It looks almost like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie.
Seven months after he killed two police officers, Dezi Freeman emerged from a shipping container draped in a blanket. Then, police say, he drew a gun stolen from one of the men he killed.
Soon after, Australia's most wanted fugitive was dead, surrounded by old cars, tractors and tell-tale signs of how he might have been surviving in a part of Victoria that's as beautiful as it is remote.
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The physical operation began at 5.30am yesterday when specialist police swarmed the container, sparking a tense standoff. It ended three hours later when the police BearCat rammed the box as flash bangs and smoke grenades were dropped inside.
But the investigation had been ongoing for months before a breakthrough.
9News understands officers had their eye on the Thologolong property for several days following a tip-off from someone close to Freeman wanting the $1 million reward.
It's on the NSW border near Lake Hume, closer to Canberra than Melbourne, and more than a day's walk from Porepunkah through sparsely populated terrain.
Friends who've spoken publicly since his death agree with police on one thing.
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"He couldn't have done all this on his own. He must have been being assisted by someone else," friend Alex Kristic said, adding "quite frankly I'm glad this guy's dead".
Bush said he was "very keen to learn who".
"I'm sure some actually assisted him in getting away from Porepunkah to where he was located," he said.
The property where Freeman made his last stand was littered with rubbish. Cars, tractors, three caravans, even a boat and a canoe, marked the green grass between three scattered shipping containers of different sizes and colours.
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The self-proclaimed sovereign citizen had been living off-grid, solar panels producing what little electricity the property had.
It featured a makeshift kitchen and two chairs side by side, suggesting he had not always been alone. But Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said there was no sign of anyone else there in the 24 hours before.
At 8.30am, Freeman emerged from the shipping container almost naked, wrapped in a blanket and armed with a gun he stole from the slain officers in August.
This time, police took no chances, shooting him dead.
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"I have seen video of the deceased leaving the building and presenting a firearm at our officers," Bush said.
"That action took away any discretion our officers had."
Neil Sutherland says his brother, who's been in Tasmania for four months, owns the property but has never met Freeman.
"He's in shock," Sutherland said.
"Actually, he's in more shock than I am because it's obviously – it's his property."
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Bush yesterday afternoon said police were still trying to find and speak with the owner.
Three weeks ago, police announced they would not charge Freeman's wife, Mali, with obstruction of police.
She was present at the time of the shooting, along with a man connected to the Porepunkah property.
"It's very important for us to understand how long he's been here and who else was complicit in getting him here and then caring for him or providing him with food and other things to this point," Bush said, promising they would be "held to account".
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