Missing girl, 4, found after night spent lost on NSW farm

A four-year-old girl has spent the night alone in the bush in central west New South Wales, sparking a frantic search that had emergency teams fearing the worst.

The girl had wandered away from her family home, south of Bathurst, for more than 12 hours, but is now safe and sound.

She was still in her pink night dress when she was spotted in a sheep paddock at 10.30am today.  

"As you can understand it was just frantic. We don't always get good outcomes with these things but look, it was a really special moment."

The search involved police officers, dogs, PolAir, paramedics, SES and Rural Fire Service volunteers.

As night fell, they feared the worst.

"To be honest that was our real great concern that she'd wandered into a dam," Det Chief Insp Rankin said. 

"She's followed some dogs away from the yard here, the house yard at the property, got herself lost."

She was taken to Bathurst Hospital as a precaution.