Show Notes
In the early 1990s, a stretch of forest south of Sydney became the centre of one of Australia’s most disturbing murder investigations. Belanglo State Forest had long been a quiet expanse of bushland along the highways used by backpackers travelling between Sydney and Melbourne. But when police began uncovering human remains hidden beneath the trees, a terrifying pattern emerged. Young travellers from across the world had disappeared along the same roads. Many had been hitchhiking. Many had last been seen accepting rides from strangers. And somewhere along those highways, a killer had been waiting. In this two-part episode of What They Hide: Hidden Crimes in Plain Sight, we take a deep investigative look at the crimes of Ivan Milat, the man who would become known as Australia’s “Backpacker Murderer.” This series explores: The discovery of multiple victims inside Belanglo State Forest The stories of the seven young travellers whose journeys ended there How investigators slowly uncovered a pattern linking the disappearances The surviving witness who helped identify the killer The investigation that led police to Ivan Milat The 1996 trial that revealed the full horror of the crimes More than three decades later, the Belanglo murders remain one of the most infamous serial killer cases in Australian history — a chilling reminder of how easily violence can remain hidden along the most ordinary roads. SourcesResearch for this episode drew from court records, investigative journalism, and historical reporting including:
BooksMark Whittaker & Les Kennedy — Sins of the Brother: The Definitive Story of Ivan Milat and the Backpacker Murders Clive Small & Tom Gilling — Milat: Inside Australia’s Biggest Manhunt Gordon Burn — Happy Like Murderers (context on serial crime investigation culture) Court and Legal RecordsR v Ivan Milat (1996) — Supreme Court of New South Wales trial records Official sentencing remarks and court summaries relating to Milat’s convictions Journalism & ReportingBBC News archival reporting on the Belanglo murders The Guardian coverage of the investigation and trial The Sydney Morning Herald reporting on the Belanglo search and police operation The Australian investigative reporting on the Milat case Police and Investigation ReportingHistorical summaries of the New South Wales Police Task Force investigation Contemporary reporting on the Belanglo State Forest search operations Music by Mubert
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Enjoying What They Hide? You can also find the podcast on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel and help this independent true-crime show reach its next milestone of 150 subscribers. ❤️
Enjoying What They Hide? You can also find the podcast on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel and help this independent true-crime show reach its next milestone of 150 subscribers. ❤️
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