It has been 40 years since the bodies of three travellers were found shot dead near Mount Isa and police have reopened the case.
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Fresh leads into the triple homicide came after the North West Star published an anniversary feature last year.
On October 24 1978, Mount Isa man Stan Harris made a grisly discovery in bushland while taking his greyhounds for a walk.
He found a decomposing body sprawled against a tree in a dry river bed at Spear Creek, 12km from Mount Isa.
Police discovered another two bodies slain in the long grass. They were Karen Edwards, 23, Tim Thomson, 31, and Gordon Twaddle, 21.
All three had been shot in the head at close range by a .22 calibre rifle, and were stripped of identification - with their pockets turned inside out.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell of the Cold Case Investigation Team said police were confident the renewed focus could lead to a breakthrough in the case.
"Despite 40 years passing, we remain committed to solving this case, bringing those responsible to justice and ultimately providing closure to the victims' families," she said.
"We have reviewed thousands of pieces of information provided to police over the years, however, today we are launching a fresh appeal to encourage new witnesses and those who have already spoken to police to make contact with us."
Ms Edwards was a trainee medical psychologist from Dandenong in Victoria. Mr Twaddle and Mr Thomson were both New Zealanders who had arrived in Australia less than two years before their murders.
The two men had spent the months preceding their deaths, working around Alice Springs, Gordon as a cook and Tim as a teacher in the remote community of Hermannsburg.
As their time in the outback was coming to an end, Mr Thomson's girlfriend Ms Edwards, flew up to the Red Centre to meet the pair and embark on a motorcycle adventure to Mount Isa, and then on to the east coast.
The trio booked into the Moondarra Caravan Park on October 4 and the next morning they were seen leaving the site in a brown and white station wagon driven by another man.
They had left their campsite intact with Mr Thomson's nine-month old doberman Tristie tied to a tree. The next day the gear and dog were gone.
Karen, Gordon and Tim were never seen alive again.
Police said the man who socialised with them at the caravan park may have been a local, but detectives did not know if he was the same man the group had camped with on the road trip.
"We are urging anyone who may have seen the group travelling on their two distinct motorcycles through the Northern Territory and in the Mount Isa area in early October, 1978 to come forward," Detective Senior Sergeant Kentwell said.
"We are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who may have seen a male motorcyclist who befriended the group and joined them on their travels between Frewena and Mount Isa."
Mr Thomson's brother David said he was a "kind and gentle and much loved brother and always obliging when asked for help in any way".
"Tim invited me to go on the trip through the centre of Australia with him and Gordon and Karen but I was unable to go otherwise I would probably not be writing this letter," he said.
"My parents were shattered by the murders and I still feel a numbness that I don't think will ever disappear."
Mr Twaddle's brother John said Gordon was his best friend.
"This horrible event has prayed on my mind for 40 years and I feel for the families of these three friends who were cold bloodily murdered," he said.
"I feel that a result and conviction of the person (persons) responsible for these murders would bring some peace of mind and form some closure but it will never take away the pain of knowing how their lives ended far too soon in such a horrible way."
"Finally, I would like to thank the Australian Police for continuing to investigate this case over such a long period of time."
Police at the time had drawn links between the triple homicide and the unsolved murder of John Tzelaidis, 42, who was found dead a few months earlier near Karratha, Western Australia.
Mr Tzelaidis was also killed by a .22 calibre bullet to the head.
Others believe the crime is linked to the Hughenden disappearance of Tony Jones, presumed murdered, in November 1982.
But on Saturday, Detective Senior Sergeant Kentwell said the renewed investigative focus was no longer linking the triple homicide to other murders publicised at the time.
"While we are keeping an open mind, we are no longer focusing on links to the murder of John Tzelaidis who was found deceased near Karratha in Western Australia a few months earlier," she said.
There are as many as 11 unsolved murders in the remote outback that stretches from Mount Isa to Townsville.
There is still a $250,000 reward for information which leads to conviction of Karen, Tim and Gordon's killer.
Call Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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