Lullacide

Australia is a big, beautiful country with wide red roads stretching on forever. Backpackers from all over the world came to walk its trails and camp under its stars. 'What an adventure!' they said, hoisting their packs. 'We should hitchhike. That's the fun way to travel.'

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, backpacker tourism was booming in Australia. Many travelers hitchhiked along the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne.

Ivan was a road worker who drove the highways back and forth all day. He knew every tree and every turn. 'Need a lift?' he would call out to young people with big packs and friendly faces. He was helpful that way. Ivan was always very, very helpful.

Ivan Milat worked for the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority. He used his knowledge of the highway and surrounding forest to select victims.

Belanglo State Forest was a quiet place, all pine trees and shadows. Ivan knew a clearing where nobody would look for a very long time. Seven young people from England and Germany and Australia learned about the clearing. None of them had a chance to tell anyone.

Seven backpackers' remains were found in Belanglo State Forest between 1992 and 1994. Victims were from Australia, England, and Germany.

A man named Paul had escaped. He'd jumped from Ivan's car and run. The police took a long time to listen to Paul. Then they listened very carefully. They searched Ivan's house and found so many things you do not keep in a house. Bits of the missing backpackers' belongings. A lot of camping equipment. And parts of guns, hidden inside pasta.

Paul Onions escaped Ivan in 1990 and reported the attack. Years later his account helped convict Milat. Weapons were concealed within food items in Milat's home.

Ivan went to prison for all seven murders and said it wasn't him at all. He went on a hunger strike. He smuggled in a hacksaw blade. He cut off his own finger and posted it to the High Court. The High Court sent it back. Some arguments, no matter how dramatic, just do not hold up in court.

Milat maintained his innocence throughout. He attempted escape, staged hunger strikes, and in one incident severed his finger and mailed it to the High Court of Australia. He died in prison in 2019.