Yikes! A Yowie!

(As heard in the Weird Darkness episode, “Unveiled Under Hypnosis: The Alien Secrets of Steve Kilburn” from July 30, 2024.)

A notable reference comes in 1804 from John Pinkerton’s publication “Modern Geography – a Description of the Empires, Kingdoms, States and Colonies: with the Oceans, Seas and Isles: In all Parts of the World.” It refers to a few original Australians near Sydney Harbor identified by certain unique body features. To the Aboriginal Australians, however, these were separate beings called Yahoos or more popularly known as a Yahoo/Yowie, recognized by their scent of “fur ball.”

In North Queensland, the Kuku Yalanji Tribe recounts times of interactions and confrontations with The Australian Bigfoot, which are now a part of the culture’s written history. Their description of the Yowie mirrors the Sasquatch legends from tribes in Northwestern America.

Huge historical narratives have developed around two completely separate types of Yowie plaguing Australia. The larger of the two, Gigantopithecus, stands six to ten feet tall and weighs nearly half a ton. This enigmatic being resembles a giant, shaggy brute with hands like rakes. Its face is more primate-like, and its attitude towards humans is described as quite explosive. There is also a lesser Yowie, standing about 4-5 feet tall. While tales of this nature are surrounded by skepticism, some postulate that these creatures may represent ancient hominids who have somehow continued to exist. This is supported by indigenous rock paintings depicting tall, hairy beings alongside typical shorter aboriginal figures.

Euro-Yowie contact is said to have started during the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney. Colonial ancestors were often regaled with nightmare stories of simian beasts lurking in Australia’s wild landscapes. A letter from 1820 to London tells of an event in 1789 where hunters claimed they saw a monster on all fours, peering through trees and much taller than any man.

The Yowie in this part of Australia had its first documentary sighting in 1849 on Philip Island, Victoria. Witnesses said they saw such tall creatures by a lake, resembling man-baboons. Several years later, in 1936, something unusual occurred with Rich Jones capturing a mythical giant monster in a group photo between two loggers. In 1979, a seriously compromised kangaroo carcass was found by a couple who attributed it to a large, hairy man-shaped creature seen near where the ruminant had died.

Society tends to look down upon the odd menagerie of unique creatures in Australia. The European settlement of the land, which held the Platypus, did not start in a friendly way or with disbelief to a certain extent. For example, a strange variety of animal characteristics in this “mammalized-monster” was only considered genuine when more than one specimen turned up.

Nowadays, Yowie sightings mostly come from the southern and central coastal regions of New South Wales, with a few scattered around Queensland’s Gold Coast (mainly in or near the Blue Mountains). Yowie enthusiast Rex Gilroy has investigated more than 3,000 reported sightings, many from distrustful anonymous informants, suggesting a potential link to North American Bigfoot research. While there are numerous reported sightings, many researchers doubt the Yowie’s actual existence. A definitive 2006 volume, “The Yowie: In Search of Australia’s Bigfoot” by Tony Healy and Paul Cropper, captures everything we know and suggests that it has been subjected to much more evidence than the Yeti or Sasquatch. I’ll link to the book in the episode description.

Quietly going about his business, away from any prying eyes, you never know what’s waiting to pounce until it presents itself. For instance, recent reports of Yowie sightings have emerged. In 2016, a hiker claimed to have seen a seven-foot Yowie, and footage captured on YouTube includes photographs of the Ipswich Yowie. Another sighting was reported near a kangaroo carcass along Carnarvon Highway.

Legends of simian-like beings are common in world folklore, such as the Himalayan Yeti, China’s Chi-Chi, Mongolia’s Almas, and Australia’s ‘Forest Men.’ Australia adds itself to the list of lesser-known locations where Bigfoot-like creature reports are described.

The reality of the Yowie will always be in question; however, the role these stories play within our culture is undeniable. For centuries, indigenous tribes passed down stories of these beings, and those narratives often dovetail with their worldview on the land, nature, and how mankind fits into that framework alongside myth.

(Source: Bryan Hill, AncientOriginsUnleashed.com)