The search for a four-year-old girl who went missing 20 hours ago on the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania continues today.
Up to 100 people from Tasmania Police and State Emergency Services are involved in the search for the missing child, with a helicopters and drone currently being used in the search.
Four dams in the property were searched and cleared overnight, and scent dogs were also brought in, but the girl has not yet been found.
The girl, Shayla Phillips, was last seen playing with two dogs in her neighbours backyard at 2.30pm on Wednesday in Stormlea, which is an almost 20 minute drive from Port Arthur in south east Tasmania.
Tasmania Police Inspector Gavin Hallett said it was not uncommon for the little girl to play with the dogs, and it was also not uncommon for her to play hide-and-seek.
"The family, quite understandably, are upset," he said.
"Bianca [Shayla's mother] is very stoic, she is a strong woman and very positive and hopeful that we will find Shayla today."
The alarm that Shayla was missing was raised by her mother at around 3pm after she checked on her daughter and found her little girl and the two dogs missing from the neighbours backyard.
One dog returned to the property shortly after, and the second dog was located by air 700 metres from the house.
Search efforts then concentrated on this area.
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Tasmania Police Inspector Gavin Hallett said Shayla enjoys playing play hide-and-seek, and on one occasion could not be located for 15 minutes.
At this stage, he said there is nothing suspicious about the girl's disappearance.
"An indicator for us was that the dog was found in an area quite some distance away ... If there had been some untoward activity the dogs wouldn't have been gone," he said.
