Porepunkah Community Experiences Mixed Emotions After Long Police Manhunt

Mon Mar 30 2026 20:14:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The small town of Porepunkah, which was at the center of a major police manhunt, reflects on relief, sadness, and the long road to recovery in the wake of tragedy.

In the aftermath of a seven-month-long police manhunt in Porepunkah, emotions run high as the community grapples with relief, sadness, and hope for recovery following the deaths of two police officers. With the fugitive Dezi Freeman shot dead by police, the town seeks to heal from the spotlight and trauma experienced over recent events.

Seven months ago, few outside of the Australian state of Victoria had heard of the town of Porepunkah, with its population of just over 1,000 people.

But the fatal shooting of two police officers by local Dezi Freeman last August, and the manhunt that followed, thrust it into the headlines not just in Australia, but around the world.

That manhunt - one of the largest in Australian police history - ended on Monday, after officers shot Freeman dead following a six-hour stand-off at a property almost two hours' drive north of Porepunkah.

Back in the town where Freeman had lived with his family, few wanted to speak on the record.

Those who did speak to the BBC and other outlets expressed a range of emotions: relief bordering on happiness, hope the town might now start to recover, and anger at what it has gone through already. One resident told the BBC last month the town had been ruined by the media spotlight.

But, said Marcus Warner, a long-time search-and-rescue volunteer in the region and its chamber of commerce president, the overwhelming feeling is sorrow.

Victoria's Alpine region is home to a very small, close-knit community, where both the Freeman family and the slain officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart were well-known.

There was a degree of shock to hear that had happened and it didn't take very long then for a wave of sadness to fall, Warner said of Monday morning's stand-off, which came a month after police were saying they believed Freeman to be dead.

To some degree it's a weight lifted off our shoulders. We feel we can breathe again. Obviously there's still a long healing process, emotionally, psychologically, economically - a lot of the financial losses will never be recovered.

The attention of the media, the scrutiny of the public over reported pockets of conspiracy theorists in the town, and repeated police protestations that people in the region must be helping Freeman were difficult for the community to weather - but Warner says they remain united.

What you read online versus what I hear and see each day in our community are poles apart. There are some people with polarising views, but I would say you could count them on one hand. We're a population of several thousand up here.

He hopes the community's strong ties will help those affected rebuild their lives.

Alpine Shire Mayor Sarah Nicholas had a similar message: reach out for support.

Our community has been deeply affected by these recent events, which have had a significant impact on many individuals and families, she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Freeman's former neighbours expressed relief that his death would mean less anxious nights for them, but acknowledged they would have liked it to end a different way.

In the neighbouring town of Bright, business owner Balin Foley anticipated that the end of the manhunt could aid in rebuilding the area's struggling tourism industry.

The emotions across the community highlight a journey of healing as residents come to terms with the past and look towards a hopeful future.