On August 2, 1990 Mr Youl's wife, Janice found a note left in her husband's car. It read, 'Dear Jan, So sorry, I can't handle work or go on any longer.

'I know it's the coward's way, Love Haz.'

Yesterday, an inquest into the 18-year disappearance heard that Mr Youl suffered depression and told a work colleague he "might as well jump into [the water]".

But the family - most who made the trip to Dubbo from Victoria - will have to wait until Friday for Coroner Howard Hamilton to hand down his findings.

"I've gone through so many feelings and visualised him in so many different places," wife Janice Lyell told the inquest.

"I'm sure I've looked at every face in Sydney, looked at every homeless person in all the parks."

The inquest heard from 10 witnesses including men who worked with Mr Youl - 53 when he went missing - at Macquarie Street business Harold. W. Taylor and Sons in 1990, the two main police officers involved in the investigation and various family members.

The river was so dangerously flooded at the time of Mr Youl's disappearance that emergency workers could not conduct a search.

The inquest heard the river had reached more than 10 metres in the month of the disappearance, and there was evidence that Mr Youl was not a strong swimmer.

Three work colleagues gave evidence of Mr Youl being very agitated on the day he went missing, particularly after receiving a phone call that morning.

Although there was speculation it was Mr Youl's daughter, the person he spoke to during that phone call is still not known.

Police were told during inquiries in 2006 that phone records were only kept for seven years, thus could not determine who made the call.

Mr and Mrs Youl had moved from Swan Hill, Victoria and had not long been living in Dubbo when he went missing.

The inquest heard reports he suffered from depression and his daughter, Elizabeth Ellis said she was "gobsmacked" after speaking to him over the phone the day before he disappeared.

"He said he'd made the biggest mistake of his life, moving to Dubbo and that he'd call me when he could," she said.

The inquest was told of other, dark comments made by Mr Youl around the same time, including telling his wife "a man should just throw himself off a bridge", and, "whatever happens, I love you".

"I've had enough, I'm sick of it," Mr Youl said to a work colleague.

"I might go home for lunch, I might not come back. The water's up - I might as well go and jump into it."

The final submissions and findings of the inquest are expected to be handed down next Friday.

emily.wheeler@ruralpress.com