Police break silence on search for missing person Esther Wallace near Orange

Esther Wallace was last seen in the early hours of November 30. A male companion told police they were separated while hiking at Federal Falls about one kilometre south-west of Mount Canobolas.

At a media conference on Friday, acting Chief Inspector Gerard Lawson revealed female clothes have been discovered in recent days. He said the search will continue and cadaver dogs will be employed from next week.

"I would caution the community about what they think might have happened - at the moment for us it's an open question ... we certainly don't believe at this stage that it looks like a homicide," Lawson said.

"There are some aspects of it that were a little bit bizarre in the early stages, but the investigation has been able to answer some of those ... the partner has been very, very cooperative in the investigation."

The possibility of a "miracle" was not ruled out, but Lawson said a report is being prepared for the coroner: "Sadly, the tragic reality is the chances of finding her alive are diminishing."

Newly-discovered items of interest include a white knitted jumper, among other things. Police are yet to confirm these belonged to Wallace, but say the find is guiding their search.

"[This] gives us an area to focus our attention. We feel for the sake of the family it's important to try and get them some answers," Lawson said.

The clothes are currently undergoing DNA testing to verify their connection to the investigation. Results are likely to be finalised early next week.

The search of Mount Canobolas has comprised Five NSW Police units, the SES, RFS, and staff from Cabonne Council, NSW Parks and Wildlife Service, and Forestry NSW.

Different items of clothing were recovered by SES and ambulance workers on Sunday, including an orange jumper or jacket.

The Central Western Daily understands homicide detectives have been engaged in the sprawling operation as standard practice.

Searching has generally run from about 8am to 7pm. Some smaller patrols have run through the night.

Last week police said they were "keeping an open mind" in the search. No further updates were available at that time.

The CWD understands dog and aerial search teams from Sydney had been on standby over the weekend but were not used.

Helicopters could be heard overhead in the State Recreation Area on the evening of December 2. Fire trails and access roads have been severely damaged by heavy recent rain.

Officers from Central West Police District, the Police Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, PolAir, Chifley Rural Crime Investigators have contributed to the search.

A spokesperson for the SES said on December 1: "A good rule of thumb is 48 hours at this time of year, you really want to be finding something."

Esther Wallace is 47 years old and of Caucasian appearance with blonde hair. Police believe she was wearing an orange jacket, black pants, and sandals at the time of her disappearance.

Anyone with information on the woman's whereabouts are urged to contact Orange Police Station or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.

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