'All lines of inquiry' open as fears grow for missing person Esther Wallace on Mount Canobolas, Orange

The Central Western Daily understands homicide detectives have been engaged in the sprawling operation. This is standard practice in a missing person case and does not mean murder is suspected.

Esther Wallace was last seen early Wednesday. A companion said they were separated while hiking at Federal Falls about one kilometre south-west of Mount Canobolas summit, and a vast search has been underway since.

"The search is continuing today," Chief Inspector Gerard Lawson told journalists at an impromptu press conference on Tuesday morning.

"Throughout the search it's been quite rugged and quite difficult up on the mountain ... I can tell you that the search won't continue indefinitely but [we] do make an assessment every day.

"The longer she's missing, the less chance [there is] of finding her well. There are reasons why we are concentrating our search [on the mountain]."

The update follows confirmation items of clothing potentially related to the investigation were recovered by SES and ambulance workers over the weekend.

Chief Inspector Lawson said these items - which are believed to have extended the search and narrowed down an area of interest - are currently undergoing testing.

A statement from NSW Police media said: "A large number of items have been found in the area, however, none are confirmed to be relevant to the investigation.

"The search remains ongoing and police are continuing to investigate all lines of inquiry."

NSW Police are continuing to urge anyone who may have information on the Esther's whereabouts to contact Orange Police Station or Crime Stoppers.

Five NSW Police units, the SES, RFS, and staff from Cabonne Council, NSW Parks and Wildlife Service, and Forestry NSW have trawled the circa-14-square-kilometre reserve since the woman's disappearance.

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

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

The Daily 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 Friday evening. 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 Thursday: "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.

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