Location: Kilkivan, Queensland
Date: May, 2001
Two Weeks after Operation Rotation, I returned to the location in anticipation of finding more prints in a lonely stretch of sandy Creek Bed where we had previously discovered many prints. I headed out alone this day to spend some time to myself with the added bonus of being able to work at my own pace without distractions. Upon arrival I located the stream and geared up to head South along the Creek away from the Car. I had a time schedule that day and had to make fast time tracking the watery corridors.
The only protection I brought was a single flare, which sat in my back pocket, and with my Video Camera and bag of Plaster I set off. To avoid confusion when looking for prints, I rock hopped as much as I could in view of not fowling the sandy areas with my own prints. This makes the task far more convenient when returning to cast them. The objective was to travel as far as I could in the least amount of time, judge which prints would be best for casting and then return to that location to complete the task at the end of the walk.
It’s also a good idea to “flag” the area where the best prints are found using anything from rocks to sticks and leaves, as to make the return search a little easier.
Along my travels I discovered many new stream beds that were unknown to us and I was hesitant to explore them alone and without my G.P.S.
Prior to leaving I phoned Mike to inform him of my trip and made a time to contact him that afternoon to confirm I was safe. Before heading out to any of these areas, it is imperative to record your movements with someone you can trust.
With what could lurk beyond each corner in mind, I made a point of treading as quietly as possible. I made some interesting finds in the trek in the form of footprints that were far larger than I had previously seen at this location. It was very encouraging and quite disturbing all in one. At the sight of these new prints that seemed only 24hrs old, I knew that I would have to be extremely wary.
Towards the top end later part of the walk I rounded a corner only to be hit with a very distinctive odor that I knew all too well. This was a fresh odor that was still wafting from something that was either still there or was there only moments before.
The smell consisted of urine, defecation and ‘wet horse’ all in the one odor. It was very strong and disgusting. Being so heavily obligated deep in the forest, it was at that moment that I decided it was time for me to begin my return trip.
On the way back I knew which prints I wanted to cast and I began casting the moment I crossed my ‘Flags’. With time running out I missed some of the casts and did my best with the time remaining.
By the time I had returned back to the Car, I had to then race back to these locations to collect them. The reason why I cast the prints in this particular order was the simple fact that I didn’t want to run out of plaster in the early stages incase I found something better further on.
I collected all but one of the casts and headed back to the stream near the car to collect the best and last. This one was my trophy for the day. When I returned to the cast to collect it, I found the same rotten smell as before was drifting down the creek bed. The last time I had experienced this was at the other end of the stream, an almost 30minute run away. The odor certainly wasn’t apparent when casting the prints, yet was very overwhelming when collecting it. It was at that time when I noticed that the bush was beginning to become dark as the day drew to a close and the forest began to move.
With much haste I retrieved the print, while looking all about for the owner of the foot that left such a large impression. The odd feelings began as I crashed my way back to the safety of my car as fast as I could.
Three weeks after that find, I headed out to the same location to have yet another interesting find. Only 20m away from where I had cast the large footprint, I found something quite peculiar. This impression in the sand looked very much like a huge hand print. There was a flat area of what could be a palm leading to what seemed like long finders. It looked at the time like a huge ape/primate hand. It was roughly 3 times the size of my hand.
In other areas of the stream, “Juniors” prints were clear and Human looking. The owner of these smaller prints is a regular to this location, almost daily. The lesson for this trip was not to forget to bring enough plaster. Unfortunately I had not checked the bag before leaving and this mistake resulted in one poor cast and missing out on the others. The good thing about this location is the fact that there is no shortage of Castable prints for the next trip. There were no noises or anything else out of the ordinary this time besides more prints.
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