Giants From the Dreamtime the Yowie In Myth And Reality

Barrington Tops 1942

Track of large unusual Footprints

During the winter of 1942 a party of four bushmen were returning from a horseback visit to the Barrington Tops, riding through snow. At a spot about 5 km south-east of Carey's Peak their dogs became very excited, racing about, their eyes glaring savagely, every bristle they owned standing stiff, and growling ferociously.

Then the men noticed they had begun following a track of very large, unusual looking footprints going towards the western edge of the Allyn Valley. Dismounting, the men soon realised that the footprints, although human in appearance, were far too large for any normal man; besides being of a rather peculiar shape with an extraordinarily high and deeply arched instep, leaving a footprint in which the toes and heels sank deep, the arch left a much lighter impression.

All agreed the footprints belonged to a very heavy, man-like creature. A carpenters ruler being produced by one of the men, the depth of the feet impressions was found to average nine inches [23 cm], while the length was 16 inches [40 cm], suggesting the hominid who left these foot impressions in the snow was surely much taller than an average man and of heavy build.

The men's curiosity was aroused and headed by their dogs [who were still growling and sniffing about], they began following the footprints, which were so fresh that the men believed the creature could not be far ahead.

However, about a kilometre later the party came to a halt above a sheer drop of 30 m into a stand of dense gum forest, where the footprints ended. Here they were amazed to find that the creature had lowered itself down the cliff, using vines. Signs of dislodged rubble from the cliff face left by its feet suggested it had eluded the men by no more than a few minutes.

Mixing clay from a nearby creek bank with a quantity of snow the bushmen produced a few crude casts of the best of the foot impressions. When later presented to a scientist at Taronga Park Zoo, he said that, although not clear enough for a positive identification, they resembled foot impressions of a gorilla or large bear, and it was suggested the creature was therefore an escaped circus animal.

The bushmen later returned to the scene of the footprints find, and explored a large area of the Tops, yet were unable to come across any further signs of the mystery hominid. [Note: The scene of the footprints discovery was in the general area where the McCormack brothers had camped to feed their stock in 1848.

Barrington Tops 1942-Related 1989

Ganky-hairy Manbeast

In November 1989 this author received the following story from Mrs Daisy Schafer of Grafton: "In 1942, my brother Mr Burt Williams, at that time 25 years old, together with a young mate 'Charlie', were up in the Dorrigo Plateau working at a sawmill amid thick scrub and forest country."

"One afternoon having finished work for the day, they were walking to their hut to get tea ready. As they reached their hut, they were shocked by an 8 ft tall [2.4 m] hairy 'manbeast' which came from out of nearby scrub, walked up to the men, grabbed Charlie around the neck, lifted him up and then commenced to drag him off into the forest."

"Burt [who was very strong in those days] pursued the beast to save his friend, hitting the monster with his fists. At this the manbeast dropped Charlie and ran off into the dense forest. Burt and Charlie retreated to the hut, bolting the door against the creature's return. Charlie's neck was black and bruised for days thereafter and I recall having seen the injuries the next day."

"The next day Burt and Charlie got a lift in a truck back to Burt's home and Charlie never returned to the mill. Burt himself only lasted there another week before joining the American Merchant Marines." "They described the manbeast as possessing enormous hands and feet, with long hair down to its shoulders and over the rest of the body. The men failed to recall much about the creature's face other than it looked ape-like.

They told their story to a local policeman, who advised Burt to "shoot it next time you see it and ask questions later, if it is what you say it was". "The story got around the Bridgevale district where the men lived. Locals, particularly old identities, said the creature must have been a 'Ganky', another old local Aboriginal name for the Yowie in the Dorrigo region."

"A week later, after Burt and Charlie had their experience with the 'Ganky' and after his return to work at the mill, Burt was walking into Bridgevale for groceries when he felt he was being followed by 'something'; in the bush along the side of the dirt road. He had the distinct feeling it was the "Ganky' again." "That was the last time he had any experience with the monster before leaving the mill for good,. Albert is now 70 years old."

Tully 1942

Two little male Natives

In Tully in 1942, another farmer was aroused one morning by his fowls at the rear of his house. Suspecting dogs, he dashed outside with his shotgun, only to find two little male natives crouched in the corner of a shed. Lowering his gun, he tried talking to them, but seeing they could not understand him he realised they were still-wild natives. He judged their height to be just over 1 metre. The farmer motioned to them to go and they bolted for the nearby scrub.