Ivan Milat "Backpacker Murderer" Ep 002

Homicide Worldwide Podcast

In the 1980s and 1990s, people from all over the globe would come to experience the culture and see the sights of Australia – from the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef and everything inbetween. As a young American, I myself, had a total fascination with Australia, thanks to films like Young Einstein and Crocodile Dundee… I was about 13 when these films were out and like so many others, I became obsessed and wore various shades of tan and khaki to live out my fantasies, but that was as far as my journey to Australia ever took me… to this day I’ve still never been.

This free-spirited backpacker culture, allowed some of the people who embarked on their journies, to take once-in-a-lifetime adventures, to meet new people, to make new friendships and to gain valuable life experiences that one can typically only get when they are young -- before the disparaging side of life sets in -- and we become confined to work, kids and the demands of life. This was a time when young people in particular, could come and enjoy the carefree, nomadic lifestyle of backpacking, going with the flow, staying in hostels and not having any ties to responsibility until there was a need to make a little money for the next stop.

This was supposed to be just that kind of special time for the victims in this eposide, who were, by all accounts, trusting people who who loved life and were eager to live them. Instead it turned into a nightmare beyond imagination for them and left the hearts of their families and friends broken forever.

The 1990’s were the last time things would still be simple – a sort of twilight in time where a person could go do what they wanted and they weren’t tracable like today – it seems like it was forever ago. The distractions of today were only a futuristic fantasy, seen on shows like Star Trek or the Twilight Zone.

There of course, was no such thing as google maps or the internet as we know it today to tell you where to go – no yelp to tell you where to stay away from, and naturally, there was no such thing as an affordable cell phone plan or an app to allow the tracking of your friends…. no texting and often times weeks would go by before family would hear from their loved ones traveling abroad, that they were safe.

Sometimes travelers would be in such remote areas that they communicated only through the mail and checked their post offices only as they were passing back through. If something was wrong it could be a while before people knew, and this set the perfect backdrop for Australias worst serial killer.

Since nobody knew differently, and this was the way people communicated, generally, this was accepted and while most parents didn’t love the idea of gaps in time where they didn’t hear from their kids most trusted their children and understood that they were broadening their horizons. Since there was no such thing as a cell phone yet, it was just the times we lived in.

People often relied on recomendations from others - word of mouth was the best way to discover things and information that was passed along by people with like interests. One way that foreign travelers would get around was to hitchhike – which, at the time, was considered safe and widely practiced. So much so that there were books and guides published by experienced travelers for those who were unfamiliar with the resources to travel more economically.

People regarded backpacking in Australia as safe, and the people friendly, however, during the years between 1989 and 1992, that would all change and travel would not ever be the same again. Australia would now be seen as a treacherous place where people go missing and sometimes turn up murdered.

In this episode of Homicide Worldwide, we will discuss what drove Ivan Milat to

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