Local businesses in Victoria’s High Country say they have suffered severe financial damage since a manhunt began for Dezi Freeman, who is accused of killing two police officers and wounding a third on August 26. Operators in the tourist towns of Bright and Porepunkah said police warnings to motorists and holidaymakers to avoid the Great Alpine Highway have cut visitor numbers to near zero at a peak time for ski and weekend travel.
Owners and the Bright Chamber of Commerce told the Daily Mail that hotel occupancy rates fell dramatically after authorities urged people to use alternate routes to the Falls Creek and Mount Hotham ski fields, bypassing Bright and Porepunkah. Victoria Police lifted the travel warning on Sunday, nearly three weeks after it was first issued, but business leaders say the damage may be irreversible for some operators.
Leanne Boyd, owner of Cherry Walk Cafe in Bright, said her business was about $22,000 down in turnover since August 26 and that she had cut staff shifts. "My question to (Victorian) Premier Jacinta Allan and her government is when are we going to get an economy package, because we cannot afford to pay our staff," Boyd told the Daily Mail. She said staff anxiety stemmed less from a fear of Freeman personally and more from uncertainty about wages and the future of local businesses.
Bright Chamber of Commerce president Marcus Warner said businesses were facing losses of roughly 80% and that some hotels had experienced 100% cancellations. Warner said a whole-house booking worth $7,000 for the AFL Grand Final long weekend was recently cancelled with the client citing the shooting as the reason. He said hundreds of casual staff had been stood down.
"We are seeing a significant police presence in the area, and while we may bump into them in coffee shops—some locals are even buying them a coffee—they are getting their own catering and operational support at their command centre in Ovens," Warner said. He added that a large contingent of officers had been staying in Myrtleford, about 30 minutes from Bright and Porepunkah.
Police have said Freeman, 56, has not been sighted since he disappeared on foot into rugged alpine terrain on August 26. Search efforts have included near-constant aerial patrols using thermal technology and ground searches by Special Operations officers in and around Mount Buffalo National Park. The region has also endured blizzards, heavy rain and freezing temperatures since the shooting, complicating search operations.
Victoria Police has repeatedly urged the public to be alert but not alarmed; Warner said police were open to revising messaging after local business representatives met with police, local government officials and federal MP Helen Haines to discuss the economic toll. Officials said they were considering how to balance public safety communications and the impact on towns that rely heavily on passing tourist traffic.
Business owners have sought financial assistance from the Victorian government. Boyd and others said correspondence requesting support had so far gone unanswered. Warner told the Daily Mail there was no existing framework for a financial package because the downturn could not be directly attributed to a conventional disaster such as a bushfire, flood or pandemic.
Operators said the timing has been particularly damaging: Bright typically hosts as many as 5,000 visitors on weekends during the ski season and related shoulder periods. Pepo Farms, a local produce outlet near the Ovens command centre, reported weekend takings of less than $300 last weekend after usually doing several thousand dollars, Warner said.
Locals remain grateful for the police presence in the region, but say it has not been sufficient to encourage tourists to return. Opinions among residents differ about Freeman’s whereabouts; some speculate he is hiding in caves or abandoned mine shafts, others say he may have fled the area or perished in the elements, but police have not reported any confirmed sightings.
Warner said there were plans to relaunch the region to visitors once the manhunt concluded. In the meantime, business owners and community leaders urged state authorities to consider targeted economic support to help preserve livelihoods and prevent longer-term closures in towns that rely heavily on passing trade.