Hannah McGuire’s family have examined the charred remains of her burnt-out car after staring down her alleged killer in court.
Glenn, Debbie McGuire and Hannah’s brother paid a private visit Tuesday to the remote spot where her ex-partner Lachlan Young allegedly set her body on fire.
The grieving family reportedly He surveyed the remains at the eerie woodland site before picking up pieces of the rubble as they struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
The family had previously attended Ballarat Magistrates Court to see Young, 21, formally charged with the 23-year-old’s murder.
On Wednesday, debris remained on Victoria Road, near State Forest Road in Scarsdale, southwest of Ballarat in Victoria, where Young allegedly set fire to Hannah’s body and her car on Friday night.
Bouquets of flowers now mark the eerie spot, surrounded by trees charred by a recent wildfire, where police allege Young tried to make it look like his former lover had committed suicide.
Flowers on a log where Hannah McGuire’s body was found Friday night.
A poster plastered on the wall of the National Hotel in Clunes where Hannah McGuire worked with her parents while working as a teacher.
The McGuire family took control of the National Hotel in Clunes just before Christmas last year.
Hannah’s death shook the small rural town of Clunes, 36 kilometers north of Ballarat, where her parents run the town’s only pub, the National Hotel.
When rumors arrived that the owners had suffered a personal tragedy, offers poured in from generous locals offering to continue serving beers for free to keep the business running.
Almost a year ago, the proud parents had seen Hannah posing for a photograph outside the Sebastopol home she had bought with her then-partner.
When Hannah’s parents faced the press on the steps of Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday, they struggled to hide their devastation.
Tragedies like this should not happen among small, tight-knit communities like Clunes.
In 1979, the city served as the backdrop for the Australian classic Mad Max, a historical science fiction film that shows ruthless bikers facing off against a young Mel Gibson.
Hannah McGuire and Lachlan Young bought a house together just a year ago
In reality, this remote rural town is made up of less than 2,000 people, most of whom have settled there in an attempt to leave the violence, hustle and bustle of the city.
Its residents range from former Wall Street Journal executives to retired bankers and traders.
It’s a quiet, peaceful community that locals love for embracing what outsiders might consider boring.
Today Clunes remains virtually unchanged in its architecture, as if frozen in time.
Hannah’s alleged murder has shaken the city to its core, aAlthough walking down its main street it is difficult to gauge it.
The local butcher, a farmer who sells his own produce around the corner from the pub owned by Hannah’s parents, claimed to not even know her.
Clunes, photographed here in the 1979 film Mad Max, remains almost identical today.
Clunes (pictured on Wednesday) has remained largely untouched by time.
Hannah’s uncle, John Hind, reopened the National Hotel shortly after 2pm on Wednesday.
Most of the shops lining the main street are not even open during the week.
A local farmers market is planned for this weekend, which they say usually attracts a few more customers.
The pub is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
It had remained closed over the weekend as the McGuires’ lives were shaken by heartbreaking anguish.
On Wednesday, a photo of Hannah was posted outside the pub’s wall along with a notice declaring she was the 22nd Australian woman murdered this year.
Below were bouquets of flowers with notes of support to Hannah’s family.
The McGuires had taken over the pub just a few months ago, around Christmas, and Hannah worked behind the bar when she wasn’t working as a teacher and studying.
The family had made an immediate impact on the community, raising money for charity while serving beers to thirsty souls.
At Easter the pub helped raise more than $30,000 for the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“Glenn and I would like to thank everyone for making us feel so welcome. We have truly been blessed with a great start to pub life,” the couple posted in an online community group before Christmas.
The lonely forest where Hannah McGuire’s burned car was found
There is still debris in the area where police found Hannah McGuire’s body.
The flowers sat outside the National Hotel on Wednesday before it reopened.
It is within this closed social media community that the true impact of Hannah’s alleged murder is shown.
Announcing that the pub would reopen on Wednesday afternoon, the McGuires gave another insight into their torment.
‘Thank you all for your love, support and kind words. Our hearts are broken,’ they wrote.
‘You weren’t just a star to us. You were our whole damn heaven. I miss you princess!’
The tragic message opened a floodgate of despair for those too proud or worried to express their emotions to the reporters now roaming the city.
The page reveals a community that rallies around each other, from returning lost sheep to helping strangers move house.
And when the pub finally opened its doors at 2pm, they showed their support.
Behind the bar was Mrs McGuire’s uncle, John Hind, who sold the pub to his niece last year.
Residents affected by the tragedy traveled to Clunes from distant towns to have a drink as the doors of the historic pub burst open.
“We just wanted to come and show our support for the family,” said an elderly couple from Creswick.
“We’ve had Samantha Murphy, Daylesford and now this.”
The pub was expecting at least 80 people to come through its doors on Wednesday night due to the local darts tournament.
Inside, some local youngsters had started early, throwing some darts and drinking some beers.
The numbers are likely to be much higher than expected.
“This is a great community and we look after ours,” Mr Hind said.
Parts of the destroyed car remain at the scene where Lachlan Young is accused of burning his ex-girlfriend’s body
The woods where police found Hannah McGuire’s body