Police allege wealthy missing father Peter Hillier was fatally beaten to death at Poochera, 72km from the discovery of his body

The Venus Bay murder mystery has deepened with police now saying they believe Peter Hillier was viciously beaten with a weapon behind the Poochera Art Gallery, 72km from where his body was found.

An art gallery in a small grain belt town on South Australia’s West Coast has become the mysterious crime scene where police allege a man was beaten to death by his travel companion.

NSW man Peter Hillier, 64, was found dead inside a holiday home at Venus Bay on Monday, leading to the arrest of his travelling partner Adam Troy Bennett, 43.

Mr Bennett, of Lake Haven in NSW, has been charged with murder and appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday. He did not apply for bail.

However, Major Crime detectives say they believe they have found the alleged murder scene at Poochera, 76km north of Venus Bay on Eyre Peninsula, and the alleged murder weapon as a result of calls to Crime Stoppers and key witness statements.

Major Crime Investigation Branch officer-in-charge Superintendent Des Bray said the investigation was “progressing well” with 11 calls to Crime Stoppers on Tuesday night leading them to the scene of the suspected murder.

“That scene is at the rear of the Poochera Art Gallery,” he said, adding that evidence from the scene “makes it clear to us that there was a very significant assault at that location”.

The Advertiser understands the pair had visited Poochera on several occasions and had planned to buy the gallery off a local resident.

Superintendent Bray said police had now established an alleged motive and cause of death but had not yet determined if Mr Hillier died at the rear of the art gallery, while en route to Venus Bay in his Mercedes-Benz motorhome, or at the house where his body was discovered.

“We know Peter was subjected to a vicious assault between 7.30pm and 8.30pm on Sunday, May 29, and the injuries he sustained in that assault would be capable of causing his death,” Superintendent Bray said.

He said it was “more than likely both men were intoxicated”.

The town of 59 residents is serviced by one hotel, which doubles as the caravan park.

Superintendent Bray said that “the victim was a wealthy man”.

“The witnesses were able to identify a location to us where the assault occurred and we recovered items from the scene that we can tie directly to the victim,” he said.

He said he also believed it was possible, but unlikely, the pair went fishing on the Sunday, as Mr Bennett had claimed.

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The home where Peter Hiller was found by police at Sandham Street, Venus Bay. Picture: Robert Lang

Mr Bennett was travelling Australia with Mr Hillier. Both had been reported missing – Mr Bennett in 2020, Mr Hillier on May 25 this year.

Police said they believe the pair left NSW after Mr Hillier bought a motorhome about a month ago to travel around Australia, starting in South Australia.

They said the pair arrived in Venus Bay on May 5 and had been staying in several rentals across the town.

Mr Hillier has been remembered by those who knew him as a “caring man who was too kind for this world”.

“He’s the kind of person that would basically give you the jacket off his back and that’s why it’s so devastating, Peter always craved a simple life and always wanted to live and let live,” said family friend Luke Zanker.

“He always wanted to help, that was his thing in life, he was very caring and always put others before himself.”

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