Last weekend Topender and myself hit the road to check out the locations of past Yowie reports and to explore a new area where some campers were recently spooked.
Topender had compiled some good data on reports around the Acacia Hills region and as we toured from site to site it became apparent that all the locations had similarities. They were all "fringe" properties that backed onto the same river system and also followed the same mountain range. All the locations were also in surprisingly close proximity to one another.
Needless to say we are very keen to explore those mountains however it seems this can only be done through private property (including the locations of interest). We did find a promising track through an Aboriginal community however it is now the wet season and access is an issue. We'll just have to wait until the dry season before we can go walkabout in that neck of the woods. Topender has spoken to some community members and they knew all about the "Hairy Fella" so hopefully we can get some directions when the time is right.
We hit the road once more and headed to the Douglas Daly area, about an hour south, to check out the site where some campers had been spooked. After finding the spot we saddled up and made tracks. Topender got to break in his brand new official AYR s#@t (sorry, shirt).
I also got to test drive my official customised AYR camelback. Very comfortable but I need to make a mental note to flush the bladder a few times because the water had that new plastic taste to it. Yummy!
After finding the camping site we headed up into the high country. The subject area was basically a big natural basin surrounded by a rocky ridge formation. It was hard going but worth the effort.
The area we were searching was very rugged with lots of bush and rocky outcrops. Although there was plenty of deadfall there was nothing that looked unnatural or out of place. We did find a couple of interesting impressions in the ground however they weren't clear enough to make any conclusions except to say they weren't easily attributed to a known animal.
We kept scouting around without too much success and decided to move on. We came across a remarkable rock formation that was very unusual for up here. There is a river system nearby and I can only assume it has been formed through years of water erosion but I have never come across anything quite like it. There was a maze-like pattern to them and it was easy to assume these rocks probably have some sort of cultural significance. We forgot about Yowies for a while and took our time examining these rocks. For some reason they reminded me of those stone heads at Easter Island. They definitely belong in my cool book.
During our exploration of these rocks we soon discovered that they were abundant with small caves. We were back in Yowie mode and started to give the caves a closer inspection. We had found one earlier in the day that appeared to have been "smoothed out" by something to the point that even the wasp nests had been removed. Not sure if something was after the insects that wasps leave for the larvae but they were well protected from rain.
Topender also found a cave with a small collection of bones. The remarkable thing about some of these caves is that they had small holes eroded through them and in many cases saplings had found their way into these holes and trees were literally growing through the rocks.
After marvelling at rocks and caves for a while we decide to head back to a creek bed we had spotted earlier. It was mostly dry and basically a series of small billabongs starting to refill with the first rains of the wet season. After walking for a short while we found a series of old prints in the sand. It had rained recently so the prints had deteriorated quite a bit but they definitely gave us the energy to keep looking. Although we were quite a distance from any town the Top End is plagued with fishermen and we were fairly close to a road. I would assume these prints are human in nature but it's nice to imagine otherwise.
After the footprints boosted our spirits we decided to keep trekking. I was out on point when a huge splash shattered the serenity of the bush. My first thought was "Yowie!" then "Pig!" and then the obvious. I'd spooked a crocodile sunning himself on the sand and he decided to get into his comfort zone. After a while his mate also jumped in from the other side of the bank.
This was in a small waterhole in the middle of a dry creek bed and even us hardened locals had been thinking it was a nice place for a swim. The bottom line is that apart from your back yard swimming pool there is no safe place to swim up here which sucks because every day is perfect for swimming. It's like nature is constantly tempting you to do something stupid.
Come to think of it, those tracks we found only went one way. We didn't see any headed in the other direction. I hope some poor soul didn't head down to the 'ol waterhole and meet his fate. Unfortunately it wouldn't be the first time it's happened up here.
I wonder if crocs like Yowies or vice versa? It's an interesting point that Topender bought up after our reptilian encounter because when you think of it the Top End is the only part of Australia (or the world) where Yowies could potentially be one step below on the food chain. When you think that a large croc can kill a full grown buffalo it makes you wonder how a Yowie would go. That would be some amazing footage to capture!
Anyhow, this is a photo of the guy that snapped us back into reality. After submerging for a while he decided to surface for a bo-peep and see what we were up to. We weren't going swimming that's for sure. This fella wasn't huge but neither are we. Topender managed to get this photo while he was eyeballing us. Shame cameras don't have polarised lenses because there was much more to see below the surface.
After meeting the local overgrown lizards we decided we'd had enough for the day and headed back to the vehicle. On the way we found a really cool nest made by a Bower Bird. I'd read about these nests but never found one before. These guys collect anything shiny to make their poon palace as attractive as possible so the materialistic female Bower Bird will become enthralled with all the bling and deem the male Bower Bird worthy of mating with. Nature can be so cruel.
Anyway, this little guy had collected a pile of shells, tin foil, bottle caps, glass, plastic and even the little tabs used to open beer cans. He'd gone all out and all he needed was a flat screen T.V. and a Porsche.
After leaning in to get some photos I started to wonder where Mr and Mrs Bower Bird were. Their home seemed to be eerily quiet. On closer inspection I soon found out. If you look closely at this photo you'll see what I mean.
You would think this is a great time to just call it a day and head back but Topender had other ideas. You see, he's got a licence to keep reptiles and has an affinity for these things. He was also on the lookout for a new pet. In true Steve Irwin style he grabbed this thing while saying "I can't really tell if this is a Python or a Brown Snake" which caused me some concern.
Topender handled it like a pro and we were soon inspecting a lovely Python which I thought had a surprisingly good temperament considering the circumstances. We'd just rousted him from his siesta and he was probably enjoying the afterglow of digesting a couple of free loving Bower Birds.
Close inspection showed he had been knocked around a bit and was deemed unworthy for pet keeping purposes. He was soon released and happily made his way to the nearest log. Topender actually travels around with a pillow case for these special occasions but I'm not that keen myself. I like snakes and I'm not scared of them but I've always felt comfortable giving them their space.
That was it for the day. We were both pretty buggered by now. On the way home we decided to stop at the Adelaide River Hotel for a cool refreshing beverage or two.
If you're ever up this way be sure to call in as it's full of character and has a good relaxed atmosphere.
This is a photo of Charlie (the one with the horns).
As many of you probably remember this is the buffalo that Paul Hogan overpowered with his special bushman powers in Crocodile Dundee. He used to live at Adelaide River before dying of old age and is now stuffed and kept in the bar as a Territory icon.
Hope to be able to post more reports soon.
Trev
