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The discovery of a hat belonging to a man who has been missing for a week has given his family new hope of finding him, as police appeal for the camper to come forward.
Jack McLennan, 27, was last seen in the Ficks Crossing area, 175km north-west of the QueenslandSunshine Coast, on Friday 4 October.
He was hanging out with a friend but is believed to have left on foot that night between 8pm and 10pm.
After his disappearance was reported on Sunday, which has been going on for the fifth day, a manhunt was launched.
Detective Inspector Scott Stahlhut confirmed Thursday that officers found a pair of shoes that McLennan was believed to be wearing at the time of his disappearance.
It has now emerged that search teams also found a hat near McAlister and McLucas streets in the Flicks Crossing area, believed to belong to Mr McLennan.
Police are also appealing to anyone who may have witnessed Mr McLennan in the period leading up to his disappearance, particularly anyone who was camping at Ficks Crossing at the time of his disappearance.
“The person the police wanted to talk to was traveling in a dark vehicle with a tent on the roof,” police said in a statement.
Mr McLennan is approximately 185 cm tall, has light brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts
Police found a hat (pictured) in Murgon while searching for missing 27-year-old Sunshine Coast man Jack McLennan
The ruling came after police released fresh CCTV footage hours before he was reported missing.
The footage showed McLennan in the bottle shop Lamb Street, Murgon, at around 1.30pm on October 4 – two days before he was reported missing.
He then got into a car with a friend with whom he spent the next few hours at Ficks Crossing before disappearing.
Inspector Stahlhut said the “promising” findings showed McLennan had not wandered far, but reiterated that police remained “seriously concerned for his welfare”.
“This type of behavior is very inappropriate,” he said.
The rescue operation was delayed by heavy rainfall, which “affected our ability to move freely,” added Inspector Stahlhut.
New CCTV footage shows 27-year-old Jack McLennan hours before he disappeared at Ficks Crossing, 175km northwest of the Sunshine Coast, on October 4
On Wednesday, rescue teams found what they believe is McLennan's shoe, boosting their efforts
“We had significant rainfall here last night and some waterways were closed, which is having some impact on our search efforts.”
Rescue operations include specialist divers searching Ficks Crossing and the surrounding area, search teams on the ground and an air operation.
Police confirmed the search would continue into the weekend.
Mr. McLennan is 185 cm tall, has light brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts.
Billboards installed along the Bunya Highway encourage drivers to report any potential sightings of the man in the area.
Residents were also told to check any buildings and sheds on their properties in case McLennan managed to gain entry.
Anyone with information on McLennan's whereabouts is asked to contact the police.
Police would also like to speak to anyone who may have been at or near the scene of the incident Ficks Crossing from 3pm on October 4 until noon on October 5.
