Basic Historical:
The Yowie in its various forms has been Witnessed here in Australia well prior to the arrival of the first White Settlers. The aboriginals had no written language, therefore could only depict history via art or word of mouth.
Cave paintings, Aboriginal stories and knowledge has been handed down for thousands of years about our ‘hairy friends’, that have co-existed with us for longer than historical records.
There were many names for the Yowie withing the Aboriginal culture, depending on the tribe and location within our continent.
Post arrival of the Europeans, in some cultures of the indigenous population, it was considered taboo to talk the whites about the Yowie without permission from an Elder.
But this wasn’t always the case. In fact, quite the opposite was true in many cases. Historic documentation from the early to mid 1800’s includes a plethora of information and insights from Aboriginals all across the country, eager to tell of either their own firsthand accounts and beliefs, or those of relatives, from both present and past. Most of which were published in the Journals and Magazines of the time.
Today, in modern times, it’s the white people having more experiences with the Yowie than the blacks, which is perfectly natural due to today’s population percentage gap, plus the vast amount of campers and bush walkers spending time in the Australian bush.
Although the Aboriginal culture may feel a special identity with these extant Hominids, the reality is, they are no more special than anyone else who has had firsthand experience, and/or experiences - Simple fact. Many Yowie encounters for both whites and blacks, have been so dramatic, it changed their lives in various ways.
Indigenous people today, approach us more than ever before to have the stories of their heritage and their very own experiences, told and preserved (Documented) – rather than being watered down over time, or lost forever.
Among the various names given to the Yowie by differing tribes and dialects, two of the most reported and recorded names in journals from the early 1800’s were dibil-dibil and Yahoo.
The term Dibil refers to Devil, and if they were to emphasize a point, they would simply repeat the word – i.e. Devil Devil.
The name Yowie wasn’t formally coined for many years later.
Again, because the aboriginals had no written language, only a spoken language, there were many different ways to interpret and spell words, depending on how it sounded when spoken.
The dialect quandary of the term for a large Yowie, began from similar sounding words, such as Yourie, Yawri, Yarri, Yaroma, Yowrie, Yuuri etc,
It was first penned as “Yowie” in 1964 by a man named P.J. Gresser, while writing about the Aboriginals of SE Australia. You’ll be hard pressed to find many, if any, other prior written references.
1800’s – A Brief Highlight:
All these people didn’t witness or report these sightings for attention or no reason. Quite the contrary.
Upon the white man, when they first settled in this Country in the late 1700's, the native Aborigines told them in great detail about an ape-man like beast that lived in the forests. It wasn't long before they found out the stories from these people were more than true.
During the 1800's numerous reports followed through out NSW and also the rest of the country.
The 1800's were a buzz with sightings of the creature around the country. Newspapers and magazines began writing about people's encounters as they were reported. In most of these reports, the creature was always described as "an ape" or "ape-like man." The same descriptions given today.
When you sum up all the sightings from the early 1800s, it was no fad. Most of these witnesses had never heard of such a thing.
In the 1800’s, there was very little communication for anyone to collaborate. No phones, faxes or internet.
By the mid 1800’s, the Naturalists of the time, were debating if Australia had its own indigenous primate.
In 1866, the Sydney Morning Herald asks if these ape-like creatures which are being encountered, “have they escaped confinement, or were they already here?”
1868 after a flurry of Reported Sightings in the Maitland area, the Empire Newspaper asks “Are they the Australian version of the African Gorilla?” Again, the naturalists were debating.
1871 after another spate of sightings, the Illawarra Mercury headlines with “Supposed Gorilla”. In fact, most Newspapers at the time were running with the Gorilla theory.
From 1870 to 1894, there was a large influx of ape-like animal sightings reported to Newspapers – mostly in NSW. Some of the Reports were making it overseas.
By 1871, the first Yowie Hunters emerged, with Newspaper Reports of people organising expeditions to try and shoot or capture the creature.
1825 – First Real Yowie Article
Sugarloaf Mountain
Resembles a man, but taller and hair covered like an animal. Fierce, eats men and chases aborigines in the mountains.
“There are families of this being; but not many of the species”
Empire Newspaper also reports about a Wildman at Sugarloaf in 1868 and Mentioned again in an article in 1892
1842 - Australian and NZ Monthly Magazine
Superstitions of the Australian Aboriginals: The Yahoo
- Refer to the name Devil-Devil or Yahoo and having an ape-like appearance
- Natives didn’t like leaving camp at night – if they did, the took fire as they felt the Yowie kept away.
- The most dreaded fear was attribute the Yowie carrying away Women and Children and leaving no trace. They could appear upon you with almost NO noise
- The Yowie could appear suddenly and uncountably, pouncing upon and destroying the defenseless, maintaining a baneful influence over human life (harmful or Destructive)
- They will occasionally attack lone men in the dark, but it runs away during the day.
1847 - Geelong Advertiser
The Wild Man of the Australian Woods
- Reporter speaks of many of the colonialists finding tracks of an animal that they believe to exist around the Port Phillip area.
- Woeworung tribesman (East of Melbourne/Yarra Ranges) relays a story to the writer. [also spelt Woi Wurrung / Woiworung / Wurungjeri]
- Describes it as being big as a man and like him in every respect, covered in hair – except the immediate face.
- Some of these creatures attacked a camp of natives living in the mountains and carried away woman and children.
- They felt a dread about moving about after sunset.
For more information, visit the Historical Section of our Website.
The Large Yowie:
Other Indigenous names include: Noocoonah, Doolagahl, Gooligah, Quinkin and Yaroma. Sometimes referred to Feather Foot or Light Foot, for obvious reasons.
The most common reported colour of a large Yowie is a reddish/rusty brown. Or that of a similar colour and hair length to an orangutan.
If you were to use this colour and hair as a primary basis to identify the most likely origin of the Yowie, also taking in the reported size and attributes – plus DNA fossil records – it could perhaps, indicate Gigantopithecus or a similar species. Which is described as the largest primate, of all time.
Researchers examined differences in the amino acid sequences of both Hominids to discover the orangutan is the closest modern relative to Gigantopithecus. These two species had the fewest differences in their dental protein sequences.
I’ve never been a big fan of the Gigantopithecus model, which has been bantered about over decades. That was until some recent finds close to home.
Since the first finds of molars in China, 1935, there has been a lot of conjecture and debate as to whether Giganto is hominin or hominid. The main issue for myself is, the only remains ever discovered were a few thousand teeth, and partial jaw bones.
Unfortunately, in many areas, there’s no definites in archeology or paleoanthropology.
Since the early days of the first Anthropologists – Tylor and Frazer in the late 1800’s, to Leaky family in more recent times, what was then considered gospel, has constantly changed as new findings are discovered.
In many ways, it’s an unstable vocation.
It's also a fickle industry. Along with the fear of stepping outside the envelope and sometimes navigating with a closed mind, a new find from contemporaries can quickly threaten or dispel a colleagues life’s work, writings and reputation.
When I first began researching the origins of hominids and hominins, from writings published in the early 1900’s, the pride of my new found knowledge was suddenly crushed, when I found it was suddenly dismissed based on new findings published in another book only several years later.
Then, after digesting and re-routing my neural paths, and again happy with the new evidence from the second book, along the compelling rational; I read a third book, which overwrote the findings of both the first and the second books.
And thus, a perpetual cycle pursued during the 1900’s.
What was once considered gospel, is always updated, and what were once facts, can be later dismissed or swept under the carpet.
I now take todays gospel with modicum of cautious skepticism. Might be the right path, but we still don’t know it all. And facts can quickly change with each new discovery.
Back on to the topic of the orange/rusty brown coloured reports of the Yowie, which are the majority, and Gigantopithecus being found to be a close relative of the Orangutan.
In 2016, new reports state that fossils of Giganto have been discovered as close as Indonesia. Just a stone’s throw away from Australia’s door step. These are believed to be as young as only 12,000 years old – a figure that still widely fluctuates. Superseding the some estimates suggesting they died out up to 300,000 years ago. Again, depending on who’s findings you read.
Above is a loose body size comparison based on fossil records.
Below is footage we obtained via Thermal Imagery and an exact size comparison between those involved in this real footage. The Yowie shown on the left side (Two Yowies on the left - One partly obscured by the other)
Very similar size dimensions, as suggested from Anthropologists.
On top of the relative closeness of these fossils in Indonesia, keep in mind the Arafura Shelf/Sea, which was the land bridge linking Australia to Indonesia and New Guinea, existing up until only 7,000 years ago – If they crossed the Wallace line, it makes it very plausible for Giganto to have taken a short stroll here over a period of tens of thousands of years before becoming land trapped as the sea levels rose, creating the Torres straight islands.
Although we still don’t know enough about Giganto, it could fit the mold thus far, due to the Indonesian finds.
But doesn’t account for the differing species, genus or particularly one colour reported.
Sightings of white hominids are mainly isolated to the snowy alpine regions in countries around the world. But not always in Australia.
Sightings of white Yowies in Australia, in some areas, are locations with no snow. Yet another curve ball.
Or not…..
When we consider the diverse skin and hair colours of Homo Sapiens, perhaps it’s perfectly natural for some hominids to have the similar distinctions - all things being equal…. such as Snowflake, the albino Gorilla, caught in Equatorial Guinea – 1966, and Alba – the Albino Orangutan - caught where? Indonesia…. In 2017.
Exception, rather than the rule for most hominids, – including the Yowie, however they have been known reported sightings of white Yowies in Australia since 1878.
The Small Yowies:
Often named Jinjari, Jinjardi, Junjudee, Jingera, Jurrawarra and Brown Jack’s.
Again we head back to the fossil evidence on our doorsteps - Indonesia and beyond.
Homo Floresiensis, Homo Habilis and even H. Erectus survived in what we would term ‘recent times’ prior to the land bridge being cut from Australia. These are the small variety. Varying around the 4ft mark – which in common with the modern day descriptions.
The Conclusion:
1). They are still continually sighted. There is more evidence to suggest that the Yowie does exist, than not.
2). We don’t know enough.
3). In Australia, there are thousands of 'reported' sightings of our ape-man like creature that is said to walk our forests. Could you imagine how may reports or sightings that still remain 'un-reported'? 10 to 1, 20 to 1, 50 to 1, 100 to 1? More?
The aim of this web site is to inform the reader with as many details we can.
Police, National Parks & Wildlife, Military, along with people within Science & Academia and normal everyday people report their sightings. If anything, the sightings are increasing due to the diminishing fear of ridicule.
The fact is, what people are reporting, DID all exist, and fossil evidence has them at the doorway of a path that once linked to our shores. The sea levels rose – cutting Australian off from the rest of the World.
Whatever was here – is still here – Land Trapped.
While we are concentrating on the modern-day sightings, which are historically important, eventually fossil records will be discovered, and our History books will yet AGAIN be rewritten.
It will be here, our modern day historical accounts will be of the upmost significance in the academic field, and studied in detail.
Today’s facts in the field of Archeology and Paleontology hold no weight with tomorrow’s finds. It is intertwined with conjecture, debate, and quite often ego on an academic level. The facts are continually being rewritten.
The best we can do as Yowie Researchers, is concentrate on the species of homind reported to be still living today. When the first recent bones are found, then it will be a race between the academics.
*Further notes and Observations:'
When you accumulate this much history, you notice repetition in observable behaviors.
A lot of the behaviors are contradictory, which indicates clear biological/emotional variance in temperament.
A classic example of this contradictory behavior will be their desire not to be seen, cause attention to themselves or be tracked. Yet, we see some very obvious mistakes based on poor judgement, plus many actions that appear to be either quite complacent, or plainly deliberate.
As we all know, whether it be day or night on a rural road, we are aware of an oncoming car or truck due to sight and sound. Particularly at night when a car or truck is using headlights or spotlights. Yowies are known to walk or run out directly in front of a vehicle. For a Hominid to be acutely aware of his surroundings, or believe so to be, we don’t believe its always a case of error and misjudgment.
They get away with a lot because they are in a Human form. At a distance, most people would mistake them for other humans. Afterall, who is looking for a Yowie. Your mind pulls it recognition file and pars it with the closest description – another human.
Both humans and great apes belong to the Hominidae or Hominid taxa, so in a general sense we are related.
The question is whether they fit within the hominin sub group in the evolutionary scheme of things, such as the earliest hominins like Australopithecus, or are they still part of the Great Ape family like the Orangutan and Gorilla, or from another unknown evolutionary line that sprang from the Great Apes. Because of these questions it is safest to simply ascribe the umbrella term to them as Hominids.
Are they evolved beyond being part of the Great Ape family and therefore part of the evolutionary family that modern humans belong?
It is possible, yet only DNA would confirm that.
It must also be mentioned that many extinct groups that have been declared as part of the hominin line are not related to one another. An example of this is H. naledi. Although it was bipedal, apparently buried its dead in caves and had the skeletal hand structure of a tool user, it is not related to modern humans. This raises the question of where such groups stemmed from; whether they evolved from a separate species to Chimpanzees and such a scenario may explain how the Australian, U.S and Himalayan species arose (that is if they should not be viewed as Great Apes).
In 2016, it was found that Aboriginal and Melanesian groups had 3 admixtures in their genes; 6% Denisovan, 2% Neanderthal and around 1% of an unknown species. Today most Caucasoid people have around 2% Neanderthal, Asiatic people have around 2% Denisovan and Africans carry a 'ghost population' of some other type of hominin not known to the fossil or DNA record (but different to the one found in the Pacific and Australia).
All of these admixtures have contributed to modern human life. For example, the herpes virus and depression come from Neanderthal, and research is still too young to discover what Denisovans contributed. If the admixture of the Australian Hominid is indeed the 'unknown species', there could already be data in modern populations, although it would be a highly sensitive area of research given that it would involve Aboriginal and Melanesian groups.
Whilst admixture is possible, there is no evidence that the Australian Hominid fits within the Hominin group, nor that modern humans descend from it.
There are numerous links in the human evolutionary story. Luckily, compared to other species on earth, there is a treasure trove of fossil and DNA evidence which can tell us a lot about the human journey to where we are today.
As far as a "missing link" is concerned, there isn't one link missing- there are multiple links that are needed to join the evolutionary model together, and that means "in-between" species that are not yet known to the fossil record (like the ones above).
Observed behaviors:
The Golden Rule - *Where there’s one, there’s another not far away.* (Which is a contributing factor of why you won’t find them dead/died of natural causes – relic Hominins and Hominids buried their dead).
When avoiding being seen, they can stand still in the forest, often hugging a tree – one arm out – both arms out and stand on one leg to change their shape.
They have the ability to travel on two legs, or drop of all fours to either gain momentum, navigate hostile terrain, and move below foliage without being seen. They also propel speed through forests by grappling trees as they run.
They are clearly cathemeral omnivores. They can be seen at anytime in a 24hr people, plus they have been witnessed eating both plant based food, and animals – including road kill.
Smell: Bakelite, burning electrical, sulfur, wet horse, rotting eggs or rotting flesh.
Eye sight:
Beyond the ability of Humans. Awareness of humans being blind at night and using it to their advantage. Physical difference with eyes – deeply sunken into skull with heavy eye ridges to protect sensitives eyes during the day. The ability to ‘seemingly’ self eliminate, and differing colours.
They have large eyes that sometimes are reported to glow red or Yellow in the reflection of the moon at night.
The modern Gorillas eyes also reflect red when filmed and seen from certain angles at night. American Cryptozoologist Craig Heinselman tells us that the tapetum lucidum of the Yowies eyes is composed of a white substance on the retina called the guanine.
This forms a mirror-like surface. As light passes to the retina it strikes the tapetum and is bounced back through the retina. This allows the retina another chance to send the signal to the brain.
This is especially important while hunting wherein low light is filtered to allow for optimisation of the situation. This tapetum also is the cause of the "eye shine" occurrence that is associated with many nocturnal animals.
All primates also exhibit a type of photoreceptor in the eye; these are mechanisms to recognize light and/or colour. One of these photoreceptors is called a rod that is crucial for low light filtering.
The other photoreceptor is called the cones and functions best under brighter lights, these cones also factor into colour recognition. The cones centre around a portion of the retina called the fovea, which is like a small indent. Apes and monkeys (some) possess this fovea and hence optimised colour vision.
In the case of nocturnal primates, this fovea is lacking or the photoreceptors are lacking. For instance their douroucouli (Aotus trivirgatus) also called the owl or night monkey from South America is strictly nocturnal and lacks cones in its retinas. Bright lights are detrimental to it, as the light impulses are damaging without the cones of the retina to proses the incoming senses.
Recent U.S. Studies have proven Trail Cam’s can be seen and heard by animals with eyesight sensitivity – ‘Passive I.R.” can be seen/detected and silent electrical activity heard.
Therefore – they will not work, it only leads to driving them away from the area. Thus the reason we suggest using Trail Cam’s around the house if you are having a current issue with them at night – which happens regularly.
We have Footage of the Hominids and have had DNA testing from Scat Samples. We are self-funded – Sole-Funded.
As we say , "We are not here to convince anyone, we simply present the facts" ~ Dean Harrison
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Australian Yowie Research - Data Base
www.yowiehunters.com