuesday, but the search has become increasingly urgent as the weather is expected to close in this weekend.
Conditions so far this week have been unusually mild, but the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting possible snow showers in the area on Sunday, when the temperature is expected to dip to a low of just one degree.
A search crew of 75 officers and volunteers searched the area on Thursday, and will continue their efforts on Friday.
Mr Tweddle grew up in the UK before moving to the Gold Coast as a teenager, and then to Sydney several years ago.
His partner, Anika Haigh, has been keeping vigil at the police command post set up at the golf clubhouse at Fairmont Resort.
She told the ABC that everyone was praying for Mr Tweddle's safe return.
"We are absolutely desperate to bring him home to his very loved family and friends," she said.
The search party has been concentrating its efforts on bushland along Sublime Point Road at Leura, with dangerous gullies and cliffs nearby.
Mr Tweddle's family and friends have launched an online appeal for anyone who saw him in the area to come forward.
"Keep up the prayers that our little Gary is just having a bit of an adventure and is safe and well," Mr Tweddle's sister, Amy, wrote on Facebook.
His brother, Craig, wrote: "stay safe don't panic, USE YOUR SKILLS!!"
Ian White, Oracle’s regional managing director, said the company’s immediate focus was on ‘‘supporting Gary’s partner and family at this time’’.
"Oracle holds the safety of its employees paramount," he said.
"We are co-operating fully with Katoomba police throughout their investigation."
Police have appealed for anyone who thinks they saw Mr Tweddle in the early hours of Tuesday morning to contact triple-0 so that the search area can been narrowed down.
Mr Tweddle is between 165-170 centimetres tall, with a medium build, brown eyes and short brown hair.
At the time of his disappearance he was wearing blue jeans, a black jacket and checked shirt.
