John Orme was in the Fuller's Bridge area very early on the New Year's morning. He was sitting in his car in the parking space off Lady Game Drive, and had been there for some time, when at about 3:45am another car hit his. The other car was a dark-coloured small English car, which reversed into the driver's side rear door of Mr Orme's car. The drivers did not exchange addresses, and the other car left. Neither it nor its driver have been traced.
Several minutes later a blue and white Holden station sedan, driven by George Batchelor, and with Maureen Sutherland as a passenger, entered the area. The Fuller's Bridge area was one of those known as a "Lover's Lane". Mr Batchelor drove over Fuller's Bridge, then turned off to the right down the track that led beside the river. Across the intersection at least 10 cars were parked. At the entrance to the track another car, a small white one like a station wagon, was also parked. Few of these cars have been traced.
Having driven along this track, Mr Batchelor and Miss Sutherland arrived at the entrance to the Chatswood Golf Course at 3:50am. They parked, intending to remain for some time, and presumably do what couples do.
At around 4:00am Kenneth Challis arrived at Fuller's Bridge. He parked his car, a white Ford Escort, along the dirt track just off the road, and walked along the track towards the Chatswood Golf Course. It was not quite light.
A car came along behind him, so he stopped and hid, not wanting to be seen. The car was a Holden station wagon, which stopped and parked in the turning area. Mr Challis returned to his car via another, higher track.
Also some time during these minutes, as John Orme sat in his car, a light blue Holden panel van, a 1960 or 1961 model, or else a Thames station wagon, parked behind him. It had side windows. Mr Orme left.
At around 4:30am Ken Challis left his car again, but this time headed north along Lady Game Drive. As he walked, a dark brown Ford Prefect (Bogle's car was actually green) pulled up some 3-4 metres away, parallel to the direction he was travelling, and half off the road. The driver looked at Mr Challis, and Mr Challis in turn looked directly at the driver. He thought that the driver was going to speak but he didn't. The driver was pale. A woman was in the passenger seat, but she was obscured by the driver. Later, having seen pictures of Dr Bogle, Mr Challis was convinced that the driver was Dr Bogle. Mr Challis kept walking.
Edward Batiste was at Fuller's Bridge at 4:33am, and saw Bogle's car where it was later found. Mr Batiste went along the upper track to Chatswood Golf Course, to exercise his greyhounds. Between the upper and lower tracks he noticed an unoccupied cream station wagon with a dark top.
Maureen Sutherland and George Batchelor noticed a man higher up on the hill than their car. This man wore a light checked t-shirt, and either shorts (according to Mr Batchelor) or dark trousers (according to Miss Sutherland). He had a dark complexion, was wearing a cap, and had his hands in his pockets. He was not carrying anything. His presence seemed odd, and he walked down the hill and near their car. Miss Sutherland suggested that they should leave. It was now around 4:35am. They drove back down the track, but though Mr Batchelor kept an eye out, they didn't see the man again. Both Mr Batchelor and Miss Sutherland vaguely noticed a Ford Prefect parked by itself.
At around 5am, a two-toned grey Holden sedan arrived at Fuller's Bridge. It had a darker shade on top, seemed to be about a 1955 model, and came from the direction of Ryde. It crossed Fuller's Bridge, turned left into Lady Game Drive, and parked near the river. The occupants, 2 women and 3 or 4 men, had a swim.
Several minutes later, Eric McGrath was travelling home, along Millwood Avenue towards Fuller's Bridge, then right into Lady Game Drive. He saw only one vehicle, a dirty green Ford Prefect on the left. He continued on up the road.
Several hundred metres further on, he saw a small boy, aged about 5. Thinking it odd to see such a young child wandering around at that time of day, he turned back. He stopped and asked the boy if he was lost or needed help.
The child appeared shocked, and said "No, no, no.. I want to go home." Mr McGrath was asking the boy if he could take him to a police station, when Ken Challis appeared from the bushes. He asked Mr Challis if the boy was his, and Mr Challis said no. The boy tried to get away, and when Mr McGrath looked up a scant few seconds later, Mr Challis had vanished. The boy then ran away up the road.
Edward Batiste, having exercised his greyhounds, left. The station wagon that he and other had noticed was gone, but the Ford Prefect had not moved. It was now 5:10am.
Ken Challis returned to his car from his walk, passing the Ford Prefect as he did so. The Ford Prefect was parked in a different position to that in which he had initially seen it, and there was nobody in it.
Having returned to his car, Mr Challis intended to leave the area. He had no left hand, and owing to this disability it was easier for him to drive the car along the dirt track, turn around, and drive back again, than it would be for him simply to reverse. As a consequence he did the former.
He did not see Dr Bogle's body as he drove along the track, but given the conditions, even if it was where it was later found, he would not have seen it anyway.
Mr Challis had turned his car around, and was returning along the track towards Millwood Avenue at about 16 km/h, when he saw a man cross the track and jump down the riverbank. The man was tall, well-built with broad shoulders, having blond hair which was long at the back, and was wearing a dark t-shirt and trousers. Another description, apparently also by Mr Challis, had the man as being about 40, 170cm tall, medium build, and wearing t-shirt, brown shorts and sandals.
This man passed 2 to 3 metres in front of Mr Challis' car. Mr Challis later estimated that this incident happened some 18 to 27 metres from where Bogle's body was later discovered. At the time, Mr Challis saw nothing unusual in this activity and kept going.
Driving out of the track, Mr Challis saw some people throwing each other into the water and "acting the goat." Mr Challis then left the area.
Mr Styles, the River Avenue resident, woke at about 5:30am. Nothing had disturbed him during the night, and his dog hadn't barked. He got up, put some rubbish in a pit on the riverbank, and then sat down under a tree with a book. He heard nothing from the opposite bank, but if there had been any movement worth noting at the spot where the bodies were found, he would have noticed it.
At 9am he did notice activity opposite, which was the arrival of the police. Looking across the river, some 65 metres away, he could see the two bodies, one partially obscured. Mr Styles was later asked if the bodies could have been there at 5:30am. He replied: "They could have been. You do not as a rule go looking for bodies early in the morning."