Inside Carnarvon the remote West Australian coastal town of 4,400 more than 900km from Perth where little Cleo Smith was found locked inside a housing commission home
- Cleo Smith was found in a locked house on Tonkin Crescent in Carnarvon today
- The four year old was in the house alone at the time of her rescue
- The ‘quiet’ man now in custody was seen buying nappies by their neighbour
- Cleo was found by police officers seven minutes’ drive from her family home
Carnarvon in Western Australia, where little Cleo Smith was found alive, is a small town of only 4,400 people, 900km north of Perth.
Police broke down the door of a locked home on Tonkin Crescent in the town’s north about 1am on Wednesday to find the missing four-year-old alone inside.
A 36-year-old man with no connection to Cleo’s family is in police custody after being arrested on a nearby street.
Cleo (right) was found in her hometown of Carnarvon in Western Australia, 75km from where she went missing on October 16
A view of the main street in Carnarvon, a town situated about 900km north of Perth in WA
Police broke into a Carnarvon home to rescue Cleo Smith in the early hours this morning
Cleo Smith (pictured) has been found with a man who is now being questioned by WA police
Carnarvon is a nine hour drive from Perth, and a popular spot for campers and tourists travelling north to attractions including the blowholes where Cleo disappeared.
The sleepy town is situated between the Shark Bay and Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Areas, and has its own airport.
But the street where Cleo was found is a far cry from the town’s pristine beaches.
The street is host to low-rise, housing commission homes on dirt patches with what looks like a dilapidated children’s play park half-way down the road.
The home where Cleo was held captive has a four wheel drive vehicle parked on the property and is located about seven minutes’ drive away from Cleo’s family home.
After Cleo was rescued from the suburban home, neighbours said a ‘quiet’ man was seen buying nappies from Woolworths
The Quobba Blowholes are a coastal favourite destination in the Carnarvon region
Carnarvon is also Cleo’s hometown, and her family live just seven minutes from the home where the four-year-old was rescued, 18 days after going missing.
Cleo vanished from inside a tent on October 16 at a campsite at the Quobba Blowholes, 75km from the town.
Ocean swells force water through sea caves at the Quobba Blowholes, creating jets of water that can reach 20 metres high.
A neighbour told Seven News they became suspicious after seeing the man buying Kimbies nappies from a supermarket.
‘The other day, I think it was Monday, we saw him in Woolworths buying nappies but we didn’t click on who it was or what he was buying them for,’ she said. ‘Until now.’
Riverside park at Carnarvon (stock image)
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