Ivan Milat

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Lore & Background

Ivan Milat was born on 27 December 1944 to Croatian emigrant Stjepan Marko Milat and Australian Margaret Elizabeth Piddleston, the fifth of 14 children. The family lived in poverty on a farm in Bossley Park before moving to Liverpool, New South Wales. His father had a temper due to alcoholism, and many of the ten Milat boys were known to police, handling knives and firearms. Siblings recalled Milat displaying antisocial and psychopathic behaviour at a young age, such as attacking animals with machetes, leading to a stint in a residential school at age 13. By age 17 he was in juvenile detention for theft, and by age 22 he had received multiple prison sentences for theft and breaking and entering. In 1971, Milat abducted two female hitchhikers with a knife, raped one, and was arrested. While awaiting trial, he faked his suicide by leaving his shoes at The Gap, a Sydney suicide site, and fled to Queensland, Victoria, and New Zealand. He was rearrested in 1974 after his mother had a heart attack, but the cases failed at trial. He worked as a truck driver and for the Roads & Traffic Authority for 20 years. In 1977, he unsuccessfully attempted to rape and murder two women hitchhiking from Liverpool to Canberra, but was never charged. Between 1989 and 1992, Milat murdered seven backpackers: Deborah Everist and James Gibson (both 19), Simone Schmidl (21), Gabor Neugebauer (21) and Anja Habschied (20), and Caroline Clarke (21) and Joanne Walters (22). Victims were stabbed, shot, beaten, or decapitated. The bodies were discovered in Belanglo State Forest from September 1992 to November 1993. A key break came when Paul Onions, a British backpacker who escaped Milat in 1990, identified him. Milat was arrested on 22 May 1994 at his house in Eagle Vale.

Reader's Guide

Ivan Milat's significance lies in his status as one of Australia's most notorious serial killers, whose crimes terrorized the backpacking community and prompted major changes in police investigation methods. The Belanglo State Forest murders, spanning 1989 to 1992, involved seven victims—two men and five women—killed through stabbing, shooting, and beating, with evidence of torture. The case highlighted the vulnerability of hitchhikers and led to increased public awareness and safety measures. Milat's arrest, aided by the testimony of Paul Onions, who escaped a similar attack, underscored the importance of witness cooperation across international borders. The case remains a cautionary tale about the dangers faced by travelers and the persistence required to bring a serial killer to justice.

Did You Know?

• Ivan Milat was the fifth of 14 children.
• He faked his suicide in 1971 by leaving his shoes at The Gap, a Sydney suicide site, and fled to Queensland, Victoria, and New Zealand.
• A key break in the case came when Paul Onions, a British backpacker who escaped Milat in 1990, identified him.
• Milat was arrested on 22 May 1994 at his house in Eagle Vale.
• The bodies of his victims were discovered in Belanglo State Forest from September 1992 to November 1993.