Australian Yowie Research Centre Est...1976 by Rex Gilroy for the sole purpose of Scientific Study of the Australian Hairy - man
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Yowie Cast

Results of the Gilroy's Ruined Castle Area
New South Wales Yowie Expedition
September/October 1979

by Rex Gilroy
Copyright © Rex Gilroy 1979 - 2009

This investigation, part of the on-going “Operation Yowie” project, aimed at gathering good circumstantial, as well as possible physical evidence, on the existence of these relict hominids. It must be emphasized here that the world ‘Yowie’ meant “Hairy man” or “Hairy people”, not because these hominids were/are covered in long thick hair, but because of the animal [ie marsupial] hide garments they wore like the early Aboriginal tribespeople.

Thus the Yowie is no hairy ape-like monster as many people mistakenly believe, but a primitive tool-making, fire-making hominid. In fact, all available evidence points to the Yowie as being surviving remnant populations of Homo erectus, our immediate ancestor.

Penrith Radio Station 2KA

Photo copyright © Rex Gilroy

 

 

Ruined Castle Area

September/October 1979

Undoubtedly to 'cash in' on all the Yowie publicity, Penrith Radio Station 2KA executives called me into the studio one day in September, 1979 and asked me if I would lead an expedition, which besides the inclusion of 2KA journalists, would also be backed up by soldiers of the Penrith-based 176th Air Supply Squadron, equipped with radios and other military equipment.

If the expedition lasted long enough we would be supplied in the field by helicopter. Although I was sceptical of large expeditions having much success due to the noise they create, I naturally jumped at the opportunity, for the thought of having access to so much technical equipment worth thousands of dollars excited me.

Infra-red scopes for night time viewing; walkie-talkies for as many as three separate search parties to keep in contact with a base camp radio, which in turn would be in constant contact with the outside world through a special 2KA base set up at the Scenic Skyway near Katoomba Falls.

With such equipment [but no guns were to be used - I was adamant on this] this, I thought would truly be a scientifically based expedition with the best possible chance of obtaining some sort of evidence of Yowies in the Ruined Castle area.

To prevent the unwanted attentions of the inquisitive public, our exact location was to be kept secret. Besides myself, the soldiers included Sergeant Peter May, Lance Corporal Tony Olive, Corporal Dave Collins, Corporal Bob Hines, Corporal Keith Jamieson and base radio operators Privates Dave Brieley and Dave Oliver; the 2KA journalists being Mark Condon, Greg Diamond and Wally Path.

Most of the soldiers were ex-Vietnam veterans [including Mark Condon], and were familiar with dense jungle conditions. Greg Diamond and myself carried the camera equipment, including tape recorders in the event we might pick up any strange Yowie-type sounds.

The plan called for the establishment of a secret base camp in a remote gully near the 'Saddle' between the ruined Castle and the western side of Mt Solitary, placing us between Jamieson and Cedar Valleys. From here the search for evidence would be divided between two groups [unless a third became necessary], one led by myself, the other by Sergeant Peter May.

The expedition began on the morning of Saturday 13th October, when our party was driven out by army trucks to our 'jump-off' point at the Golden Stairs, Narrow Neck. After a lengthy march out to the Ruined Castle, we established our base camp above a densely wooded gully just below the 'Saddle', between Ruined Castle and Mt Solitary on the Jamieson Valley side as planned.

 

Report a Yowie sighting from anywhere in Australia

cont...

Leaving radio operators Privates Dave Brieley and Dave Oliver to man the base camp radio, we began our preliminary search at 2 pm, moving off in two groups down the Cedar Valley side of the 'Saddle', to explore down two gullies separated about a quarter of a mile apart and which drip down into Cedar Creek, a wild, almost inaccessible area.

The plan called for the establishment of a secret base camp in a remote gully near the 'Saddle' between the ruined Castle and the western side of Mt Solitary, placing us between Jamieson and Cedar Valleys. From here the search for evidence would be divided between two groups [unless a third became necessary], one led by myself, the other by Sergeant Peter May. The expedition began on the morning of Saturday 13th October, when our party was driven out by army trucks to our 'jump-off' point at the Golden Stairs, Narrow Neck. After a lengthy march out to the Ruined Castle, we established our base camp above a densely wooded gully just below the 'Saddle', between Ruined Castle and Mt Solitary on the Jamieson Valley side as planned.

Leaving radio operators Privates Dave Brieley and Dave Oliver to man the base camp radio, we began our preliminary search at 2 pm, moving off in two groups down the Cedar Valley side of the 'Saddle', to explore down two gullies separated about a quarter of a mile apart and which drip down into Cedar Creek, a wild, almost inaccessible area. As luck would have it, I led my group along the slope overlooking Cedar Creek extending south. The ruggedness of this area defeated us, and we decided to climb back up the steep slope, which eventually brought us, through dense gum forest, to the top of a ridge above another gully, dropping down on the southern side of Mt solitary.

It was a windy day as we forced ourselves through the dense undergrowth of shrubbery and gums. Then, suddenly, here embedded in the forest soil we found a number of large, indistinct man-like footprints, consisting of two sets of tracks, about a dozen each, separated 16.2 m apart extending down the gully in the direction of Cedar Creek. Although it had not rained for about three weeks, and the prints had been weathered by wind and dry conditions, it was still possible to measure them. They measured up to 50 cm in length by 38 cm in width across the toes. Even allowing for size distortion in the originally moist soil, the tracks were quite large and obviously not those of any normal human.

The time of our discovery was 4.30 pm, and while the other search party was radioed to join us I photographed the tracks, which due to the shadowy conditions of the forest and their weathered condition, was unsuccessful. Further eastward up the slope amid trees the soldiers came upon weathered remains of several more, much smaller man-like footprints. These measured 46 cm long by 23 cm wide at the toes. [The next day I made a plaster cast of the best preserved specimen of these smaller tracks]. This foot impression measured 42 cm in length by 23.5cm wide across the toes, 20.5cm at mid-foot and 12cm across the heel. Because the impression had been made on sloping ground, the heel impression was 3.5cm deep while the toes were deeply impressed to a depth of 7.5cm.

We estimated that the hominid [surely a male] who had left this set of footprints would have stood about 9ft [2.75m] in height. On the strength of these three sets of footprints, it appeared to us that three giant hominid creatures had been present hereabouts only three weeks prior to our arrival. Fading light forced us to return to camp. Following another, though fruitless search for further evidence in the Cedar Valley area the following day, our two groups returned once more to base camp, where the soldiers received radio orders to abandon the expedition the next day. Any disappointments were however to be overshadowed by the eerie events that were to unfold that last night at base camp.

After tea the soldiers all retired to their tents, leaving myself, Wally Path and Greg Diamond to talk around the campfire. Nearby was our camera equipment, which included an infra-red camera of Greg's. Time was 11.30 pm, when our attention was drawn to strange sounds emanating from about 50 m away, in the densely wooded gully situated on the eastern side of our camp. The sounds were of something walking, breaking twigs underfoot. Flashing a spotlight into the gully we saw nothing. By this time the soldiers were aroused and for a time periodically flashed torches about the gully, before once more retiring to their tents. The sounds in the gully had, however, encouraged myself, Wally and Greg to remain awake, keeping a silent vigil for the unseen visitor.

At 2..22 am the moon rose above the valley, visible among the surrounding tall gums. It was about this time that we spotted, in the moonlight, a tall, shadowy figure moving among the trees above the gully, from north to south about 16.2 m away from us, breaking twigs as it walked quietly in the darkness. [We later estimated the figure to be somewhere between 2.3 and 2.6 m in height.] At this point, as I quietly reached for my camera, Greg Diamond in a panic, [and no doubt after a million dollar photograph!], rushed toward where the mystery figure had been seen, wildly shooting flash pictures in every direction, his noise enough to make the figure retreat back down into the gully for we did not see or hear it again. Needless to say, Greg's rash action did not result in even one Yowie photograph!

This time the soldiers were all aroused and for the remaining hours of darkness everyone spent an uneasy night. A search at first light failed to find any evidence of the mystery intruder. By the time our expedition had returned to Katoomba that afternoon, the news had been flashed Australia-wide that it was a Yowie that had visited our camp.

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Australian Yowie Research Centre Est...1976 by Rex Gilroy for the sole purpose of Scientific Study of the Australian Hairy - man
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