Missing Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy went on a holiday with her family to the Great Ocean Road each year. This summer, she didn’t – as her mate opens up about date she would NOT have missed

Missing mother Samantha Murphy was conspicuously absent from her family’s traditional summer holiday on Victoria’s surf coast in the weeks before she disappeared.

Ms Murphy, 51, has not been seen since she left her Ballarat East home at 7am on Sunday to go for a run in a national forest on the outskirts of the regional city, west of Melbourne.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Ms Murphy and her family had been holidaying together for almost a decade at a caravan park in Torquay – the gateway to Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road.

But this year, park residents noticed that only her husband Mick and their children were visiting the park, where they stayed in a luxury cabin.

“They usually spend most of January here,” a source told Daily Mail Australia.

Although Ms Murphy was described as friendly, she was observed to mainly keep to herself during her visit to the park, which has an active community of regular summer holidaymakers.

“They have a nice cabin…she keeps to herself. But Mick is always so nice. Always stops and says hello. We were wondering where she was this year.”

On Thursday, Murphy stood before the media to appeal to the public for any information that could help find his wife alive.

‘People don’t just disappear into thin air. Someone needs to know something…if it’s even something small that you think is relevant, just call the police and let them know,” he said.

“It will give us a little peace of mind if we get some hope.”

While Mr. Murphy did not answer questions from the media, his wife’s childhood friend Virginia O’Loughlan told Daily Mail Australia Ms Murphy had missed the traditional family holiday after falling ill with Covid-19.

‘There was nothing suspicious about it. There was no family feud. I can understand why people might start thinking that, but she definitely had Covid. Another friend of ours also had Covid and they were both talking about it and if they got better they would catch up,” she said.

“She definitely would have been there, but she didn’t want anyone to get Covid.”

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Murphy is involved in his wife’s mysterious disappearance, and police have not suggested foul play.

Ms O’Loughlan said Ms Murphy was due to meet friends for brunch at 11am on the day she went missing.

On the morning Ms Murphy disappeared, she was captured on her own CCTV system wearing a maroon/brown singlet and black mid-length leggings.

She was later seen on a neighbor’s camera walking past their property on Eureka Street in Ballarat East, near the intersection of Warrenheip Rd, about 7.16am.

That was fifteen minutes after she started her Sunday run.

It showed her running northeast toward Yankee Flat Road.

Ms O’Loughlan said she did not believe her friend would have ventured into the rugged area where her phone was last ‘pinged’.

‘There’s no way she could have fled that far. Absolutely not. “I am very confident,” she said.

On Thursday, state emergency services volunteers and police went into the bush again in an area between the Canadian Plantation and Yankee Flat Road – about 15km from Ms Murphy’s home.

“I think she went to brunch that morning, so I think she would be home by 9 or 10,” she said.

Mrs. Murphy – one avid Richmond supporter and fitness fanatic – was more than familiar with the routes she routinely ran.

“Sam is the strongest person both mentally and physically and I believe we are going to find her,” Ms O’Loughlan said.

‘It’s unbelievable that we haven’t found anything related to this yet. We’ve been combing roads… I’m thinking about what might have happened to Sam,” she said.

‘Right now I’m open to everything. I find it really bizarre that nothing has been found.’

On Thursday, Inspector Lisa McDougall insisted Ms Murphy’s disappearance was not suspicious.

“No suspicious circumstances have been identified at this stage,” she told a media group.

But then pgAlthough the police had not even considered foul play, Inspector McDougall admitted that it had not been ruled out.

“We’re keeping an open mind,” she said.

On Wednesday, police thought they had found an object of interest in bushland not far from Ms Murphy’s home before declaring it a false alarm.

Inspector McDougall said drones are now being used in the extensive search.

“We have 40 resources on site at the moment and they are resources from Victoria Police as well as CFA and SES,” she said.

“We have used a variety of resources internally in recent days, including things like mountain branches and search and rescue.

‘Police were also deployed today to assist us in the search. There are also some drones ready to assist us.”

Ms O’Loughlan said that as far as she understood her friend had no known enemies and could think of no reason why anyone would want to harm her.

“Everyone absolutely loves Sam because Sam is the backbone of a lot of community organizations. “Sam just doesn’t do anything half-heartedly and Sam gives 150 percent of himself,” she said.

Ms O’Loughlan, a trained psychologist, said she believed Ms Murphy would have been determined to make that brunch date.

“She would go to brunch, she would want to get organized. She had pulled her hair back. She would have wanted her hair done nicely, she likes to present herself beautifully,” she said.

‘She’d be thinking, ‘just run, freshen up, get breakfast for the kids, if Mick hasn’t done that already.’ She wouldn’t have run that far.’

Mrs O’Loughlan described Mrs Murphy as the head of her family.

“She is the front of their family. Mick must be struggling right now. They are not media people at all,” she said.

It is understood Mr Murphy was at home when his wife was captured on CCTV leaving their property and later raised the alarm with police when she did not return.

On Thursday, Mrs Murphy’s daughter Jess delivered a heartbreaking message to her missing mother, begging her to come home.

“Mom, we love you so much and we miss you. We need you at our house. Please come home soon. I can’t wait to see you and give you the biggest hug when I do,” Jess said.

“And to thank you for causing us so much stress. I love you.’

Ms Murphy is described as white, approximately 173cm tall, with a slim build and shoulder-length blonde hair.

Anyone who sees her is asked to contact police immediately.