Former Jetstar captain accused of killing campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill

A camper says he made the “alarming” discovery of Russell Hill and Carol Clay’s destroyed campsite in the days after their disappearance.

Carol Clay and Russell Hill were allegedly murdered by Gregory Lynn.

A camper says he made the “alarming” discovery of Russell Hill and Carol Clay’s destroyed campsite in the days after their disappearance.

Former Jetstar captain Greg Lynn, 57, is standing trial in the Supreme Court for the murders of retirees Mr Hill, 74, and Mrs Clay, 73, who disappeared during a camping trip to the Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria’s High Country on March 20, 2020.

Agricultural scientist and farmer Nicholas Linden on Monday told the jury he was camping in the valley with his 11-year-old son when they came across a campsite which had been destroyed by fire and Mr Hill’s abandoned Toyota LandCruiser on March 25.

Mr Linden said the vehicle had been singed and he thought the camp may have been set up too close to a fire and ignited by an ember.

Airline pilot Greg Lynn is accused of murdering Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

“We were comfortable enough to stay a night next to the campsite, but it was probably alarming for a young kid,” he said, adding they decided to leave the following morning.

He said the discovery was “something a bit different” and he reported it to police after he returned home.

Leading Senior Constable Christopher Skiba and his partner from Maffra police conducted two searches of the valley in the days after the pair were reported missing, telling the court he came across their camp on March 28 after other campers provided coordinates.

The damaged campsite belonging to Russell Hill and Carol Clay. Picture: Supplied

Constable Skiba used a spare key in-between the cabin and the canopy of the LandCruiser to unlock it, before he found a wallet on the passenger seat missing cash and bank cards.

He told the court there were no mechanical issues when he turned the car on and he later assisted a tow truck to move it out of the valley.

A map marking out the location of Bucks Camp where the alleged murders of Russell Hill and Carol Clay took place. Picture: Supplied

Another man, Andrew Marquardt, took photos of the campsite in the days after Mr Hill and Mrs Clay vanished, which were shown to the jury.

Tom Matthews, who was camping with his family in the area at the time of the alleged murders, told the court it was around midnight on March 20 when he heard a 4WD towing a trailer drive past their camp before it stopped at a closed road.

“The car then reversed back up to do a U-turn,” he said.

“To us at the time it sounded a little bit odd.”

Mr Matthews said he did not leave his tent to investigate.

Prosecutors allege Mr Lynn murdered Mr Hill and Mrs Clay earlier that evening before he bundled their bodies into his trailer and dumped them in bushland off Union Spur Track.

The trial continues.