Mount Canobolas: murder and death haunt beauty spot

IT STANDS serene and aloof, its twin peaks painted a verdant green during summer from the gum trees that climb its sides and white in winter as snow covers its slopes. Often the only noise will be the breeze pushing through the branches or the lapping of the water of a lake located near the foot of the mountain.

Vineyards are dotted here and there, the grapes thriving in volcanic soils, while transmission towers spike from the mountain’s highest point. Other than that, Mount Canobolas, some 13km south west of Orange in NSW’s central west, is still and silent.

But beneath its lonely exterior lies a tragic past of death, suicide and murder which has once again come to the fore this week with the remains of a 54-year-old man found in the Canobolas state forest at the mountain’s base.

The body is believed to be that of Steven Groat, who vanished before Christmas after leaving a friend’s house in Orange. Mr Groat’s abandoned blue Commodore was located in the forest five days later. Police had appealed for more information to understand what happened to Mr Groat but say the death is not regarded as suspicious.

While popular with sightseers, particularly for the panoramic views that can be found from its summit, locally the area’s dark history has led some to become wary of the ancient beauty spot.

“The whole areas around Mount Canobolas has a spooky, eerie aura particularly at night,” a resident of Orange told news.com.au.

“I grew up with rumours and tales about the mountain, even of witches living in the gullies, and with all the tragic things that have happened there I guess some of that creepy reputation stuck,” she continued.

“The outskirts are stunning but you wouldn’t want to go in too deep. It’s so thick with trees you’d risk getting lost and you just don’t know what’s in there.”

Orange historian Phil Stevenson said the mountain, whose name in the local Wiradjuri language means “twin shoulders”, was the remnants of a 12 million year old volcano, the site of one of Australia’s last eruptions.

He said the area has served many roles — a research point for geologists, a swimming hole for locals and even a lover’s lane for young romantics. But he could understand how its atmosphere, and history, might lead some people to be cautious about entering.

“No one lives around there and there’s been a few deaths over the years so I can see how it might be considered pretty spooky.”

The most notorious death on Mount Canobolas was that of Dearne Nonnenmacher who was brutally murdered on Christmas Day 1990.

Ms Nonnenmacher worked at Orange’s Robin Hood hotel as a trainee chef alongside 21-year-old Jonathan Davison. The pair were close friends and when asked to come around and play a game of Cluedo on Christmas Day, she accepted.

But when she rebuffed Davison’s sexual advances, her colleague, and supposed friend, set upon her in a frenzied attack.

Her charred body was found a day later, stuffed in a 44-gallon drum and set on fire in bushland near the mountain. A post-mortem examination showed she suffered a violent killing involving sexual mutilation.

In September 1992, Davison was sentenced to 21 years’ jail with a non-parole period of 14 years. At the court case, Justice Wood said Davidson’s crime had been “one of the utmost viciousness and gravity”, reported the Central Western Daily.

Davison was released in 2012, after spending two decades in jail. But throughout that time he never apologised and had refused to take part in a sexual offenders program, apparently because he didn’t want to be saddled with the stigma, reported The Australian.

“His attitude shows he has little or no regard for the human life he took,” Ms Nonnenmacher’s brother-in-law Mark Hevers said.

The area has been witness to other deaths which while less sinister are nonetheless shocking.

The tranquil Lake Canobolas, built in 1918 as Orange’s main source of potable water, became another scene of tragedy in 2014.

In February of that year, Arvid Stenzel had been fruit picking in the area and camping nearby. Early one morning the German backpacker set out for a walk. In the dead of night and deep in the thick forest around Mount Canobalas the 19-year-old became disorientated. At 3.15am he rang the caretaker of the campsite to say that he was lost. But despite a rescue operation beginning that same day, he never made it out alive. His body was found days later in the waters of the lake, reported the Daily Telegraph.

“For years, before Orange had swimming pools, the lake was a popular spot and lots of people went there,” said Mr Stevenson. “But it can get cold just under the surface and quite a few people have drowned in the lake.”

Shortly after Mr Stenzel’s death the local council began erecting signs around the lake to advise people how to resuscitate those who had come to strife in the water.

The TV towers have also been the site of heartbreak with two teenage girls falling from them on separate occasions in late 1979, one after her boyfriend was killed in a car crash.

But despite the area’s melancholy history it is not totally bereft of human activity. Swimmers still go for a paddle in the lake, intrepid trekkers tramp through the forest, cyclists ride the by ways and drivers navigate the twists and turns to the top of Mount Canobolas to take in the views that, on a clear day, can stretch from the Warrumbungle’s to the Blue Mountains.

Carol, who lives near the mountain, admits it can seem a lonely place, particularly if you’re on your own. But she says the abundance of fauna, birds and animals, as well as the stunning countryside, makes her feel quite content.

But what of the rumoured witches residing in the gullies? “It’s a beautiful spot and I haven’t heard of any witches,” she tells news.com.au. “In fact, I’d say it’s god’s country far more than it is demonic.”

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