An 800km stretch of highway runs almost directly west from Townsville, Queensland, before heading through Charters Towers and straight on to Mt Isa. This stretch of road, known as the Flinders and Barkly Highways, has seen more than its fair share of disappearances and deaths over the last 30 years.

Locals call it the Townsville Killing Fields. We call it the Highway of Death...


**Correction: The Highway of Death runs through the top half of Queensland, not the bottom half.


Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.

Sources cited:
Sutton, Candace. 2018. "Grisly past of 'highway of death' where missing man vanished." The COurier Mail, January 13. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/grisly-past-of- highway-of-death-where-missing-man-vanished/news-story/21d9c056be9b64ba30cf227fecce26c0.

The Canberra Times. 1970. "Girls found dead, police seek man." August 6: 3. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110340115.

The Canberra Times. 1971. "Questions on double murder." August 14: 9. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110673873.

The Canberra Times. 1975. "Girl's death 'sadistic'crime." August 6: 3. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110651058.

Jolly, Nathan. 2018. "Clues missed in baffling murder." The Queensland Times, September 23. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://www.qt.com.au/news/we-want-answers-familys-anguish-over-bungled-inves/3531430/.

Robson, Frank. 2016. "Mission for justice: what happened to Mick Isles?" The Sydney Morning Herald, January 20. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/mission-for-justice-the-search-for-mick-isles-20151216-gloy1q.html.