Outback search's vast challenge

The search area is twice the size of France

By Phil Mercer in Darwin

The search for missing British traveller Peter Falconio is an extraordinary challenge for the police in Australia's Northern Territory.

They have half a million square miles of some of the country's most inhospitable terrain to cover.

The area takes in two-thirds of the Northern Territory, from the town of Katherine to the borders of Queensland, South and Western Australia.

Much of the land in this part of the world's driest continent is endless desert scrub, home to wild animals and cattle farmers who live on properties hundreds of miles from the nearest town.

Roadblocks

Roadblocks are in place at every exit point from the Territory. All vehicles heading through the towns of Timber Creek, Avon Downs, Kulgera and Top Springs will be monitored.

So far there has been no sign of the backpacker from Huddersfield nor the gunman suspected of shooting him and attempting to kidnap his 27-year-old girlfriend, Joanne Lees.

Properties can be hundreds of miles from a town

The police leading one of Australia's biggest ever manhunts say it is a miracle she is alive.

Her story of survival is amazing. She told detectives she heard her partner being shot and was then punched, bound and gagged by the gunman before he became distracted, enabling her to escape.

The English traveller spent five hours hiding in the desert in freezing temperatures before raising the alarm.

The gunman is likely to have had at least a four-hour head start before the police operation swung into action.

Detectives fear the suspect has already slipped through the net they have placed around a vast swathe of the Outback.

Luck needed

They concede they need some luck to catch him.

It's possible that he could be holed up in a remote location

Assistant police commissioner Bruce Wernham

The area is dotted with minor roads and dirt tracks leading to three different states. Neighbouring police forces are on high alert.

There is a chance the suspect may be hiding in the bush. Assistant police commissioner Bruce Wernham said it is possible the man is avoiding an intense police search by hiding away from the highway.

"It's possible that he could be holed up in a remote location because there are vast areas where you can secrete a vehicle quite well with reasonable tree cover and dense scrub," he said.

Aboriginal trackers

As the search enters yet another day, aboriginal trackers have been drafted in to help. They know the land better than anyone and will join forces with an army of police officers as well as private planes and helicopters used by farmers to muster cattle.

Some locals in Darwin believe the man works or lives on a cattle farm and has good knowledge of the area. One man said he thought the suspect would make a mistake and would find no way out.

The Northern Territory is a bleak, remote region

Commander Bob Fields, who is leading the investigation, agreed.

"It is not unknown that a person having done something like this is then involved in another incident in a short space of time. That doesn't mean that anybody's going to be shot or held up, but it simply could be a case that the suspect will come to light anyway in relation to another incident."

There is concern that other tourists are at risk.

The Stuart Highway from Alice Springs in the heart of Australia's Red Centre north to tropical Darwin and the Kakadu National Park is a popular holiday route.

Now there is a warning for travellers to avoid the area completely. Those who do venture into the search zone are being urged to disregard one of the golden rules of the Outback - and not to stop for drivers in need of help.