Lived in Brissie for years. NW and outer NW. The Land of Traffic Calming, heh.
Been up and down the east coast for most of my life, currently about 2hrs NW of your location. Nice spot. A lot of potential. Of course, with all this damned bush in the way ,especially the old growth forest that has NEVER been cleared and is the very "deep forest" to which you refer... and oldtimey locals to talk to, I have a hard time forming such definite opinions as those living in Townhouse-ville seem able to... my loss, I guess.
The rest of your post... Uh. What? Sorry? Forced your hand? Not wishing to judge? Ohhh k then.
Talk about ragging on ppl with a smile
Failing that, chance you could provide a few examples of my "underhanded" motive, or my disinformation?
I believe. In some cases, strongly suspect. In others, have a vague inkling at best. I do not have to believe in precisely the same manner as you, or the acknowledged "leaders in the field". The first doctor to suggest washing your hands between patients was not exactly thinking inside the box, either, and look where that got us.
I guess I have a different perspective having both a naturalist and a strongly Indigenous point of view on such matters.
I just don't need to believe every thing I read.
I actually believe there are numerous causes for what is thrown into the "yowie" basket, but among them, are genuine yowies. I believe these are compatible with other primates for breeding purposes, which has over time lead to the formation of a "grex", that is, a gene pool so muddled and a species so varied as to at times be as different from each other, as they are similar to each other.
Many tribes in fact have NO mythos relating to large hairy critters, and many that do regard em as suitable for scaring kids away from waterholes on their own, and to stop their daugters wandering off back in the old times. Others, report wholeheartedly of a real and quite worrying entity in the vicinity. So, on the topic of "disinformation"... it might be an idea to stop lumping hundreds of at times highly disparite cultural groups into the one category. "reality" for one mob is a bit of a laugh for another, and somewhere in between for yet another... it is not as simple, let alone as coherent across the nation, as the "the Aborigines say..." arguement would tend to suggest.
I never doubt another person's experience, but I do not have to agree with their conclusions. And for that matter, noone has to agree with mine
So where's the confusion exactly? Tell me, so we both know. Or are you referring to my willingness to have my own theories, and occasional (very temporary!) conclusions, rather than just swallow any old bit of data without running it thru my own critical faculties first? or that I can believe someone may be honestlym istaken (and under the influence of a dash of autosuggestion based on their reading habits...) without calling them a faker, a liar or a cheat? Meh. Could care less really.
As I think Shaz was getting at... I don't tend to take myself, or my own little theories, too seriously. In fact, I am usually pretty damned careful to make that pretty damned clear. One of the greatest injuries to science is when people confuse narrative, with reality. There is nothing wrong with narrative... it's a beautiful thing, it makes us who we are. But. Tales and myths are perhaps not as practical as some hard data.
It's like the tree breaks thing... yep, some of em are inexplicable and I know foresters who readily agree. Shame that 90 percent of photos online are entirely natural phenomena. Now, taht doesn't mean those that been "taken in" by their own wishful thinking are idiots - I just think the whole field would be better off if people who may not be as experienced in the scrub do not get distracted by the first thing they see... and instead set about finding those TRULY mysterious signs.
I'm not here to toe and party line, if that's what you're getting at. I'm also not here to pat backs and rub egos over some wind damage

But I am here because I enjoy having somewhere I can spout my strangeness among the likeminded... who may not agree with my theories, or my approach.. but just as I admire anyone iwlling to put some hard work into this field, I hope others can see that I am sincere, if nothing else.
I could come up with cutesy poo tales to go with any one of my photos, for example. But I don't. What would be the point? I'd know I was bullshitting, which'd suck, and it wold also be wasting the time of genuine researchers, many of whom have limited time, resource and energy with which to investigate claims.
I believe in a lot of occult science, for example. But I can accept the Salem trials had bugger all tod owith witches, and a lot to do with ergot poisoning and small town mentalities
Life is a work in progress and sometimes... it's hard work making any progress
Anyways... let me know where the "disinfo" is, and I'll try to sort out the mess for you.
Curiously, for any "what the hell" I recieve, I tend to recieve two or three "hey, really enjoying that! nice to see a fresh attitude! bla bla bla!" so I guess what ya lose on the roundabouts, you make up on the straights
I'd be also curious to know, on the topic of misinformation, if you ahve actually crunched the missing persons data available? There are in fact bugger all people go missing in the bush, certainly not enough to account for the dietary requirements of creatures that I would suggest would have at least a 4000ca a day requirement.
Unless they are keeping humans captve in cave sustems and making us breed for their dining tables... hey now there's a thought.
So yeah... get back to me (or back at me, which seems more appropriate). Sometime I may let you force my hand, I do love a bit of pointless ape v ape conduct... don't you?
Ooka - Ook, Ook!