The TEN intriguing clues hiding in plain sight at Dezi Freeman’s secret hideout
For 216 days, Dezi Freeman remained one step ahead of what was likely Australia’s biggest manhunt, vanishing into Victoria’s rugged high country as police, specialist units and local search crews scoured the bush in vain for any sign of him.
When officers did finally track the double-cop-killer fugitive to a remote secret hideaway near the Murray River, the makeshift camp was littered with intriguing clues that it wasn’t as abandoned as locals had believed.
The owner of the Walwa property – where Freeman was shot dead in fiery showdown with Special Operations police this week – was in Tasmania, and there was nobody looking after the farm because, as he put it, ‘there was nothing to look after’.
There are the more obvious signs the compound was inhabited, like the seemingly newly installed ventilation fans on the shipping container roofs, but also more subtle clues.
From side-by-side chairs, to an upturned boat, small solar power panels and even an outdoor kitchen, the bolthole offers a haunting glimpse into how Freeman spent his final months on the run… and whether someone else may have been helping him.
1. The abandoned cars
Several vehicles scattered across the site are likely to attract the attention of detectives, who are still actively investigating the case.
Freeman was known to have excellent mechanical skills and may have been able to repair one vehicle using parts stripped from another, allowing him transport options would he have decided to move locations or gather supplies.
2. Fishing equipment
Fishing nets and rods discovered were strewn amongst the camp’s equipment. Freeman was a well-known survivalist who had been known to go off-the-grid for months before and would likely have relied heavily on the nearby river for food.
A keen and skilled fisherman, he would have known exactly how to use the Murray’s waterways to sustain himself, giving him regular access to fish and helping explain how he survived for so long in isolation.
3. The two chairs
Perhaps the most chilling detail was the sight of two chairs carefully placed beneath a tarp at the front entrance of the makeshift shipping container home.
While it remains unclear whether Freeman had any accomplices or visitors during his months on the run, the twin chair placement could prove to be a telling clue for investigators probing whether he had help evading police.
Authorities have already flagged suspicions that surviving alone in such a remote location would have been extremely difficult.
4. The makeshift outdoor kitchen
Set beneath the awning at the front of the shipping container was what looked like a fully functioning outdoor kitchen, complete with a camp table, stove, sink, gas bottles, crockery, cutlery and pots and pans.
There is also a wood burning stove set to the side of the camp kitchen freshly loaded with kindling.
5. Gas Bottles
At least one gas bottle on the property remained full with the tag still attached. Gas cooking would be a more discreet way of preparing food without attracting undue attention with smoke from fires.
6. The solar panels and off-grid power
One of the most striking off grid living luxury seen from photos of the hideaway appears to have had access to off-grid electricity.
Reports from the site suggest solar panels were being used to generate power, raising questions about just how long Freeman may have been living there and how organised the set-up had become.
That would have allowed him to power lights, charge devices or run basic appliances, pointing to a far more sophisticated survival plan than a simple bush camp.
7. Well kept grounds
Despite the property having been largely abandoned after the caretaker died about a year earlier and no replacement hired, the area appeared surprisingly well tended, with no overgrown weeds or grass in sight.
8. The canoe
A canoe found at the property may also offer a major clue.
It has long been suspected Freeman used the river system to aid his escape, with the nearby Murray River providing natural camouflage, access routes and a far easier path through the rugged terrain.
The waterway would have allowed him to move undetected between locations and access supplies while remaining hidden from search crews.
9. The fruit orchard
An abundance of fruit trees on the property provided another crucial survival resource.
Teaming with apricots, cherries, raspberries and mulberries fresh fruit offered an easy and sustainable food source, reducing the need to go further afield and risk exposing his location.
10. Multiple dwellings
The presence of multiple makeshift dwellings, caravans and structures across the property raises even more questions.
Rather than living solely inside the shipping container, it appears the site may have been set up to allow movement between different sleeping or storage areas, potentially making it harder for police to pinpoint exactly where on the sprawling property he was staying.