Location: Daisy Hill, Queensland
Event: Yowie Encounter
Date: June, 1999
Operation “Broken Forest”. June 1999
After a couple of recent reports from the Redland Bay area of South East Queensland, I decided to research an easily accessible forest close to where the sightings occurred. At this time, there were reports that 1/3 of the Koala population had suddenly vanished from this location, which was widely debated on the News.
As I drove into the area I was immediately surrounded by what I considered, familiar signs.
The first thought that came to me was that I have not seen such broken up bush land since Researching areas of the Blue Mountains over the previous two years. I was surrounded by literally hundreds of snapped trees in every direction, ranging from small trees to 4-5” thick. Trees had been up rooted and there were what looked like wood stack markers as far as the eye can see. The ground between the trees was extremely well trodden.
While examining many of the markers, I discovered a make shift shelter made of stacked branches and leaves, this is unusual and still has me in two minds. I then discovered a Tee-Pee style wood stack, similar to what we have found many times before in differing active areas. Besides the wood stack was a large amount of Scat, almost Human looking. It was placed in a specimen bag and put in the car.
Almost every tree that could be broken, was. All snapped at around 6’ high. There were many stacks of wood placed on branches of other trees and logs and also leaning against trees. All the spare wood in the forest was put to use.
As I walked a good way along the track into the forest, I suddenly heard the sound of two feet abruptly stopping about 30 Metres to my right and on the high side of the track. I saw in an opening below the shrubs, two dark patches that resembled thick dark brown legs from the shins down.
That area was very thick and I knew that the sound wasn’t as heavy compared to the footsteps of the 7’ variety that we had been accustom to. I considered the possibility that it may have been a Kangaroo, I decided to walk on, curious to see if it followed.
Sure enough, parting of the bushes and something pushing its way through, continued to follow me at a 45-degree angle on my right. I reached a T intersection of the dirt track and turned left, away from the noise. It then crossed the track to my left and continued pushing its way through at a 45 degree angle.
It seemed to be moving with deliberate action. When I stopped, it also stopped.
The second last plan was to now turn back and see if it would also change direction and continue to followed me - sure enough it did. Now all my senses were alert. Bipedal, 45 degrees and then the 180 degree change in direction. I was most certainly being followed.
I went back to the T section and listened.
I could hear gentle placement of feet and parting of foliage slowly coming towards me and then it stopped.
The last plan was to whistle a tune (predominately to annoy it). After 30 seconds of gentle whistling, it again began it’s approach. The placement of feet was obvious, then all the branches and leaves started to be pushed aside, it then became faster towards me as it came closer. Faster and faster, footsteps, branches, leaves and faster again, it was coming at me. It was now running in a direct path.
I back peddled quickly and grasped a small log for defense, then double-timed it in reverse back down the track towards the car. I came to a semi clearing and the pursuer stopped just at the edge of the clearing. Deja Vu of the 1997 aggressive Yowie from nearby Ormeau set in, as the chills ran up and down my entire body and all the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. I was quite amazed.
I phoned Phil and explained the incident. Ash and Warren packed their car for a night stakeout. They arrived at 5pm.
We did a reconn in the last minutes of daylight and reviewed all the markers, signs and strange devastation. Ash started a fire as myself and Warren walked the tracks in the darkness. Earlier, when we were all scouting around we heard some branches break on the high side of the track, but it was hard to know with the bush so alive with Kangaroo’s, koalas and other small animals.
As the night went on we had many false alarms due to so many noises out there. Conflicting noises made it hard to pinpoint any obvious Hominid type activity. Warren destroyed a Tee-Pee Style marker and changed a few others.
Early the next morning I arrived back to our campsite to find two more markers besides where we had sat! I followed the track back to where Warren had left a couple of AYR calling cards, to find another large amount of deification exactly the same as what I’d found the day before.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Warrens Account
Operation Broken Forest
June 1999
Dean, the Director of A.Y.R had a few reports of recent Yowie activity near Logan in S.E Queensland , so he first went to check the area out. Sure enough he had a brief encounter. (See his report).
After calling us, Dean, Ash, and myself went out to see if we could finally get a photo of the elusive bugger. Dean showed us the damage done to the foliage near the walking tracks.
Sure enough Dean was right, the place was trashed and personally I don't know of any other animal that would cause such devastation (bar mankind of course!). Also being in a national park which is full of people during the daylight hours it couldn't be a human, there was too much damage exactly like the Blue Mountains.
To make people understand this damage imagine a few football teams running through the bushland at once, breaking limbs ripping small shrubs up trampling over new foliage without other people noticing them.
Tree limbs were snapped in two up around the 6-7 foot mark, there were a few prints in the ground but not identifiable as yowie prints, just suspect as they were so large.
Most interesting about all the devastation and the snapped tree limbs is that they were all near the walking trails and picnic areas, the deeper we got into the bush the less damage was done.
My theory on this, as with a few other people, is that the yowie only does this kind of damage near where mankind is, like the walking trails, picnic areas, people’s houses etc, as his marker, it's like he is saying that this is his territory, and that we shouldn't be near it, or even as a marker to it's own kind.
Also what we noticed is that this Yowie used markers more like the Bigfoot ones over the states. He/she used the tripod method in a couple of places and a couple of branches upside down as well, there were no cuts axe marks in these limbs, they were ripped apart by something strong or even bitten off.
We decided to stay for a few hours after dark to see what happens as we had heard reports also of the Koala population was slowly disappearing, ( there is a survey currently into the cause of this but we who acknowledge yowie/bigfoots know the reason why).
A few times we heard branches break, trees and shrubs moving but this ended up being just Wallabies, possums etc. It came dark and Ash lit up a fire as it was very cold, Dean and I walked a few trails to see if he/she was around, as I walked through some of the devastation just off the trail Dean stayed on the road I had a feeling I was being watched by something.
I walked onto another track and suddenly had the feeling to turn back for some reason as I got back to Dean who was still up the road he told me he thought something was slowly stalking me through the bush but he couldn't see it.
Dogs started to go right off suddenly near the trail I had just came from so we went up there to see what was happening. We walked up this hill and stopped up the top. We stayed still for several minutes just listening to how quiet it had suddenly become then moved off again.
Walking back down I kicked a rock and it went into the lantana bushes there was sudden movement in them, we raced down Dean on one side and I on the other, there was something large and smelly in the bushes but we couldn't get into them as it was so thick besides I don't get paid to go thrashing through lantana bushes!
We tried to flush it out without success and we couldn't see anything at all, we waited there for awhile but heard nothing else so we thought it had somehow made its escape whatever it was.
We called it a night and as we walked past one of its markers I kicked it down and asked Dean to check in tomorrow morning and let me know if anything happened.
Sure enough he called the next morning saying there was heaps more damage down and a huge pile of scat next to the fallen marker, I take it he/she was not impressed with me knocking it's marker down.
Another interesting discovery was we noticed was a little lean to built near the picnic tables, this is quite unusual as it means that the yowie has some building skills if he did make it? as there was several branches leaned up against a large tree with branches crossed and leaves pushed against it, sort of like a bush wind break or cover, 10-20 yards away there is a huge shed with tables so it wouldn't be aborigines doing it, maybe kids but then again it could keep an eye on the area at night without being discovered and maybe it doesn't trust things that we humans have built.
Well in a couple of weeks hopefully we will stay there for a couple of nights to see what develops out of this area, it is only a matter of time before one is finally caught on film.
By Warren A.Y.R .
DMH
© Copyright AYR
Australian Yowie Research - Data Base
www.yowiehunters.com