However they say it may be weeks before the results are available.

Investigators believe the remains may have been buried several years ago.

They were found last week after specialist searchers scoured bushland beside McCardys Creek Road in the Currowan State Forest.

“There was a reasonably decomposed body of an adult person found,” Batemans Bay Police Inspector Gary Megay said.

“I can’t estimate how long the body has been there, but it was found by [cadaver] dogs, which can find the remains some years after they have been left.

“The inquiry is now going to depend on the results of the post-mortem examination.”

Inspector Megay would not say if clothing was found with the remains or if they were those of a man or woman.

However, he said the remains were complete.

Police were “acting on information” when the search began, but Inspector Megay said this came from an ongoing investigation rather than a tip-off.

He said a search of the site had uncovered a number of exhibits and forensic evidence.

Police have been canvassing local residents and say they have not eliminated any missing persons from their inquiries.