Found Deceased Australia - Russell Hill, 74, & Carol Clay, 72, Wonnangatta Valley, 20 March 2020

[ktime70]

Here's a full copy of the Herald Sun article TootsieFootsie found on Friday 26th June.

I've highlighted in orange some of the bits of info that I think are new this week.

During their final conversation Mr Hill announced he was at Wonnangatta station and soon planned to drive to Dargo, about 70km away.

He had not been there before and asked for directions.

This I struggle with... He logged up there for how many years? Knows the place like the back of his hand, yet has never been, and doesn't have a map of the area? decides to hope he gets contact with one of his HAM radio friends for directions instead of buying a map at any number of service stations on his drive up? didn't download the google maps map of the area? no satnav amongst his electronic toys?

 

[Midwestmom2019]

This I struggle with... He logged up there for how many years? Knows the place like the back of his hand, yet has never been, and doesn't have a map of the area? decides to hope he gets contact with one of his HAM radio friends for directions instead of buying a map at any number of service stations on his drive up? didn't download the google maps map of the area? no satnav amongst his electronic toys?

No disrespect for the missing couple or men in general but a bit of levity:

Agreed. A man asking for directions is not normal behavior. At least in the USA NOT asking, getting lost and denying being lost while driving in circles is typical male behavior.

ETA: men in general.

 

[ktime70]

Does anyone know which side the gas/petrol tank is located on the 4-WD vehicle? Every time I see a picture of the singed vehicle I wonder. (Not that it would help find either one of the missing people ...)

Right hand side from memory, not that it matters, its a diesel, and you need massive temperatures to ignite it

 

[Midwestmom2019]

you didn't imagine it. I read it as well. around the same time (maybe or maybe not the same article) I read that he had also seen and described the missing hiker from a year or so ago. At the time I thought it odd that he seems to be the last person to see all these people alive.

Dry River was a double sighting by two separate people, I think. Two witnesses saw a woman close to a toilet facility and then another sighting close behind the first, time wise and same/ close location. That sighting sounded like one female.
Or was this different?
If Buttons keeps being the last to see missing people, maybe he should be looked at a bit closer. But LE spoke with him and ruled him out for this case. Like an arsonist who is always the first to spot a fire and call it in. Maybe?...
So many possibilities as Orgona listed for us.

 

[ktime70]

One other question, where does the information about Russell's overnight trip come from? His wife doesn't know many details of any of his trips, and the fact his HAM radio friend was unaware of it to start with, it suggests he wasn't checking in on the radio channel for the trip either. So who provided the info?

 

[trujac]

One other question, where does the information about Russell's overnight trip come from? His wife doesn't know many details of any of his trips, and the fact his HAM radio friend was unaware of it to start with, it suggests he wasn't checking in on the radio channel for the trip either. So who provided the info?

RH's Cell phone GPS.

 

[JLZ]

This I struggle with... He logged up there for how many years? Knows the place like the back of his hand, yet has never been, and doesn't have a map of the area? decides to hope he gets contact with one of his HAM radio friends for directions instead of buying a map at any number of service stations on his drive up? didn't download the google maps map of the area? no satnav amongst his electronic toys?

I'm not sure the size of the area he knew like the back of his hand, but presumably not the whole middle section of the Victorian Alps. If he was thinking of driving east out of the valley toward Dargo, he would need a lot more than Google Maps. Try tracing it out and not getting lost just sitting at your desk. Look at all those river crossings that might or might not have functional bridges. Think of fallen trees and ground erosion. See the tracks that you follow from screen to screen for many miles and end in nothing. Sometimes you start out going south-east and find you've 'driven' far north instead and there's no turn off.

 

[Satchie]

This case reminds me a little bit of a couple, who 15 years ago went missing (with their vehicle) in the Western US. Turned out he'd relied too much on his new-fangled gps, it lead to the middle of nowhere where they got stuck. She was found, barely alive, 2 months later, he had died trying to walk out the way they'd come. They weren't actually that far from a ranch, but they'd both panicked when they felt lost, and neither tried exploring the area looking for help.

So, for example, if RH had a medical incident, CC might have been too disoriented and panick-stricken to walk out for help, especially if out there alone at night, without shelter.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

This I struggle with... He logged up there for how many years? Knows the place like the back of his hand, yet has never been, and doesn't have a map of the area? decides to hope he gets contact with one of his HAM radio friends for directions instead of buying a map at any number of service stations on his drive up? didn't download the google maps map of the area? no satnav amongst his electronic toys?

Yes, I think his knowledge of the area and his skill in the bush have been exaggerated. While some say he "knew the area like the back of his hand" others say he "wouldn't go on foot into the bush".

This is probably against TOS, but I was looking for some information on the case and came across Carol Clay's Linkedin listing showing her as Pres of Victoria CWA. I'm not too familiar with Linkedin but when you look at her profile, there are other people who come up and presumably are linked to her. One of these is Russell Hill whose profession is listed as "Labourer at Adamo Group". All I can find out about this company is they are a demolition company specialising in removing asbestos. So if he was a working as a logger, it probably wasn't recently.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

This case reminds me a little bit of a couple, who 15 years ago went missing (with their vehicle) in the Western US. Turned out he'd relied too much on his new-fangled gps, it lead to the middle of nowhere where they got stuck. She was found, barely alive, 2 months later, he had died trying to walk out the way they'd come. They weren't actually that far from a ranch, but they'd both panicked when they felt lost, and neither tried exploring the area looking for help.

So, for example, if RH had a medical incident, CC might have been too disoriented and panick-stricken to walk out for help, especially if out there alone at night, without shelter.

Yes, this seems a likely scenario. However, it doesn't explain why their tent would have been burnt. I can't help but think the two are connected.

 

[trujac]

This I struggle with... He logged up there for how many years? Knows the place like the back of his hand, yet has never been, and doesn't have a map of the area? decides to hope he gets contact with one of his HAM radio friends for directions instead of buying a map at any number of service stations on his drive up? didn't download the google maps map of the area? no satnav amongst his electronic toys?

Yes...hard to believe...and extremely unlikely, imo.

 

[trujac]

Yes, this seems a likely scenario. However, it doesn't explain why their tent would have been burnt. I can't help but think the two are connected.

Russell H. spent years working/camping in the Wonnagatta Valley--he was not a novice visitor to the area...nearly every news article about him states that "he knew the area well." He was a highly skilled ham radio operator, as well. His truck was also described as being well fitted for traveling/camping in the valley..."He was very prepared." It makes no sense whatsoever that he would have needed to ask someone for driving directions, imo. He traversed through the valley roads while logging and camping for what appears to be decades...why would he suddenly not know his way around??

 

[trujac]

Yes, I think his knowledge of the area and his skill in the bush have been exaggerated. While some say he "knew the area like the back of his hand" others say he "wouldn't go on foot into the bush".

This is probably against TOS, but I was looking for some information on the case and came across Carol Clay's Linkedin listing showing her as Pres of Victoria CWA. I'm not too familiar with Linkedin but when you look at her profile, there are other people who come up and presumably are linked to her. One of these is Russell Hill whose profession is listed as "Labourer at Adamo Group". All I can find out about this company is they are a demolition company specialising in removing asbestos. So if he was a working as a logger, it probably wasn't recently.

My impression of why RH would not go into the bush was due to his health limitations...several articles state that he had severe heart and skin problems that required medication. Heart disease will impact one's ability to walk distances, imo. From all accounts, he was a vigorous outdoorsman when he was younger--not walking in the bush was a medical and age related reality that doesn't mean he never was a bushwalker, imo.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

He traversed through the valley roads while logging and camping for what appears to be decades...why would he suddenly not know his way around??

Have got a link for where you assumed he was working in the valley "for what appears to be decades"? I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't simply a job he might have done as a young man but not for an extensive period of time.

 

[trujac]

Have got a link for where you assumed he was working in the valley "for what appears to be decades"? I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't simply a job he might have done as a young man but not for an extensive period of time.

He was working, driving, and camping in the Wonnangatta Valley for what appears to be decades--how long he was employed as a logger the news articles didn't say...

 

[Tinker Taylor]

deleted

 

[trujac]

I'm not sure the size of the area he knew like the back of his hand, but presumably not the whole middle section of the Victorian Alps. If he was thinking of driving east out of the valley toward Dargo, he would need a lot more than Google Maps. Try tracing it out and not getting lost just sitting at your desk. Look at all those river crossings that might or might not have functional bridges. Think of fallen trees and ground erosion. See the tracks that you follow from screen to screen for many miles and end in nothing. Sometimes you start out going south-east and find you've 'driven' far north instead and there's no turn off.

A compass and other navigating tools would help to plot where one was while traveling in the bush. Here are a couple of interesting articles on the topic:
Tech Free Bush Navigation
Map and compass basics - Bushwalking Manual

 

[Kemug]

Russell H. spent years working/camping in the Wonnagatta Valley--he was not a novice visitor to the area...nearly every news article about him states that "he knew the area well." He was a highly skilled ham radio operator, as well. His truck was also described as being well fitted for traveling/camping in the valley..."He was very prepared." It makes no sense whatsoever that he would have needed to ask someone for driving directions, imo. He traversed through the valley roads while logging and camping for what appears to be decades...why would he suddenly not know his way around??

Maybe he had just had a TIA?

 

[JLZ]

Russell H. spent years working/camping in the Wonnagatta Valley--he was not a novice visitor to the area...nearly every news article about him states that "he knew the area well." He was a highly skilled ham radio operator, as well. His truck was also described as being well fitted for traveling/camping in the valley..."He was very prepared." It makes no sense whatsoever that he would have needed to ask someone for driving directions, imo. He traversed through the valley roads while logging and camping for what appears to be decades...why would he suddenly not know his way around??

Places change. He might remember a track as not passable by anything wider than a bush bike, and think, hang on, that was fifteen years ago. Or the opposite. Maybe the mate has more up-to-date information.

 

[trujac]

Maybe he had just had a TIA?

yes, that seems possible.