Case 109
Belanglo
(Part 1)
[Part 1 of 5]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, backpackers from across the globe flocked to Australia in search of sun, surf and adventure. Although hitchhiking was frowned upon, it remained a popular option for those seeking a cheap, convenient method of transit.
Between 1989 and 1992, seven young backpackers – James Gibson, Deborah Everist, Simone Schmidl, Gabor Neugebauer, Anja Habschied, Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark – went missing after hitching rides along the Hume Highway. While some links were drawn between the separate cases, there was no hard evidence to indicate that the disappearances were connected in any way.
That was until September 1992, when an orienteering group entered Belanglo State Forest and made a shocking discovery.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Anonymous Host
Writing – Elsha McGill
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
BOOKS:
Highway to Nowhere – Richard Shears
Fate – Neil Mercer
Belanglo: the next chapter – Roger Maynard
Sins of the brother – Mark Whittaker and Les Kennedy
Milat, Inside Australia’s biggest manhunt – Clive Small and Tom Gilling
R V Milat, a case study in cross-examination – Dan Howard
John Marsden, I am what I am – John Marsden
NEWSPAPERS ARCHIVES:
Extensive articles from ‘The Age’ and ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ newspapers published between 1989 and 1998 were utilised to compile these episodes. The articles were accessed via the website, www.newspapers.com.