[Part 3 of 5]

23-year-old Paul Onions arrived in Australia from his hometown of Birmingham, England on December 22 1989. He spent the first six weeks of his trip staying at a hostel in Sydney where he visited the sites of the city and hung out with fellow travellers before deciding to head south to Victoria to see if he could find a job fruit picking. Paul considered catching a bus for the near 1000 kilometre journey, but several other backpackers advised him that hitchhiking was easier and a great way to save money. They recommended he take the tried and tested route – catch a train to Liverpool in Sydney’s south-west, walk to the Hume Highway, then hitch a ride south to Melbourne.

Following this advice, on January 25, 1990, Paul Onions boarded the train to Liverpool, arriving at approximately 1:00 pm. He set off for the Hume Highway on foot, carrying all of his possessions in an old green coloured army rucksack. Although traffic was busy, Paul wasn’t having any luck hailing a ride and after an hour of wandering along in the oppressive afternoon sun, he veered off the highway at the town of Casula to refresh with a drink and a chocolate bar.

Whilst resting at Lombardo’s Newsagency, Paul was approached by a stocky, tanned-skin man with dark hair and light eyes. He had a bushy horseshoe-shaped moustache that Paul likened to famous Aussie cricket player Merv Hughes. The man introduced himself as Bill and asked the British backpacker if he needed a lift, offering to drive him as far as Canberra, 280-kilometre drive south.

Paul gratefully accepted the ride….