Lost – Three Children’s Fight for Survival

In August 1864, three young children went missing in the bushland of Victoria’s Wimmera District. Isaac, Jane, and Frank Duff, aged between four and nine, had become lost in the rugged wilderness. Their father, John Duff, launched a desperate search that stretched over nine days and eight nights. Just before sunset on the ninth day, the children were found alive—exhausted, malnourished, but miraculously still clinging to life. Their survival captured the hearts and imagination of the entire community. In this program, we explore the extraordinary story of these resilient children and their remarkable endurance in the harsh and unforgiving Australian bush.