It could just be that, since the release of Wolf Creek, backpackers in remote parts of Australia are easily-spooked, but travelers in the Kimberley region of Western Australia have been warned to watch out for a mysterious man who is offering work on mustering teams.
A warning posted at Kimberley Croc YHA tells backpackers to be wary of a “farmer / cowboy”, aged between 25 and 35, who goes by the name of Joe but might be called Jack, a description tantalisingly vague enough that it could likely apply to 65% of men in outback Australia.
The warning notice was posted after seven backpackers from the YHA went with Joe or Jack to a job in Halls Creek last Monday, and were subsequently reported as missing.
Several of the group say that they were “sent off by him into different dead end locations with no petrol.” So far, so spooky – running out of petrol in the bush is a pretty valid fear for a lot of people.
“It ended with 5 persons in a serious car accident, resulting in 2 being flown to Perth Hospital in a critical condition. The rest are [sic] treated for minor injuries and were then left stranded in [Halls Creek].”
The notice concludes that the rugged rascal may be using “stolen vehicles and false ID” to con travelers, and that they should not accept any work from anyone unless that person can prove their identity.
Okay, so we maybe need to entertain the possibility that that the roguishly handsome farmer slash cowboy with his rough hands and manly musk is legit, and that he maybe just got fed up with a bunch of flaky backpackers who scared themselves into their own personal slasher movie and decided to cut ’em loose.
The serial killer theory is way more fun though, right?
via News Limited
Image via Wolf Creek 2
