Location: Currumbin, Queensland
Event: Yowie Sighting
Date: 1978
Time: Early Evening
Male Witness, 13-14 years old at the time of the event. End of Mitchell Avenue and to the south, Currumbin.
Currumbin back then was still very under developed. I lived in a street where at the end was all bush and hills, which is all now developed, and at the end of the street was a bike track that used to connect to the housing estates. It was kind of a short cut to the other housing estate, about 100m long. It was about one minute to get to the other housing estate along the track or about half an hour going the other way, so a lot of us locals took that shortcut.
There was a lot of talk at the time that Yowies were supposed to be around the area and I remember that at the time a couple of the older Currumbin boys actually went out looking for them and I remember thinking wow, they must be brave sort of fellas. So we knew those rumours were floating about and we were a little bit scared of going through the bike track at night time.
One night I was going to my mates place in the other estate and I was deciding whether to go the long way or the short way. Along that track there were not lights, it was about 10ft wide and just dirt. On each side was long grass about 5-6ft high. About half was through it went up to a flat which was the old railway track which is now the back Highway (M1). It was a raised flat section also about 10ft wide that was asphalt which still had the old steel tracks in it.
I ended up deciding to go through the short way this night, so I went to the end of the street. I started peddling fast because I wanted to get through it quickly and I got in about 20 or 30ft and there was a field rat or something come out across the track in front of me, so I hit the brakes and that scared me. I went passed and I remember thinking ‘phew’. I started going again and started getting up some speed and I recall getting another 20 or 30ft and there was a bat flapping above my head and that gave me another startle, and I was already startled by the first scare. I got started again and this time I was going pretty quickly because I just wanted to get through this track and all I remember hearing on the left side of me something that sounded like a horse gallop. This was a lout thudding that was keeping up with me. It was to my left and behind me. It sounded like a horse gallop because it was so heavy.
It was keeping up with me and I was going pretty quickly because of the first two scares. I was looking to my left as I was peddling, quickly coming up to the halfway section where the flat area is, and I remember seeing the grass part and something came out. The first thing I remember thinking was ‘grizzly bear’, because it was huge and down on fours, and it came straight out on the track right behind me, maybe 30ft behind me.
I knew it was big, it was thick and it was going pretty quick because I was going pretty quickly at that stage. When it came out on all fours, I remember it standing up and it was basically on two legs and it was running like an ape. I remember it having long arms and running. It was easy 8-9ft tall. Because the moon was behind it, I couldn’t see any facial features or anything like that. I just remember seeing the straggly hair in the silhouette, its head and neck and as soon as I saw it come out on all fours and then stand up on two, I raced as fast as I could. You were supposed to go slow over the middle section because it comes back down on the other side, and I remember hitting that so hard I flew and cleared the whole middle section went up and over and came down damaging the spokes and I cycled as fast as I could to my mates place and I remember getting to his place and just banging like crazy on the door, I was white as a ghost and ended up staying there the night and never went back on that bike track again.
I know what I saw. I don’t believe in things unless I’ve physically seen it. What I saw wasn’t human.
It’s something that I’ve always kept on my chest, it was a personal thing that happened. I’ve only told a handful of people over the last 40 years. There’s been so much talk (in the Gold Coast media), lately that I thought it’s probably time that you guys (AYR), knew about it, otherwise it may never get told.
Back then there were no reported Yowie sightings, but over the past years I’ve seen all the reports coming out and I’ve followed every one but still never told anyone.
The first thing I remember thinking when it came out and started chasing me was ‘grizzly’ because it was thick and quite low when it came out from the grass on all fours. When it stood up, it was solid. The grass was 5-6ft tall and this was at least 2-3ft above the top of the grass. I remember the straggly hair coming off it, especially off its head. I couldn’t see details on the front because it was silhouetted by the moon behind it but I could see that it had the straggly hair and the fact that it stood up.
It was quick on all fours, not like an ape. The arms were long, not like a human. It didn’t run upright like a human. It ran more like a cross between a human and an ape. It was first keeping up with me in the bush with these heavy thuds like a gallop, then it came out on all fours and stood up. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. But to this day, I know what I saw and it definitely wasn’t human. It was upright like a human, but running like and ape, yet not as slow as an ape. I know it wasn’t human. The size of it, the way it came out on all fours, the way it stood up etc. The arms were long.
I just went hell for leather. I remember hitting the middle part and because it was dark I couldn’t judge where the landing was and I came down with a thud and I was all over the place and then just kept going and didn’t look back. I was just going-going-going and never looked back.
Like I said, I’ve only told half a dozen people and only on the right occasion. I’ve only told close people. I’ve kept it bottled up. I thought if I was going to tell anyone, it should be you guys so you can added it to your collection of reports (AYR Database).
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