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Missing four-year-old Shayla Phillips spends second night lost in southern Tasmania

Mounted search crews were scouring a pine plantation south of Shayla's house this morning. (ABC News: Laura Beavis)

Emergency crews say they are throwing every resource at the search for four-year-old Shayla Phillips, who has been missing for two days in a remote part of southern Tasmania.

"Tasmania Police are doing everything we possibly can to bring little Shayla back safely to her mum and we will continue that," Assistant Commissioner of Operations Jonathan Higgins said on Friday.

"We need to be positive that there will be a good outcome … we will continually reassess and take advice from the medicos and other experts — but it is only a couple of days in, the weather has been quite good."

He said they were consulting experts interstate for advice on techniques and resources used in similar cases that had successful outcomes.

Inspector Gavin Hallett echoed the sentiment.

"My objective is to search until Shayla is located safe," he said.

It has been two days since Shayla Phillips was last seen. (Supplied)
Assistant Commissioner of Operations Jonathan Higgins says police are consulting experts interstate for advice on techniques and resources used in similar cases. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)

He said authorities would continue to recheck ground they had previously covered in case Shayla was moving between sites.

Police have asked members of the broader community to keep away from the area.

Inspector Hallett said they had enough resources and did not want to be "searching for a searcher".

"We do have the resources and the expertise that we need … we don't want people who are unskilled being in bad terrain, bad conditions, and we have to deploy resources to locate a person when our effort should be solely focused on Shayla."

Search crews leave their base this morning near Shayla's house in Stormlea. (ABC News: Laura Beavis)

Police sniffer dogs arrived from Victoria yesterday to assist with the search.

A fixed-wing aircraft flew over the area until 3am this morning, staggered with the use of a drone.

Shayla's mother told police the little girl enjoyed playing hide and seek (Supplied: Tasmania Police)

The drones have thermal imaging capability to guide people on the ground to any sites of interest, Inspector Hallett said.

"Understandably as we enter another day searching for Shayla, we are concerned for her welfare," he said.

Crews search undergrowth south of the home for any sign of the four-year-old. (ABC News: Laura Beavis)

Four-year-old Shayla Phillips was reported missing from her home at Stormlea on the Tasman Peninsula by her mother Bianca on Wednesday afternoon.

She was last seen at about 2:30pm playing in her backyard with two dogs belonging to a neighbour. When her mother checked 30 minutes later, she and one of the dogs were missing.

Police were called in to search, and the rescue helicopter spotted the missing dog about 700 metres from the house.

The area where the dog was found was searched extensively, Inspector Hallett said.

There has been no sign of Shayla.

The search area at Stormlea contains heavy bushland. (Supplied: Tasmania Police)

'She might just walk out of the bush'

This morning, Tasman Council Mayor Kelly Spaulding, who lives near to the property where Shayla went missing, told ABC Radio Hobart that residents and search crews were "hoping for a miracle".

The search area centres on a home off Stormlea Road. (Google Maps)

He said vehicles and mounted police set out early this morning.

"Certainly by the amount of traffic heading out early this morning, there's definitely more people coming on ground today."

The local Country Women's Association had set up nearby to feed those involved in the search.

Cr Spaulding said there was a wide variance in the terrain being covered.

"Where it's natural timber, it's quite dense because it's a high rainfall area so quite thick and hard to walk through," he said.

"The property's then sort of surrounded by farmland and then timber plantation."

Line searches are being conducted with people stamping down the undergrowth as they move forward. (ABC News: Laura Beavis)

Crews on the ground have been looking in an area up to 1.2 kilometres from the house, with the helicopter covering a larger distance.

The lack of mobile coverage has made an already challenging situation more difficult.

"It's always a concern when there's an emergency and there's a call-out. The local police often struggle to get signal out," Cr Spaulding said.

A small team of searchers stayed at the Stormlea staging post area overnight. (ABC News: Laura Beavis)

Concerns for Shayla growing

Yesterday Inspector Hallett said concerns for Shayla's welfare were growing.

"Due to the isolation and terrain in the Stormlea Road area where Shayla was last seen, a broad range of resources are continuing to be utilised to search from the air and on the ground," he said in a statement.

Police say concerns are increasing for four-year-old Shayla Phillips. (Supplied)

Along with helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs, police divers have searched dams and ponds in the area.

Described as a healthy and happy little girl, Shayla was last seen wearing pink leggings, a cream top and gumboots.

Police do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances around Shayla's disappearance.

Inspector Hallett said Shayla's family was staying strong throughout the ordeal.

"I've spoken to the mother Bianca and she's very stoic," he said yesterday.

"She's a strong woman and hopeful we will find Shayla."

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