Distinguishing Features: Tattoo of a Red Bull on both left and right
feet
Circumstances
Luke Gourlay was captured on CCTV footage leaving the Landsborough
Hotel QLD. Luke was last seen walking along Steve Irwin Way at
Landsborough around 4pm on December 26, 2023.
Police and family continue to hold concerns for Luke’s welfare, as
his disappearance is out of character.
He is described as fair skinned, approximately 180cm tall with a
slim build, brown hair and blue eyes.
As pictured, he was last seen wearing a green T-shirt, grey shorts,
orange shoes and a blue hat.
Anyone with information which may assist in locating the whereabouts
of Luke GOURLAY is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police have released new images as they continue
attempts to locate 29-year-old Luke Gourlay, missing from
Burnside near Nambour since December 23.
New information indicates Luke was seen walking along Steve
Irwin Way at Landsborough around 4pm on December 26, 2023.
Officers have release CCTV stills that may prompt the public to
recognise Luke.
Police and family continue to hold concerns for Luke’s welfare,
as his disappearance is out of character.
He is described as fair skinned, approximately 180cm tall with a
slim build, brown hair and blue eyes.
As pictured, he was last seen wearing a green T-shirt, grey
shorts, orange shoes and a blue hat.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Investigations are continuing.
Burnside’s Luke Gourlay missing, mum begs for help
A Sunshine Coast mum has described living stuck between hope and
grief as the police search for her missing son concludes with no
further clues of his whereabouts.
A Nambour mum has detailed living in a “surreal” world stuck
between hope and grief as a police search for her son concludes
after he went missing more than two months ago.
Burnside man Luke Gourlay went missing on Boxing Day last year after
visiting the Landsborough pub.
His mum Suzanne Searle said he left the pub about 3.30pm and most
likely walked along Cribb St toward Maleny St before crossing the
train lines, onto Caloundra St and then the Steve Irwin Way.
She said three passers-by made triple-0 calls about Mr Gourlay once
he was on the Steve Irwin Way.
Ms Searle said he was walking without his shoes or hat on at that
stage and the final emergency call placed her son near the entrance
to the Big Kart Track between 4pm and 4.30pm.
The mum-of-five said the past couple of months were “surreal” as she
found herself stuck between hope and grief, with no way of moving
through either emotion, and with no idea of the whereabouts of her
son.
“I can’t comprehend how someone can disappear into thin air,” Ms
Searle said.
Mr Gourlay’s family has put up countless missing person posters in
Landsborough in efforts to jog the memories of those who passed
through the town on Boxing Day.
Ms Searle said her son had left the keys in the ignition of his work
van and the window down before he entered the pub, with the reasons
for his visit to the venue unknown.
Police have mounted a massive search effort but were hampered by the
wet weather and also the lag in time it took for Mr Gourlay to be
reported missing.
“We’re always fighting the clock on this one,” Detective Senior
Constable Chris Lawson said.
The police officer said the SES, mounted police, officers on
motorcycles and military resources had joined the search effort for
Mr Gourlay and his missing belongings.
Police had searched Steve Irwin Way, along Mooloolah Connection Rd
and near Palmview.
“Over the past two weeks we’ve completed the searches of the last
remaining known locations of the man,” Det Snr Const. Lawson said.
“We failed to locate any evidence to provide any more leads.”
Ms Searle said as each day passed with no new information, she was
losing hope.
“When the search was going on I was still hopeful we’d still find a
trace of him but now that’s been called off,” she said.
She said marking her son’s 30th birthday on February 3 was “pretty
rough” but she needed to stay strong for her four daughters.
“I’m constantly looking out the window waiting for a police car to
pull up to tell me bad news,” Ms Searle said.
“If I see a white car my heart drops and then I realise that’s it’s
just a white car going down the street.”
The mum, a disability support carer, pleaded with anyone who was in
the Landsborough area on the day with any information to come
forward.
She begged motorists to check dashcam footage or if anyone had
picked him up to contact Policelink.
“The not knowing is the worst, you know, if something bad has
happened I just want to know,” Ms Searle said.
Sunshine Coast’s unresolved missing persons cases
Christmas is typically a time of celebration and family gatherings,
but for some households, it brings the heartache of an empty seat at
the table and the lingering pain of unanswered questions.
Earlier this year, Nambour mum Suzanne Searle spoke to the Sunshine
Coast Daily about her son Luke Gourlay, who has been missing since
Boxing Day 2023.
She described the ordeal as “surreal”, as she struggles between hope
and grief with no new leads in the search for him.
Luke, 30, was last seen after visiting the Landsborough pub about
3.30pm on December 26.
His mother believes he walked along Cribb Street, across the train
lines, and onto Steve Irwin Way, where he was seen barefoot and
without a hat by several passers-by.
The final emergency call placed him near the Big Kart Track between
4pm and 4.30pm.
Luke’s work van, with the keys left in the ignition and the window
down, was found abandoned along Cribb Street days later, but no
clues have been found since.
Ms Searle said the initial search efforts, involving the SES,
mounted police, and other resources, were hampered by wet weather
and the delay in reporting Luke’s disappearance.
She has posted numerous missing person flyers around Landsborough in
an attempt to jog people’s memories and urged anyone with
information, including motorists with dashcam footage, to come
forward.
“The not knowing is the worst, you know, if something bad has
happened I just want to know,” Ms Searle said.
Family hunts for answers on Luke Gourlay's disappearance in Glenview
The family of Sunshine Coast man Luke Gourlay, who disappeared on
Boxing Day 2023, is disheartened there have been no leads about his
location in more than a year.
Mr Gourlay, 29, was last seen near Steve Irwin Way, Glenview, close
to Ewen Maddock Dam about 4pm on December 26, 2023.
His family said he visited the Landsborough Pub earlier that day,
withdrew $500 and walked towards the Bruce Highway.
They said he left his work van close to the railway station with the
windows down, keys in the ignition, and numerous personal belongings
inside.
Heartbreaking riddle
His mother Suzanne Searle and grandmother Merle Searle have a lot of
unanswered questions.
"He went missing on the side of a busy road with cars driving past,
after three people were concerned enough to dial triple-0," Suzanne
Searle said.
"And then he vanished … there's been nothing."
Aside from the manner Mr Gourlay left his vehicle, his family said
it was "strange" that before his disappearance he underwent dental
treatment and purchased new clothes, including distinctive orange
Calvin Klein slides.
The slides went missing between when Mr Gourlay was at the
Landsborough Pub and when he was last seen by motorists a few hours
later, walking barefooted and acting irrationally.
"Those orange slides are not something my son would usually buy or
wear," Suzanne Searle said.
"Those slides and the Ford hat he wore have never shown up and I
wonder if he visited somewhere after the pub and left them there."
Topsy-turvy life
Suzanne Searle said Mr Gourlay had an unsettled childhood after the
death of his father.
He is the eldest of five children.
Mr Gourlay worked as a courier for a Sunshine Coast-based company,
and spent weeks around Christmas 2023 near Kenilworth, before
inexplicably visiting Landsborough, almost 60 kilometres away.
His mother said it appeared he was living out of his work van.
"Luke can live life normally for three-to-six months of the year,
then tends to go off the rails," Suzanne Searle said.
Police said Mr Gourlay was not reported to them as missing until
January 3, 2024.
Military resources, State Emergency Service volunteers, the mounted
unit and dive squad searched areas around Steve Irwin Way, Mooloolah
Connection Road and Old Caloundra Road.
Frustrations fester
Both Suzanne Searle and Merle Searle said they felt police should be
doing more to search for Mr Gourlay and support the family.
Merle Searle said she had tried emails in addition to calls, and had
been unsuccessful on both fronts.
"The last time someone said they'd call me back tomorrow was about
two months ago," she said.
Suzanne Searle said it frustrated her other missing person cases
received what she considered a greater amount of publicity and
police attention.
Queensland Police said the most recent search for Mr Gourlay was
conducted in August, 2024 and that police had maintained regular
contact with the family.
Challenging task
Police and Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie said the Missing
Persons Unit "worked tirelessly" to locate thousands of missing
people each year.
"When someone goes missing it is devastating for family, friends and
loved ones," he said.
"I acknowledge their pain, suffering and frustration.
"Thankfully, most missing persons are located safe and well.
"As a former frontline officer, I know that even the smallest
tip-offs about missing persons can go a long way so it is vital to
report any relevant information to police."
Stuck in limbo
Mr Gourlay's family members said they were in limbo because of
privacy measures which restricted their ability to access financial,
government and health records.
"A friend of his is listed as the next of kin, not me," Suzanne
Searle said.
"He's missing. How can a missing person give consent?
"I've rung the watch house, rung the coroner trying to see if
any bodies have been unclaimed.
"It is not something a mother should have to do."
Mr Gourlay is described as fair skinned, approximately 180
centimetres tall with a slim build, brown hair and blue eyes. He has
Red Bull logos tattooed on both feet, a "Vegas casino" tattoo with
dice on his right shoulder, and a black tattoo on his right thigh.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800
333 000 or Police Link on 131 444.
