Samantha Murphy: Inside the bush hideout where Patrick Orren Stephenson was arrested – as desperate owners place a large sign in the front yard of the home

The bush property where Samantha Murphy’s alleged killer allegedly hid during a month-long search is on the market.

Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was holed up at the property in Scotsburn, about 110km from Melbourne’s CBD, when Victoria Police officers burst in with a search warrant.

The suspected killer resided at the property on Yendon No 2 Road and at another house less than 100 meters away along the same rural strip.

Set among rolling hills in the shadow of Mount Buninyong, the house is about 18km from central Ballarat, where Stephenson is believed to have been partying the night before police say he killed Ms Murphy.

Stephenson reportedly lived between the two homes with his girlfriend Meg Harbour.

The whereabouts of Ms Murphy’s body are unknown despite Stephenson’s arrest on March 6.

As police carried out targeted searches in bushland near the Stephenson complex this week, a large ‘for sale’ sign was spotted outside the property.

Stephenson’s arrest at the Yendon No 2 Road property will be another setback for its current owner, Andrew Lorensene.

Mr. Lorensene had been trying to sell the property for more than a year before his tenant’s dramatic arrest.

The owner himself had made headlines years earlier after opposing the construction of a “skybarrel” property on the hills overlooking his property.

Photographed in front of the large frame of the property he opposed, Mr Loresene told the Ballarat Mail he was furious that the building had been built while its construction was being challenged in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“No one is very happy about it, we have people stopping outside and saying, ‘How the hell did they get up there, I thought everything was closed up to VCAT,'” he told the time.

Three years later, the house remains on the market with a price tag of over $1 million.

The Lorensene clan refused to speak to Daily Mail Australia when contacted after Stephenson’s arrest.

Spanning 5.46 hectares, the four-bedroom home is advertised as featuring “a renovated galley-style kitchen, a generous living room with plenty of natural light, two living areas including a family room/games room for moments shared.”

“A school bus passing the front door adds to the convenience of families,” the ad says.

The property is described as virtually off-grid, with solar power and an underground water supply.

Stephenson is the son of former AFL player Orren Stephenson, a respected member of the Ballarat community.

It is unclear how long Stephenson lived in the house in the middle of the hills.

Neighbors at his parents’ house in Mount Clear – about 12km from the Scotsburn property – also remember seeing Stephenson coming and going from there.

Following her arrest, Ms Harbor was seen tending to horses at the property down the road, where police impounded a vehicle.

She declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia, but was observed standing, sitting and blowing kisses to a horse.

Ms Murphy was reported missing after failing to return home to Ballarat East following a morning run through Woowookarung Regional Park.

Her long-suffering family told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday they still don’t know how or why Stephenson allegedly killed her.

Ms Murphy’s father, John Robson, said he was unaware police had even resumed searching the area.

“I know anything,” he said.

Stephenson will return to court in August.