Location: Grampians, Victoria
Event: Yowie Sighting
Date: 2016
Time: Various
[Male Witness]
The location of the sighting is on a property just out of Stawell on the edge of the Grampians and in the interest of protecting the Landowners identity this is all I can reveal so apologies in advance.
The landowner for the sake of this report I will call Roy. I have shot feral animals on Roy’s property on previous occasions usually around September – October as its Lambing season. Birthing of Lambs usually draws out the predators like Foxes, Wild Dogs & Pigs.
This time Roy specifically tasked me to try and locate and destroy a 15 strong wild dog pack that was believed to be operating in and around his property as he has made some sightings earlier in the year. The significance of this pack was it was large approx. 15 but to kill that many is impossible so when hunting dogs when I’m by myself I will only seek out the largest of the pack as they are usually the leaders, killing the leaders the pack will disperse the dogs on their own and the remainder will perish. Wild dogs in the past 10yrs have escalated to becoming a real problem for farmers and the environment.
As it was Lambing season Roy told me that he would be camping out in the Lambing paddocks where lambing occurs to watch over them Roy said he would be out there with his family and friends and if i needed anything or a hand just to radio it in.
So off I went. As the days went by I located and shot a few feral animals mostly Foxes, I radioed these kills in, photographed the evidence and recorded their locations on the GPS for Roy's reference however i did not come across the reported dog pack, usually these things stick to the trails, firebreaks and along fence lines as they act as thoroughfares or roads to and from their targets which in this case sheep and lambs.
When hunting dogs, their presence in the areas are signified by their droppings and in and around watering holes their tracks and sometimes they even howl at night. In this instance however there was none. At the time didn't think anything of this at the time and just wrote it off as a passing dog pack because unlike their native K9 relatives such as Foxes, Wolves, or Dingoes wild feral dogs have no natural home ranges as they are transient creatures.
On my last afternoon I shot and killed a large Fox near a dry creek bed and after recording radioing the kill I made my way to set up camp. After I found a suitable campsite for the evening, I had something to eat and was relaxing by the fire. At approx. 1930-2030ish I radioed into Roy advising him that he would be finishing up in the morning and I would see him on my way out. (Radio contact is a safety procedure to advise the land owner of your movements especially if you are using firearms) That particular evening I remember It was a clear night with stars about, cool not cold with a slight breeze and along with usual noises of the bush associated with the animals starting on their night shift there was nothing out of the ordinary.
As I started to feed the fire before crawling into my Bivi Bag (Military Style Swag) the periphery of my vision suddenly caught movement so instinctively my eyes were drawn swinging my head to that direction. In that instant I saw a Humanoid figure just outside the illumination range of the fire. This creature was well over 2+m in height, athletic build with long arms, I couldn’t see the colour as it appeared to be almost a shade but again last light was really setting in. The figure stood there as if staring at me but I did not recognise facial features so I yelled "Halt who goes there" as a challenge, the figure then began to move in an almost gliding gait away from me so out of genuine fear I reached for my rifle, cycled the action and fired a snapshot in one movement. As the figure moved, I don’t recall even hearing my rifle shot nor do I recall the figure making sounds as it moved through the bush, (Natural or man-made noises at night are carried 7 times more clearly than during day) the figure then melted into the bushland as quickly as it appeared. (Instinctively and from experience I knew in my heart it was not a natural person I shot at)
The distance of the shot was less than 15m no more than 20m and at that range the ballistic coefficient of a 100 grain .243 projectile will kill medium size game effectively. (The .243 is an ideal rifle calibre for Feral Pest extermination especially for dogs due to its accuracy and performance predictability).
After the shot I hesitated for a second or two then dashed over to the direction of the sighting but realising I didn’t have my torch I ran back and grabbed it then ran back and shone my torch at the location I saw the humanoid figure but there was no blood or tracks that I could make out, the bush was suddenly very quiet. To think of it now I don’t think the incident lasted more than a few seconds. You’re probably thinking as to why I just didn’t shine my torch to begin with, the reason being was that when out bush my rifle is always closest to me if not within arm’s reach. (This habit was formed during my time in the Military)
My heart was racing fast, running back to my bivvy bag I grabbed the radio and contacted Roy to see if he or any of his family were close to me, Roy replied negatively and all was well and accounted for at his end. I told Roy about what had happened, and I asked him if he could pick me up as I wasn't spending the night out here as I had a bad feeling and I always trust my instincts when out in the bush. Roy predictably laughed at me but agreed to send someone out anyway. I packed up my gear and put out the fire and made my way as quick as I could to the RV point. Sometime later Roys eldest daughter and son came by with the Cruiser and picked me up. I really don't know how long I’d been waiting by that fire break, but time seemed to stand still. One abnormality I remember clearly was that the bush was still eerily quiet, no sounds no breeze, usually after a loud noise unnatural noise the bush such as gunfire the bush goes back to its business and the normal bush rhythm returns.
Upon return to Roys location I repeated my story to Roy and his family, Roy gave me a beer and told me to get some sleep. I didn't sleep for the rest of that night but just sat by the fire.
In the morning I ate breakfast with Roy and his family and retold my story. Much of Roy’s family thought I’d been smoking something and found my story a source of amusement, but Roy assured me there was no one else on his property that night and if there were any problems, he would be letting me know as he personally knew members of the locals (Police).
On my drive back home, I went to fill up on diesel and get a drink, I was still very jumpy about my encounter which I knew was odd because I’ve encountered worse things before, so I decided to sit at the servo rest area before the drive home.
Whilst sitting at the rest area, 2 Aboriginal Park Rangers walked past me headed toward their 4WD. I decided to approach these guys to have a chat as I knew it’s their business to know the goings on in the Bush. At first, I thought the Rangers would just tell me to piss off, but to my surprise they agreed to hear me out. During my story these guys just listened only asking a few questions along the way. Afterward I thought they would just laugh then tell me to piss off and don’t drink or get high whilst out bush but the senior of two Rangers I will call Mark began to talk in a calm but serious and matter of fact way. Mark said:
“Look mate you’ve probably seen one of the Big Fellas (Yowie) or one of the Spirit people, there are mobs around these parts mate, don’t be scared of them especially the Spirit people as they are guardians of the bush what you saw was just one of them passing by this is their country and they have been here since the dreaming time so they are very old but also harmless to humans and if you saw one that means you were near some sacred area as they hang around them like ghosts. As for taking a shot at them I wouldn’t worry about it either mate because they are spirits so they are not going to feel it and it’s also why you probably didn’t hear anything when it took off cos spirits don’t make noise.
If it's one of the big fellas it will take more than a bullet to hurt em because they are bloody strong and if you upset him you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation. If you didn’t hear anything as he took off then it’s because big fellas can move through the bush very fast and very quietly and they got good eyesight in the dark. The reason why you didn’t see any visible tracks is because they have big feet so their weight is distributed evenly so they make little noise and don’t leave discernible tracks walking through the bush, same thing when you let down the tyre pressure on the 4WD to cross soft sand. Us Black Fellas though, we can see their tracks as everything out bush will leave some sort of sign. The big fellas know the bush like you moving through your own house, so they know where everything is, if it was a big fella, he was probably just having a look see because he would’ve scented the fire and the oil on your rifle….and from the looks of yourself you have been a few days in the bush so you haven’t washed so the smell like the bush is all over you so he wouldn’t have picked you up.
I told Mark that prior to hunting Feral animals I will camp out a few days in the bush and not wash to remove my normal scent to not scare away my quarry.
I told the Rangers when I was trying to locate signs for Wild Dog by their droppings or tracks, I didn’t see any so does this have anything to do with the presence of Yowies or the Spirit people? The younger Ranger I will call Todd replied
“It’s a good chance that’s the case as most non-native animals get spooked by the Big Fellas” Native animals on the other hand are not afraid of Yowies or Spirit people as they are part of Bush.
I asked Todd if he had seen them himself? Todd’s reply was
“Nah, I’ve seen tracks of them though, back in 2005 when I was Fire Mapping for the CFA as they were planning new firebreaks near Hamilton way I came across tracks, I’d say an entire mob was on the move about 15-20 individuals with smaller members, bloody fit buggers, because reading their tracks you could gauge how fast they were moving, and I’ll tell you what no human would’ve been able to keep up. I tracked them for about 5k’s and then lost the tracks due to the previous night’s heavy rain.
When I was a young fella the old people (Tribal Elders) would tell us stories about the big fellas and my Grandfather when he was around he lived up near the Murray and reckons he saw one when he was by the river fishing one day as young fella which back in the 50s, Pop reckons this thing threw a large rock at him. I’ve also got an Aunt up near the NSW-VIC border out in the east, she reckons they got Little Fellas (Small Yowie variety) up there and their sort of similar but cheeky buggers cos they take your things.
The rangers told me that the existence of Yowies and Spirit people across Vic begin at the foot of the Blue Mountains right to the SA border, they prefer to stay inland and do not venture near the coastline except for the little fellas. Some of the following characteristics Mark and Todd told me about these creatures include:
- They are active mostly during the night to avoid humans and sleep during the day within cave systems or in deep bush but have been known to move during the day.
- They are omnivorous in diet and can vary in sizes. Mark said his uncle saw one near the SA border when he was a truckie during the 60s Marks uncle said he pulled over to check his load on the side of the road and that’s when he saw the creature cross the road approx. 100m away as the moon illuminated the landscape, said this creature was well over 2+ meters in height and very muscular
- They are cleaver in that they use stone tools have their own language, but it is not known if they use fire
- They can walk or run at great speed covering large areas and are physically very strong, their fur colouring can also vary depending on their age, although their fur colour does not match the Australian bushland they are very difficult to see even at close range as they can freeze their movements for long periods
- It was not specified as to how long they live for, but they are known to be long livers as aboriginal elders have referred to them the “Old man of the bush”.
- They are social creatures and stay within family groups led by the Alpha male backed by the elders.
- They have excellent eyesight, hearing and sense of smell
- Todd said they also conceal their dead when they pass on but not sure if he meant burying them
I asked Mark and Todd where they got this information and they replied
“It’s our culture to know about these things as it’s our responsibility as guardians of the Land. We are taught by our elders the backstory of the bush, all its secrets, folklore and its tradition, where to get tucker and water, where to sleep at night and so on so learning about these things is not just a part of our culture but it’s like learning a full-on Survival Course. If you know the bush and learn to live with the not against it will show you and teach you things, you can live out the bush indefinitely if you want.
During my time in the Military we did Survival and Basic tracking courses which were held by the ADF’s Regional Force Surveillance Units staffed mostly by local Aboriginals recruited within their regional areas due to their local knowledge.
As I was based in Queensland these courses were held by the Far North Queensland Regional Force Surveillance unit (FNQ-RFSU) and I can confirm what Mark and Todd told me about Bush craft skills as the Bush skill and prowess our ADF Aboriginal Instructors demonstrated to us were extraordinary and beyond imagination. I would hazard a guess that if the skills Mark and Todd possessed were on par with their Military brethren or greater than they could track Yowie.
I asked Mark and Todd about if my story sounded crazy, they simply replied “Does it look like we are laughing at you”? Mate we know these things are out there, and we know people have seen them but no-one says nothing so we stay quiet, we mark your sighting on the map and we tell our people (fellow aboriginals) We don’t usually tell the White Fellas because they don’t like to listen to us. These encounters will increase because we are all slowly encroaching on their land so eventually people will know of them.
The bush is a big place mate and you need to respect it and there are some places out there that even our people (Aboriginals) haven’t been too and just because you don’t see these things openly it doesn’t mean they are not there. I’d be more scared of snake’s anyway mate than these things cos if he (snake) hits you, you will stay hit.
I then asked Mark and Todd about the Little Fellas, Mark replied “Them Little Fellas are just like the Big Fellas but are cheeky buggers, always up to no good they are, they won’t hurt you but they like to muck around with your things sometimes taking them. These little buggers are harder to find also, and they are a bit smarter than the big fellas. Our elders even say that these little fellas taught their ancestors how to live in the Bush and are the source of many of our Bushcraft skills including how to navigate using the sky at night (Astral Navigation) which is why although Aboriginals have home ranges (country) we are also nomadic as they we move with the seasons to follow the food and water.
After the conversation with the Rangers I shook their hands and with that we went our separate ways.
I have been back to Roy’s property a few times after that sighting but have made no others. Roy still believes I was under the influence or delusional and sees my experience as a source of amusement. To this day however I am convinced that there are things out there yet to be discovered
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