Niels Becker: Melbourne hiker missing in notorious High Country region died in ‘extreme conditions’, coroner finds
A physically healthy hiker who disappeared during a seven-day birthday trip has been pronounced dead following a coroner’s examination.
Melbourne man Niels Gunther Becker disappeared while on a three-day hike in the Victoria High Country near Mount Buller in October 2019.
Despite an extensive search by Victoria Police’s search and rescue team spanning 1,600 square kilometers over nine days, no trace of Mr Becker was found.
There have been a number of disappearances in the Alpine region over the last 20 years; these included Warren Meyer in 2008, David Prideaux in 2011 and Conrad Whitlock a few months after Mr. Becker disappeared.
In March 2020, Russell Hill and Carol Clay disappeared while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, and bone fragments connected to the murdered couple were discovered 20 months later.
More recently, on October 3, two women, aged 24 and 30, were found dead in freezing conditions at Lendenfeld Point.
Six years after Mr Becker’s disappearance, Coroner David Ryan announced a finding that he was dead, lost or injured while hiking, and died from exposure to the elements.
“There is no evidence to support a finding that any third party was involved in Niels’ death or that he may have taken his own life,” he said.
Mr. Becker, then 38, left his parents’ home in Hampton in a rented car on Oct. 24 for a hiking trip in the remote High Country to coincide with his 25th birthday.
Later the same day, he stopped at Mansfield Police Station and filled out a Travel Intent Form, telling officers he intended to return home on October 30 and had the appropriate equipment, including food and water, for seven days.
At around 9.32pm Mr Becker sent a message to his father, Peer Becker, confirming that he had arrived at Upper Jamieson Cottage and planned to spend the night there.
The following day, an architect camping in the area later reported to police that he had seen an “able-bodied” hiker walking up the ridge towards Macalister Hut.
A day later, on the morning of October 26, Mr Becker sent his father a message saying he was at Macalister Hut.
The last known contact with Mr Becker occurred at 11.54am when he sent a message to his father saying: “Day three begins”.
Mr Becker had planned to return to Upper Jamison Hut on October 29 and go home the next day.
A search for Mr Becker was launched on 1 November after his father raised the alarm, but the search was stopped on 9 November on expert advice.
It was noted that the missing man’s survival time had expired and the weather in the Buller Mountain area had deteriorated significantly on 26 October.
The coroner said he was satisfied at some point after leaving the Macalister Hut on October 26 that Mr Becker left the track and died, according to his findings.
“Given the extreme weather conditions, it is likely that Niels was dead by October 31, 2019,” he wrote.
“It is acknowledged that Niels not being found is very distressing for his family and that they have not had the opportunity to gain further clarity regarding the exact circumstances of his passing.”
Mr Ryan said the way Victoria Police conducted the search was independently reviewed by Queensland Police Service’s Senior Sergeant Jim Whitehead and no shortcomings were identified.
Mr Becker, described by his family as an “intelligent and creative man”, was an experienced hiker who had completed an overnight hike in the same national park the previous year.
