20 Years on Vanished Without a Trace

A new documentary examines the unsolved case of a missing boy and his dad in the deep north

- By Michael Crooks

On the remote western coastline of Cape York in far north Queensland, fisherman Bevin Simmonds, 36, and his 10-year-old boy, Brad, climbed aboard their boat on the calm morning of June 5, 2003, and went to clear their shark nets five kilometres offshore. When they didn’t return and their five-metre dinghy was nowhere to be seen, a massive search operation involving aircraft and boats, loved ones and a community of volunteers covered the enormous stretch of coastline and winding river inlets. They found no trace of the pair.

“It was one of the biggest searches I’ve seen,” said local fisherman Bruce Davey. “I was surprised that by sunset we hadn’t found them.”

Twenty years later, the fates of the father and son remain a heartbreaking mystery that continues to haunt the community. Now, the Stan documentary The Cape investigates the tragedy, which unfolded in one of the most hostile and crocodile-infested terrains in Australia.