UPDATE: A 23-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of James Dorloff at a New Year’s Eve beach party at Wedge Island, north of Perth.

Mr Dorloff, 20, died after allegedly being attacked, possibly with a knife or machete, on the 400m-long Wedge Island, shortly before 1.30am on Wednesday.

Joseph Robert Houston, of Swan View, has been charged with his murder and with intent to do grievous bodily harm unlawfully wounding another.

Mr Houston appeared briefly in the Perth Magistrate's Court today and was remanded in custody on a seven-day hospital order for a mental health assessment.

He also faced unlawful wounding with intent to do grevious bodily harm charges for his alleged attack of 25-year-old Tyson Cumming.

Mr Houston allegedly used a machete to fatally wound Mr Dorloff and injure Mr Cumming, after a brawl broke out at an unauthorised beach party involving more than 600 people.

On the advice of a court liaison officer, Magistrate Michael Wheeler ordered Mr Houston to undergo a seven-day psychological assessment at Graylands Hospital's Frankland Centre.

Mr Houston is expected to appear in court again on January 9.

Outside court, Mr Houston's father choked back tears as he spoke to the media.

He extended his condolences to the Dorloff family before asking to be left alone.

"We don't know the full circumstances yet, but when we do it will all come out in the wash," he said.

Johnny Cady, who was with Mr Dorloff at the party, posted a photograph of his friend on Facebook with the caption: “Thank you for riding shotgun through this car wreck that is my life.”

Mr Dorloff, Mr Cady and a group of others had travelled to the northern outskirts of the Wedge Island settlement to bring in 2014 at an unauthorised dance party but the celebration ended in tragedy.

Party descended into chaos

"My best friend died in my arms last night and there was nothing I could do to help him," Mr Cady wrote on Facebook yesterday.

"Rest in the clouds James Dorloff. I love you brother."

The group of revellers had joined at least 600 others on a plain classified as part of the Wanagarren Nature Reserve, nestled in the area's sand dunes.

The area once only accessible by four-wheel-drive had cars parked on the plain's edges to light up the otherwise barren patch.

In the hours before the party started, police and Department of Parks and Wildlife rangers set up a road block to stop those without established accommodation from entering the settlement.

It is not known whether Mr Dorloff and his friends had access to a shack or if they, like many others, sneaked through the settlement when night fell and the road block was removed.

Earlier, Mr Cady posted about his plans: "Rollin 40 wheels deep wedge bound gonna be a dope night."

Mr Dorloff replied: "best wanna be rollin ankles wen ya get out n blame the sand."

Witnesses told The West Australian that the party started innocently but as the night progressed, tensions rose.

James Dorloff. Picture: Facebook/Johnny Cady





One man said he saw two men throwing punches and others quickly joining in before being broken up by other partygoers at least an hour before midnight.

At 1.30am, Mr Dorloff is believed to have become involved in an argument, which ended when he was badly hurt.

Several Samaritans frantically tried to stem Mr Dorloff's bleeding and keep him conscious.

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