Safe: Mum, kids and grandma who vanished on rural QLD-NSW road trip found

A Queensland family of four reported missing in NSW’s far west have been found safe and well by a search helicopter crew after not being seen since Sunday.

A woman, her two children and their grandmother who vanished on a NSW highway after becoming separated from her fiance who was driving behind them in a removalist truck have been located by a search helicopter in far western NSW.

Police mounted a desperate search for the family who were part of a convoy that became separated when Darian Aspinall, 27, her two children Winter Bellamy, aged two, Koda Bellamy, four, and her mother, Leah Gooding, 50, took a dirt road to travel Packsaddle in far west NSW while Linny Bellamy, Ms Aspinall’s fiance, stayed on a sealed road.

The alarm was raised on Monday, when they did not arrive at Packsaddle.

It sparked a major land search across Tibooburra, Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Packsaddle and surrounds by the Missing Persons Registry, Queensland, NSW and South Australia police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and volunteers.

A helicopter crew spied the missing vehicle off-track, about 50km southeast of Tibooburra, about 4.15pm on Tuesday.

The helicopter landed, and confirmed it was the missing Hyundai Tucson, with the four occupants located safe and well inside the vehicle.

Darian Aspinall, 27, went missing with her two children and her mother in far north west NSW. Picture: NSW Police

The family were assessed by a paramedic and flown to Tibooburra for further assessment and care.

MOVE SOUTH WENT SOUTH

Police said the family left Cairns last Friday to make a full-time move to Adelaide. They became separated some time on Sunday in the 450km stretch between Noccundra, in remote Queensland, and Packsaddle.

Ms Aspinall’s two children Koda, four, and Winter Bellamy, two, (pictured) and their grandmother Leah Gooding, 50, have not been seen since Sunday. Picture: NSW Police

Mr Bellamy, who reported them missing had been left “distraught”.

Until spotted by the chopper crew, the family hadn’t been seen since leaving Noccundra Hotel on Sunday afternoon.

Rachael George, who works at the Noccundra Hotel, said the car with the children came through around midday on Sunday.

“They ate and fuelled the car and then left south on the dirt road,” Ms George said.

“Her partner came a few hours later in a truck loaded up with furniture and he decided to take the sealed road, Adventure Way.”

UNSEALED ROAD

Ms George said the dirt road, Warry Gate Rd, was unsealed all the way to the NSW border.

“It’s a wide road and pretty safe and you wouldn’t expect to get lost on it although if you use Google maps or those things it may make you take the wrong road,” she said.

As the search unfolded worried relatives said they hoped the disappearance was simply due to an issue with their vehicle or mobile phone reception.

“They were up in Cairns, they‘d lived there for about a year but they decided to move back down to Adelaide where they’re originally from,” relative Bree Jennings said.