Police discover footprints, a bike and a hat believed to belong to a person lacking within the outback

Police have found footprints, a motorbike and a hat they believe belong to a man who has gone missing in South Australia’s far north.

Core items:

• A man and a woman got stuck in their four-wheel drive on Saturday
• He drove off on a motorcycle to gather supplies
• She was found yesterday but he is still missing

The man and his partner were on their way to a family estate north of Roxby Downs on Saturday when their four-wheel drive became stuck.

He rode a motorcycle to a cabin on the station to gather supplies.

The alarm was raised on Sunday afternoon when family members were unable to reach the couple, who were staying near Finniss Springs, south of Callanna – a town on the Oodnadatta Track.

The woman was found alive at Stuart Creek Station about 10 kilometers from the stuck vehicle yesterday afternoon.

Roxby Downs senior officer Senior Sergeant Sam Thorne said the man probably backed up to the stuck vehicle but did not make it back.

They believe he would still try to return to where the vehicle had been.

“We found the broken motorcycle,” he said.

“We believe there was a mechanical failure at some point when he tried to return to the vehicle and the best information we have is that he then proceeded on foot.”

Some personal items were also found.

“We found the missing person’s hat and also some equipment that he took from the property,” Senior Sergeant Thorne said.

The police helicopter and other aircraft were involved in the search, which focused on a location known as Junction Dam and creeks in the area.

Conditions in the area have been dangerous in recent days, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.