I think if that was the case he would have just raised the alarm. There would be no reason he couldn't have said on the radio that he was concerned about something.
That's the best information, I have too...it was found the March 27...why all the misinformation on this case??
yes, I agree. Asking for driving directions doesn't fit RH's profile at all. Rh was said to know the valley like the back of his hand. Why this case generates so much contrary and misinformation is a head scratcher.
JLZ, that is really a long drive from the Wonnangatta Station to where RH and CC set up camp for the night--especially when RH said he had to go because it was getting dark. I assumed after their last ham radio call at the WS, they drove a much shorter distance to set up camp, however, following the 5 hour drive timeline, it would place them setting up camp in the dark after midnight. It would seem if anyone was following them they would have seen the headlights of the tagging vehicle behind them, unless the vehicle keep a far distance behind them. The idea of driving 5 hours in the dark, and then setting up their campsite after midnight seems hard to fathom to me, especially if they had been driving all day before making their last ham radio call at dusk.
I don't understand. For one thing 7:30am Thursday plus five hours is early Thursday afternoon and it isn't a drive in the dark. The radio call was Friday.
He didn’t ham radio it then drive some where. Setting up that deal is a huge pain in the behind. One of the guys here talked about the cables, radio antenna 2000 feet into the air, or whatever height it was, (yes, I know, that was sarcasm) have to hook up all kinds of stuff. Wherever he was, it was not in a good area for reception. It’d be interesting if LE would set up the same ham radio stuff exactly where the original was found burned, and try to chat on it to other operators. They’d be able to tell if transmission was poor or not from the spot where the equipment was found. One clue solved. Does weather interfere? Better be sure weather conditions the same.
JLZ...not sure what you mean...are you saying you don't think it was getting dark when RH placed his very last ham radio call at the Wonnangatta Station...and said he had to end the call because it was getting dark and he still needed to set up his campsite? According to the daily mail article published yesterday (June 25) "a friend of Mr Hill's for almost three decades, is the last known person to speak to him via an amateur radio network around 6pm on March 20." Here is a webpage with the sunrise/sunset for Victoria Australia...March 20th the sunset at 7:31pm--roughly 90 minutes after RH's radio call. Wouldn't it be extremely challenging to drive even 4 hours in the dark--find an area to camp and then setup everything outside your vehicle for evening?? Is it possible their campsite was a lot closer to the Wonnangatta Station?
No, I'm not suggesting they were driving after the radio call. I think the clue to what happened might have something to do with where they were earlier in the day, and the day before. The timeline I've seen has them leaving home in the outskirts of Melbourne early on 19th March. The radio call from the Wonnangatta Station area was shortly before dusk on 20th March. We know they travelled through Heyfield and Licola, which is what you'd expect. But the journey from Carol's place at Pakenham (outer Melbourne) to Wonnangatta only takes about five hours. So I want to know where they spent the afternoon of 19th March, the night of 19th-20th March, and most of the day of 20th March. As Russell asked for directions to Dargo in the radio call, it's reasonable to think they hadn't spent the time at Dargo, although I was considering that possibility a few days ago. I think there's a good chance he was continuing on from what he was doing the week before, when he was exploring with his drone near the intersection of Bluff Track and King Billy Track. This fits with the police request to be contacted by anyone who was in the area of Mt Howitt/Howitt Plains on 19th or 20th March.
Yes...it does take time to set up everything and having trees makes things easier....and I too thought it was a little odd he was having transmission problems during his last radio call...weather and other electronic devices can cause reception problems...here is a cute short video clip of a gal hiking and then setting up her radio--it shows what a basic radio set up involves.
BearBear--yes, you bring up some good points; it does seem quizzical why RH and CC's relationship is described a few different ways depending on who is being asked about it...and, was going on remote camping trips together the only place where they could have fun with each other and not been seen? It seems like they both had a lot of energy and thrill seeking personalities to an extent. I am not sure I could handle the roads, the wild animals, the weather, and everything else in the Wonnangatta Valley, unless I was traveling with a fairly large group of people, and I am 7 years younger than they are! Seeing them out there at 73/74 years old traveling by 4 wheel drive on hairy roads and crossing running river beds, and camping all by themselves in total darkness save for a camp fire, flashlights, and possible portable solar power is amazing to me.
