Australia Australia - Max Castor, 20, Swedish tourist, Port Campbell, Vic, 1 Apr 2005

I searched the forum but his name came back with no hits. Hope this is how you add a new thread and is allowed.
I came across this guy and came to see if there was a thread for him but not that I can see so thought I would add one.

Where is Max?

20 year old Swedish tourist Max Vidar Castor came to Australia with two of his friends for a trip of a lifetime.

Upon arrival in Australia, the three friends bought an old car and travelled along the east coast, occassionally picking up odd jobs along the way. After six months of being in Australia, the two friends had to return home to Sweden, but Max stayed on to continue his trip. Max flew from Brisbane to Melbourne, where he purchased equipment as he intended to walk along the Great Ocean Road.

The last official recorded sighting of Max was on the 1st of April 2005, when he was dropped off by a bus company at Port Campbell. Max was allegedly sighted walking along the highway towards Apollo Bay at approximately 3:330pm that afternoon and there was another possible sighting of Max in Wye River on the 5th April 2005, but Max has not been sighted since.

On the 30th March 2005, Max closed all of his bank accounts and proceeded to send all of his personal belongings home to Sweden with a note to his parents indicating that he was "vanishing". Max has not been seen or heard from since.

Max is well experienced at trekking and outdoor life experiences as he had gained knowledge of these growing up, as well as being involved in Scouts.

It is believed Max may be living somewhere along the east coast, and his family appeal to anyone with knowledge of Max to please come forward.

Max's family have never given up hope that one day he will be found, that he will be in contact and let them know he is ok.

Described as standing 188cm tall with a slim build, Max has blue eyes, blonde hair and although he had a fair complexion when he left Sweden, it is believed he may be well tanned now. Max was last seen wearing a blue windcheater, white T-Shirt, jeans and was carrying a multi-coloured clutch bag and light blue backpack. Max would now be aged 31 years old.

If you have any information which can assist police and to provide answers to a family left wondering, please contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000

Also found this site:
http://mydeathspace.com/vb/showthread.php?13899-Max-Vidar-Castor-missing-1-April-2005

Castor, Max Vidar

Last seen:
Friday, 1 April 2005
Year of birth:
1985
Height:
188cm
Build:
Slim
Eyes:
Blue
Hair:
Blonde
Complexion:
Fair
Gender:
Male

Circumstances
Max Castor is a Swedish tourist travelling around Australia. He was last seen at Port Campbell on 1st April 2005 where he was dropped off by a bus company and was seen later that day 3.30pm walking along the highway towards Apollo Bay, possible sighting at Wye River on 5th April 2005. No contact with family has been made since the 30th March 2005. Missing person closed all bank accounts on that date and sent personal items home to Sweden with a note to his parents indicating that he was 'vanishing'. He has not been seen or heard from since

A SWEDISH backpacker missing in Victoria for a month may have joined a cult, say his worried family.

But there are also concerns that Max Vidar Castor, 20, may have taken his own life. Mr Castor's family has launched a desperate email-based search for their son, who has not been seen or heard of since last month, when he posted a strange parcel to his family in Stockholm. The parcel included his return ticket to Sweden, the last of his money and a letter in which Mr Castor said he was no longer sure what his quest in life was.

"I am tired of myself but there is still much beauty in the world" Mr Castor wrote in the parcel sent from the Warrnambool post office on March 31. "Now I am vanishing and I love you all." Mr Castor's father, Rolf, said the family was fearful Max may have taken his own life, or dropped out of mainstream society and joined a cult. "It is 50-50 that he is alive" a distressed Mr Castor said from his home in Stockholm.
"He may have taken his life, or he may have joined a sect.I heard you have a lot of hippie camps there. I hope that he has, then we know he is alive. we want him to know that if he has joined a sect, that is fine, it is his life, that is perfectly OK with us. At least then we have hope, it is better";

Mr Castor arrived in Sydney on October 19 with two friends, bought an old car and travelled to Byron Bay and Brisbane. The trio finished their trip by picking apples and washing dishes, and enjoyed diving, surfing and meeting alternative lifestylers. Rolf Castor said his son had recently finished his studies but was unclear about his future and concerned that life was too focused on money. "He may have looked for a more spiritual life" he said.

Today is Mr Castor's 20th birthday. He split several weeks ago with his travelling companions and headed for the Victorian coast, where he may have visited Geelong. On March 29, he sent an email to his family wishing them a happy Easter. His family has seized on the fact his passport was not in the parcel as a sign that Mr Castor may still be alive and has chosen to drop out of mainstream society.

The family has sent hundreds of emails to backpacker haunts and community groups Australia-wide asking for information and for a poster to be distributed. A missing person report has been filed in Sweden.

I never heard of this , to me it does sounds like he was looking for an alternative life style. "He may have looked for a more spiritual life" stood out. I wonder if he goes by a sanskrit name to people who knows him now. I belong to an organisation that have spiritual communities all over the world with the aim of achieving self reliance and providing social service. I feel reluctant to name them because of the negative sound of cult, my experience of them are the opposite.

Max Vidar CASTOR

Last seen: Port Campbell, VIC
Jurisdiction: VIC
Year of birth: 1985
Age now: 31
Gender: Male
Height: 188cm
Build: Slim
Hair: Blonde
Complexion: Fair
Eyes: Blue

Circumstances:
Max Castor is a Swedish tourist who disappeared while travelling around Australia.
He was dropped off at Port Campbell on 1 April 2005 by a bus company and was seen later that day at approximately 3.30pm walking along the highway towards Apollo Bay.
There was a possible sighting at Wye River on 5 April 2005.
No contact with family has been made since the 30 March 2005.
Max closed all bank accounts on that date and sent personal items home to Sweden with a note to his parents indicating that he was 'vanishing'.
He has not been seen or heard from since.
If you have information that may assist police to locate Max please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

https://www.missingpersons.gov.au/who-missing/vic/castor-max

Missing for 12 years already? I can totally see him living off the grid though.

A Facebook page run by his father: Help Find Max Castor, missing in Australia Public Group | Facebook
The last post from December 2018 says that he has five nieces/nephews who wants to know him.

I really feel for his family, so many years without knowing if he's okay.
I hope they will find out.

This article had a little bit of information - including that he did send his passport home, unfortunately.

It quotes his letter home as saying,
Something strange has happened to me and I don’t know how to cope with it.

Could it have been something like depression, bipolar, or something he felt but couldn't name? JMO.

Backpacker's chilling last words before mailing passport home and vanishing in Australia

'He was in the prime of his life': Detective speaks about backpacker's disappearance

July 17 2020 - 12:30PM

TRAGIC: Rolf Castor, the father of a Swedish backpacker who vanished from Port Campbell 15 years ago, has died without finding out what happened to his son.

Bumping up for Max.

Bumping up.


If you have information that may assist police in their investigations into Max’s disappearance please call Crime Stoppers [Australia] on 1800 333 000 or make a report online.