As the hunt for alleged gunman Dezi Freeman nears the three-week mark, residents in Porepunkah and surrounding areas are starting to feel the strain. Business owners say their revenue is significantly down, with visitors avoiding the region. And uncertainty around when the police operation will end is adding to the pressure.
00:00Cool, clear weather in September would usually see adventure guide David Chitty preparing
00:08for a busy spring. But this year's season is shaping up as much quieter than usual.
00:14I've got schools and other groups wanting to go to Mount Buffalo in October and it's
00:20unclear whether the park will be open in October.
00:24The violent deaths of two officers and the search for a gunman still on the loose after
00:29nearly three weeks have rocked the small town of Pawpunker.
00:33Everyone's just really looking over their shoulder when they're out doing things and even exercising.
00:37So we just want things to go back to normal but when does that happen? We just don't know.
00:42Wine maker Jo Marsh's property is so close to the search area she could wave to police in the choppers above her house.
00:49We didn't really realise the impact it was going to have and in fact it seems it's getting worse the longer it goes.
00:57The other thing is we don't know what the rebound is going to be like when and if it is resolved.
01:07It's a very different situation to like bushfires or COVID people came back straight away this time around.
01:13It's a bit of an unknown situation.
01:15Some accommodation providers have 100% vacancy rates. School camps and other large group bookings are also starting to cancel.
01:23With school holidays beginning at the end of next week, community members are nervous about the future.
01:29It's proving to be no end in sight and one of the challenges we have now is trying to bring the community together to try to come up with how we're going to deal with this both emotionally, psychologically and ultimately financially.
01:41I'm sure the community will get through as long as we work together and lean on each other's shoulders.
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