Giants From the Dreamtime the Yowie In Myth And Reality

Sentinel 1971

Freshly made large man-like Footprints

During 1971 a team of RAAF surveyors conducted a survey of The Sentinel, the great mountain overlooking the now almost deserted Glen Davis township, by landing on the summit in a helicopter. Rain had fallen on the mountain the day before their landing, so that the ground was still muddy in places.

I t was here the surveyors received what they later described as the "shock of their lives". For, upon the muddy ground they came across a number of freshly made, large man-like footprints; in fact, much too large for any normal human being. Following a somewhat hurried take-off, they landed in a field near the township and told their story to the baffled locals, enquiring if there might not still be wild Aborigines in the district.

This was unlikely, aside from the fact that the prints they found certainly discounted such a suggestion. The above story has parallels with another military helicopter crew's claim at a later date, in which they said that, as they flew at tree top level over Sentinel Mountain, they spotted a man-sized hairy beast moving swiftly through the scrub below them only to elude them among the rocks.

Carrai Ranges 1971

Hairy ape-like man-like Creature

During 1971, two prospectors were searching along a creek deep in the Carrai Range for signs of new gold deposits.

As they squatted at the creek's edge panning for traces of gold both men suddenly were gripped by the all too familiar feeling that they were not alone. Glancing a short distance down the creek, they saw standing upon a rock shoal a tall, hairy ape-like man-like creature watching them with apparent curiosity.

Then as the men crouched on the edge in mute amazement, they saw the strange figure glance in the direction of the nearby forest. The men realised, from the sounds of breaking foliage, that their strange companion was not alone. Then appearing from out of the forest came a female creature with pendulous breasts and the same height as the male, which they judged to be a good 7ft [2.3 m] tall. At this point the men bolted from the scene.

Hunter Valley 1971

A pungent-smelling huge Manbeast

One night during 1971 Mr Len Murray and a mate, Tim Hatton, were visiting Len's sister's farm in the wild Hunter Valley bush country south of Singleton NSW. The men arrived late. Driving up a dirt road to her property, they had to stop to open a cattle gate. Tim got out of the car to open it for Len. As he did so, he was suddenly grabbed from behind by what he later described as "a pungent-smelling, huge manbeast a good 2m tall".

This was verified by Len, who shone a torch on the creature. The monster was very powerful and Tim was in fear for his life. Grabbing a rifle from the car, Len fired a shot at the beast. His mate shoved and punched himself free and the men jumped back into the vehicle, as the manbeast vanished into the night. They both agreed that the creature's hands were a good 30cm in length, and its fingers reached around to Tim's belt buckle. It also had large feet. Tim later had to have a bath to rid himself of the small of the 'manimal'.

Hanging Rock Region 1971

Fossilised hand Found

The Hanging Rock region was alive with miners during the mid-19th century following the discovery of big gold deposits in the nearby Nundle/Peel River area, and it was not long before they learnt of, or saw Yowies while searching lonely forest-covered gullies for signs of the 'yellow metal'.

Aborigines of this region warned the prospectors and early settlers not to venture about this area alone or unarmed, otherwise they might be attacked by 'hairy men' or 'Coories who had inhabited the ranges hereabouts since before the appearance of the first tribespeople.

The Coories were cannibalistic also, and made stone tools and fire, and were either normal human-height or sometimes a bit taller.They also warned the settlers of other, much larger "great hairy men" the Goolagahs, the stone tool-making "giant hairy ones" who would kill and eat anyone they caught in the mountains.

Primitive hominids have certainly inhabited this district from very early times [see Chapter Four], as shown by the fossilised hand recovered at Nundle in 1971.

I quote an article of"The Central Coast Express"
of Wednesday 21st April that year:

Fossilised Hand found at Nundle

Prospective members of the Central Coast Lapidary Club, Pat and Bob Morris whilst holidaying at Nundle over the Easter break, discovered what appears to be a fossilised hand or foot.The report was featured on television and radio news programs and aroused great interest amongst the visitors to Nundle, including members of the C.C.L.C. - as it appears there is a similarity in the specimen to a human or ape-like hand, and the find could be of great scientific value.

The 'Nundle Giants' created considerable fear among many of the inhabitants of the outlying farms and timber mills in the old days, and still do among some people today, especially once darkness falls and these manbeasts emerge from their lairs to roam the forests and farmlands, disturbing stock, and leaving their tell-tale large footprints in the mud of waterholes and creek banks.

Paua New Guinea 1971

Giant ogre-dera Tauna

Bagana Mountain Bougainville 1971

Primitive Natives

About 1971 a giant 'Ogre', or was it a 'Dera tauna', carrying a big stone hand-axe, was reported seen by two natives as it emerged from jungle in the Eastern Sepik Province west of Wewak, to feed upon paw paws. It left tracks consistent with an 2.6m tall hominid.

In July 1971 retired Australian native cultures authority, former World War Two soldier and traveller, Mr Joe Manning, gave me an account of the primitive natives of Bagana Mountain which he had explored many years before.

"I have seen natives up on Bagana Mountain in Bougainville that are more ape-like than some apes. They have corns on their knees due to the fact that they go about on all fours if the distance is not too far away. They wear a leaf girdle like the Borneo natives and nothing else." "Their faces are similar to those black ringed tailed monkeys, and their kids play around with one another just like in the same manner as these mentioned monkeys."

"They are small; about 4ft 10ins for the women and 5ft 2ins for the males. They have no houses, and boy does it rain up on that mountain. These natives just have leaves leaning against a lump in the ground or a tree. The other natives in Bougainville have perfect villages in the Bronze Age style and live similarly to our ancestors in Europe in the Bronze Age; why do these little natives up on Bagana live like the apes?"

"Some say the Australian Aborigines are the most primitive. Those experts should go for a walk up Bagana way. Incidentally, these people did not seem to have bows either, maybe there is no timber suitable. Many small spears like long arrows were evident and some stone knives; they seem to have no skills." "I gave a gin a banana and she bit it through without peeling it and proceeded to eat skin and all."

Nelson Lakes National Park 1971

Large man-like Footprints

Further south in the Nelson Lakes National Park are beautiful placid lakes overshadowed by rugged mountain ranges covered in dark, dank beech forests that hold a secret. It is the reputed lair of giant manbeasts.

During the Spring of 1971 a ranger came upon large [45cm long] man-like footprints, leading across snow-covered ground on a hillside into a forest. He followed the tracks for some time through the forest, until the going got too tough and he gave up the search. By this time he had followed the tracks for a few hundred metres.