Yowiehunters Forum

We have just returned from another Expedition back to the location On the Sunshine Coast (Qld), where I was bowled over by a Yowie between 2 and 3am back in early Jan this year.
I must say that I had many sleepless nights leading up to the Expedition, as I didn’t feel the need for a Ground Hog Day.

Joe, Mikka, Chewy, Aaron, Lasso and Myself had a great time, however there was very little action whatsoever to speak about.

We arrived last Friday. Chewy joined us for the flight and we hired a Nissan Pathfinder at Brisbane Airport. We felt the need for a 4WD due to all the flooding in the past Weeks where in some areas, the river banks had swollen over 13m and several roads had been cut.

We were met there by Mikka and we all drove up to Gympie, where we met Joe at the usual meeting point. After picking up supplies, we headed out to the very same location we camped at during our last visit.

Driving through some places was quite a sight to see just how high the water had risen and the impact it had. It was amazing to see just how much the foliage had changed in just 14 Weeks. Since we opened up a track last time there, it looked as though others had been taking advantage of it.
Joe brought just about everything imaginable which made us all laugh, although it was very much appreciated. After setting up base camp, we headed out on several small hikes in search of prints, but we had no luck and it was beginning to turn dusk.

Joe and Mikka went on a long hike during the dark up a hill for phone reception, while myself Chewy and Lasso guarded the forte.

On this Expedition, considering what had transpired on the last one out there, it was best that we stay together as a group the best we could and there was no wandering off on your own, which is what had me in trouble on the previous visit.

We had Dinner, had a lot of fun telling funny stories (But always with one ear on the forest), and from time to time we would head out on small hikes, sit and listen.


Late night and early morning - after breakfast we headed out on a long hike up and around the Mountains. Joe was carrying a bucket full of plaster, shovel etc
We cut through the location of “Operation Rotation”, where there was a large tree now blocking the path not allowing any vehicles through. Past that point was rather over grown.
Finding ourselves in a valley facing a large hill/mountain, we all sat and listened to the forest noises.

It wasn’t long until “WHACK, WHACK, WHACK” – Came from the top of the hill. I was sitting a little further away from the rest of the group, therefore I couldn’t communicate with the others regarding the tree taps. Not long after “WHACK, WHACK, WHACK” – again from the same location. At that point, I carefully made my way closer to the guys.
We sat there for another 15+ minutes or so before deciding to keep moving up the mountain. During our hike we all discussed the tree Whacks.

Taking the top track, it lead us up a steep incline for what felt like an eternity. It showed me just how unfit I have become. When close to the top, it was time-out for a sit and listen to our surroundings.

Besides the loud bug noises, it was the quietest I have ever found it out there in regard to the past 24 hours. Normally we would have had more action than two bursts of tree taps. There was no movement in the valleys below. After 15 – 20 mins, it was gain time to move on. This time back to base where it was again time to explore our own backyard, including the ‘Arena’, where I was attacked.

When we arrived to the ‘Operation Rotation’ site, Joe and Mikka decided to heap up stream towards the camp and the rest of us would take the tracks.
After being our and hiking Mountains for a few hours, I really needed some rest. I picked up Joes bucket to take back to camp. I believe both my arms are now 2” longer. I have no idea how he made it so far carrying that. It was similar to carrying a large clump of concrete with a plastic handle. I can now scratch my ankles without bending over.


Once back at Base, we all had a well deserved rest before heading back out again. Firstly we went to the ‘Arena’. Joe and Mikka showed me where they found me (in a pool of water), and shed a clearer perspective on the event. It seemed like this thing was much closer to me when than I thought when they arrived. It was dwelling in the bushes just behind me. It didn’t seem to have much fear of us.

If it was still hanging around scoping me while they were there, God knows what it would have continued to do if they didn’t arrive at all. I would dare say that it had NOT finished with me and the boys had disrupted its objective.

Even when we were pursuing it, he just kept a short distance from us. When Joe went back to camp to get Lasso, Mikka and myself sat there - it stopped as if to let us know that it was not scared of us. It simply stood there staring at us for the entire time in defiance. At one stage it had a coughing fit.

We could clearly see his eyes glowing in the un-moon lit dark with nothing to reflect off.
Joe did a sound test from that side of the hill and the reverb sounded just like an eco in a cave – thus the reason why at first that was our thinking. It was too dark to tell, but it certainly sounded like it at the time.

We went over what had happened and tried to put all the pieces together. We found how he could get down the Mountain so quickly to me, where I landed, where he exited and where we followed him to. It all came together.....

Joe and Mikka then hiked up the Mountain where it came from to look for clues and/or a possible track that is well used. My legs were like jelly, therefore I passed! I could barely get out of the ‘Arena’.

That night after Dinner, we took shifts above the ‘Arena’. Aaron and Mikka – Joe and Chewy. I stayed with Joe and Chewy for a while before heading back to Lasso.
There was little to no action at all for the entire night.

Below are some pictures from the Weekend. Lasso and joe will post more from their Cam’s soon.


DMH

I will also add that on the second night right on dusk myself, Dean and Joe felt quite uneasy, the noises of the bush stopped and there was a strange feeling amongst the our surroundings which we all felt. While the others were away from camp (Lasso and Mikka) I thought I heard one very clear loud wood knock and also some bipedal footsteps and that was it for the night there was no more action.

That night also we did however play an experiment on the other members of the camp. We tried to get as close to camp as possible without making the other members of camp notice us. The experiment was quite an eye opener we where able to get within 20 metres of camp without being noticed at one point the torch was shone directly at us and we where still not noticed. We could have stayed there for quite some time. It was only when the experiment got boring that we decided to make our locations known and so Joe hence forth decided to cough. The experiment made us realize how easy a Yowie could sneak up on camp and just watch and observe and we would have no idea.

It was great to meet up with everyone again and I had an extremely good time although nothing much really happened I look forward to the next time.

doctorscream wrote:Note the 5 possible yowie spirit orbs. The little guy closest to Amazon woman appears to be in a dimension closest to man's dimension, since it appears to be the most solid. It also appears to be attracted to the ladies which is exactly what you would expect them to be. All orbs are probably in telepathic mind reading mode, and experiencing for the yowie, what you might label as an out of body experience.

Hey Doc.

I could be wrong but I think you'll find that the near-solid spirit orb is actually the lamp being suspended between two trees by Amazon Woman. You can see it quite clearly in the other photos after it has been tuned on.

Don't mean to burst your bubble.

Cheers.

Not the lamp. I just checked at full Res and changed the levels to lighter. The only lamp we had is sitting on the chair below Lasso. Also, Lasso was still putting the string up and the lamp wasn't hooked up until we had the tarp on. You can see the lamp on its side with the lens facing to the right if you blow up this picture. It hangs upsided down.

You can also make out that the string is far away from the light.

Could be a flash light? Rather small with no surrounding beam though....

I don't know what it is.

Just one of those things you only see after taking the shot I guess.

DMH

Big thanks for Dean and Lasso for the lift up and Joe for bringing everything but the kitchen sink

Pitty we didn't have much happen but as always had a good time with plenty of laughs.


As for the "Orbs" myself im a firm believer that they are dust and rain from my amateur photographic experience

The kitchen sink just wouldn't fit, no matter how hard I tried! Besides, Mrs Black would have been most upset!

Great report Dean! It was indeed a great trip with lots of laughs and I was happy with the results. Nothing spectacular happened this time round, but enough little things did happen to keep it all interesting.

The two sets of three tree whacks at 10am was a highlight. The area was isolated and there were no other humans aside from us, for kilometres. I was expecting a third set and thus began a video recording, but the third set never arrived.

As Chewy noted, the bush did go very, very still at one point, right on dusk. Myself, Dean, and Chewy each felt very uneasy. That feeling of dread seemed to lift after only a short time and the insects started up again.

There were also two further occasions where the bush became eerily silent, and a strong smell of what was described as distinctly similar to pungent horse urine or manure wafted through part of the camp area on a slight breeze. Again, there were no livestock for kilometres. Mikka can bear testament to the smell!

I'm not one for hearing voices, but whilst sitting with Chewie and Dean above the arena in the pitch blackness, I could have sworn I heard what I described at the time as the sound of Aborigines chattering or chanting, just audible, emanating from high up towards one of the ridges. It seems an unimportant detail, and probably the observations of an overactive imagination, but here is as best a place as any to record it for posterity.

Of importance, I found going over the sequence of events from the beginning of the year in the arena in the midday sun, to be a great way of gaining extra perspective on that event, and a debriefing of sorts for those of us who were involved. That poor dragonfly!

Cheers,

j. black

If you had more room in your car Joe, you would have brought the whole kitchen and an ensuite.

Here are a few pictures from my camera from the Weekend.

Nice Photos Lasso

In regards to the sand on the tree..... cheeky......very cheeky indeed

Looks like fun guys. I'll be sure to post some shots of our next trip.

Sure Romeo, I will make sure you get an invite on our next trip out!


Lasso

I have some questions/observations:

Chewy wrote:I heard ... some bipedal footsteps and that was it for the night there was no more action.

Q. How do you differentiate between the sounds made when walking by a biped and a quadruped? Examining the motions:

Quadrupeds sprint by thrusting off their hind legs simultaneously while their front legs land separately for balance and direction creating a distinct galloping sound: *__***__***__***

* = contact with ground, sound
__ = leg(s) in motion, no sound

However, while walking or trotting quadrupeds move and place 2 of their 4 legs (right front & back left or left front & right back) simultaneously thereby maximising balance and economy creating a *__*__*__*__* sound. The quadruped walking sound, then, is audibly indistinct from that of a biped:
*__*__*__*__*.

Thus, a possum (or nearly every other mammal) walking between trees would sound the same as a biped.

Exactly what creature is walking in the forest at night needs to be confirmed visually.
____________________________________________________________________

joe black wrote:a strong smell of what was described as distinctly similar to pungent horse urine or manure wafted through part of the camp area on a slight breeze. Again, there were no livestock for kilometres.

Q. How can you be sure? Just because you didn't see them doesn't necessarily mean they weren't there. If there was extensive logging nearby indicates the area was not most likely State Forest or adjacent to State Forest. It is not uncommon for cattle to graze in State Forest. Did you actively look out for cow/horse droppings on your walks? Another possibility is feral dear - again not uncommon within the region. Large male dear can be quite pungent and their pellet-like droppings are very difficult to detect.

Exactly what creature reeks nearby needs to be confirmed visually.
____________________________________________________________________

It is noted that in the above 2 incidents reported by AYR that there was no speculation about exactly what creatures were responsible. Whether or not these incidents were suspicious is in the eye of the beholder however I suggest that the evidence favours the non-Yowie explanation.
____________________________________________________________________

The "Orbs"

It is curious how the New Age speculation about their significance continues. However, in these instances the most likely explanation, the one which no-one has yet mentioned, would be: INSECTS.

The Australian bush literally comes alive after dark with a whole host of flying insects whose high-speed fluttering wings create the illusion of a translucent sphere when illuminated by flash and captured on camera using a shutter speed of less than 1/500s.

Camera settings at that shutter speed at night would allow too little light into the lens thereby capturing a very dark and indistinct image. Typically, automatic shutter speeds for night flash photography are much lower - 1/8s to 1/60s. Thus, any flying insect in shot would appear orb-like particularly if they were the larger variety (eg moths) or if they are close enough to the camera.

To complicate matters further, some nocturnal insects also give off their own eye shine again creating the impression of a tiny translucent ball of light when captured with flash photography.
___________________________________________________________________

I also have other questions/observations but will wait to see how these current ones are examined.

Hey Night walker

You have wrongly quoted me I said I thought I heard not I heard. At no stage did I say that it was Yowie, it was an observation, something I thought I heard. So I thought I would tell it as it is, I could have said nothing and dismissed the whole event but chose to tell it anyway. I am not one to jump to conclusions and say that everything I hear is Yowie related that would be premature. It was around the same time that Joe; Dean and myself felt a sense of uneasiness. The footsteps had a soft thump, thump, thump, thump to them as if something was walking down the hill with purpose towards our camp it could have been anything really.

I will say that it was not a possum the footsteps were too heavy. The only time I have know to have heard a possum walking is if it was on our roof!

I stand corrected on the "I thought I heard..." part but this then raises further questions (see below). However, I did not claim that you or any of the AYR team said it was a Yowie. Note (from above):

Night Walker wrote:It is noted that in the above 2 incidents reported by AYR that there was no speculation about exactly what creatures were responsible. Whether or not these incidents were suspicious is in the eye of the beholder however I suggest that the evidence favours the non-Yowie explanation.

________________________________________

Chewy wrote:I am not one to jump to conclusions and say that everything I hear is Yowie related that would be premature.

I agree that jumping to conclusions is unwise. However, are you REALLY not the kind to do so?

Lasso wrote:Chewy was quick to call us over and show us his find. Sand all over a log. Sand from the creek below - but why? How? In such a remote and unhospitable location? ... He was becoming very excited and began painting scenario's about how and why the Yowie did this ... We were all quick to point out that is was only saw dust !!!!! Oh Chewy!

I can only go with what is reported.
________________________________________

Chewy wrote:The footsteps had a soft thump, thump, thump, thump to them as if something was walking down the hill with purpose towards our camp it could have been anything really.

Did you hear a soft thump, thump, thump or did you only think you heard it?
How can you determine it was walking down the hill towards your camp if you only thought you heard it?
Why would you describe it as walking "with purpose" if you only thought you heard it?
A soft thump, thump, thump sound would most likely be a small wallaby. Did you investigate? If not why not?

Along with the the feelings of unease and episodes of bush silence there is much in the reports to SUGGEST something was out there but without actually saying so. Is it helpful or informative to imply this?

I am merely being inquisitive and seeking clarification.

Hey Night walker

I don’t jump to conclusions in regards to the sand incident most of the group thought it was sand before I personally picked up some and told them it was saw dust. Lasso twisted the story to make out that it was me who thought it was sand, therefore my comment later on “Cheeky very cheeky indeed”.

The sounds where audible to the point where you question yourself for hearing them. I know most people to have had a similar experience before. Again I did not jump to conclusions.

Chewys right, it was an inside joke .

"jumping to conclusions is unwise" I agree with, even more so over the net as you lose all context sadly, as to what is exactly meant behind the words.

I agree with and accept your explanation as being correct. Context, personal references, and good old Aussie humour sometimes do not translate well textually. Chewy has been vindicated.

However, Chewy DID jump to the conclusion that the indistinct thump-thump sounds were BIPEDAL rather than the distant thump of a rock wallaby - common in the area and feeds at night. It scared the carp out of me the first time I heard it - "WTF !?!" Fortunately, I have subsequently tempered my response to their scamperings. Rock wallabies enjoy living in areas with lots of rocks and caves though. Did you find and check out any caves while out there?

When writing reports or recollections, though, it is best to be as descriptive as possible without tainting it with personal judgements. Call it like you see it, not how you interpret it.

Now, how about those other points I raised previously?

Night Walker wrote: However, Chewy DID jump to the conclusion that the indistinct thump-thump sounds were BIPEDAL rather than the distant thump of a rock wallaby - common in the area and feeds at night.

How can you be sure it was not bipedal were you there? I stated something I felt or thought I heard. To suggest it was a rock wallaby or any other animal you’re coming to a no basis conclusion yourself. This area has a long history of Yowie's so there is every possibility that it was but I'm not jumping to conclusions.

If you wish to continue on your talk about possums sounding bipedal and all quadruped’s also sounding Bipedal then please continue on your rant. I have heard kangaroos in the bush and know their methodical sounding thump. This sounded different.

Anyway, We can’t possibly know what it was without seeing it. It was my interpretation on what I believe I heard.

Night Walker wrote:Did you find and check out any caves while out there?

As for the Caves we found none but there is a rumour from someone that knows the area well and has lots of aboriginal links that there is one cave. How true this is I don’t know.

Night Walker wrote:When writing reports or recollections, though, it is best to be as descriptive as possible without tainting it with personal judgements. Call it like you see it, not how you interpret it.

I disagree If we didn't interpret then science would get no where, I am sure Einstein himself interpreted many things before coming to his conclusions. If we didn't interpret as species how would we grow.

Rant? Oh, come on, Chewy. I expect better from you.

Are you seriously suggesting that the indistinct thump, thump, thump you THOUGHT you heard was more likely to be some form of biped (Yowie) walking "with purpose" rather than simply a rock wallaby - a night feeder and common in the area? Sure, I wasn't there but I do walk in the mountains at night often and I do know the sound you are referring to.

If you did think it was a biped why didn't you go to investigate? Is that not why you were there in the first place?

By straight away describing what you heard as bipedal footsteps you are guiding the reader towards your predetermined conclusion without offering any information about the actual sound you heard. That is misleading, Chewy. Furthermore, are you seriously suggesting Einstein interpreted his findings without accurately describing them first? That is a NSA-phone-dial proposition.

However, by first describing what you experienced as accurately as possible you are then, of course, free to add your interpretation. The reader is in a more informed position to understand the situation and, if necessary, offer their own interpretation based on the information. THIS is how science gets anywhere, Chewy.

From an academic point of view if the manner in which you collect, interpret, and report your findings is flawed then so are the conclusions. You risk invalidating the entire body of your work (years and years of it) because of undisciplined and inaccurate practices. I'm not sure AYR understand the significance of this...

I am almost scared at what I'll find if I review the AYR back-catalogue of reports.

Night Walker wrote:Now, how about those other points I raised previously?

I still have further points waiting to be raised...

Night Walker wrote:Are you seriously suggesting that the indistinct thump, thump, thump you THOUGHT you heard was more likely to be some form of biped (Yowie) walking "with purpose" rather than a rock wallaby.

The area is notorious for its encounters. My first thought was bipedal if you want to discredit that then by all means do. The sounds were heard the same time Joe, Dean and myself became quite uneasy. The noises of the bush stopped and the ear became quite attuned to any noise that was heard. I didn’t investigate because I didn’t think it warranted investigation, it wasn’t loud enough. Boy if I investigated every sound I heard thinking it was Yowie I would never get any sleep. I’m familiar to the sound of a wallaby this was different.

Night Walker wrote:I do know the sound you are referring to.

Do you? Again were you there?

Night Walker wrote:By straight away describing what you heard as bipedal footsteps you are guiding the reader towards your predetermined conclusion without offering any information about the actual sound you heard.

I gave you an opinion to what I believe to noise to be I never said it was Yowie I just said it sounded bipedal, I also gave a description of the sounds, is not the person who heard these sounds entitled to give an opinion.

Night Walker wrote:From an academic point of view if the manner in which you collect, interpret, and report your findings is flawed then so are the conclusions.

I agree, but what if what you collect, interpret and report is not flawed.

I have chosen to give an opinion on what I heard,

I eagerly look forward to hearing about some of your own expeditions and or reports and findings.

"My first thought was bipedal" - like I said: you need to explain the sound BEFORE you come to your interpretation. The sound you heard was clarified later by yourself as being a "soft thump, thump, thump, thump." I am saying you need to mention that BEFORE you interpret that the sounds were bipedal, walking with purpose downhill towards your camp.

By NOT doing so you are misleading (perhaps unintentionally - but I can't understand why you wouldn't know this already) the readers to your fanciful interpretation - a bipedal, walking with purpose downhill towards your camp. That is a low bow to draw considering you originally only THOUGHT you heard it.

I had to prod you to give an actual description of the sound. I shouldn't have to do that - you should be presenting it BEFORE you present your conclusions. Is that unreasonable?

This is just basic report writing. It serves to increase your credibility by following a logical pattern: describe, interpret, conclude. Why don't you know this, Chewy?

I am trying to help.

It does not help if you are unwilling to see your flaws.

Flaws in methodology decrease credibility.

That is bad.

I can't say this any clearer.

I am trying to help.

Can we move on and attempt to reasonably address the earlier points I raised. Please.

p.s. When I have something to report then I will do so. I will certainly not embellish my experiences with suspicions and fanciful interpretations. Simple as that.

Sorry Chewy but Ihave to agree with NW. You're taking his response personally and I don't believe it is meant that way.

Compare you report with the recent one, by Skeet, viewtopic.php?f=45&t=2547

Note the difference between the two reports. Skeet simply reported what he saw and heard. He drew no conclusions. One of the best reports that I have read in a while.

As NW suggests, you're report immediately ascribed a biais towards the sound being created by a yowie without any actual evidence of it. I've heard plenty of strange thumps and crashes in the bush but I don't immediately ascribe them to yowies, even when in an area that has had yowie stories.

Again, it's not a criticism of you or your story, its a suggestion to write the facts first and offer your opinions second. Doing it that way lifts the credibility of the story and allows those who weren't there to paint the picture for themselves. Look at what happened to 'Dean vs Yowie' from people who were actually on the expedition!

I read your account and immediately thought that you were 'manufacturing something from nothing', whereas I read Skeet's post and thought "that's very interesting and puzzling." I'm still scratching my head on that one and would love to see some clear, objective follow-up.

Again I am only giving an opinion, an interpretation on what I believe I heard. To me it sounded biped.

Yes, Bill the cat I have no evidence of it, but how do you give evidence to something you hear, you can’t you can only give an opinion or an interpretation of the events, which I’ve done for the readers.

Surely that’s not a sin

The first night I heard a pack of dingoes howling in the night so are you going to say to me they weren’t dingoes without conclusive evidence? Or that in hearing the dingoes my interpretation was wrong and that I’m jumping to conclusions?

Come on guys really……..

Humour is ALWAYS appreciated, doctorscream.

Fair enough, Chewy but could you please explain HOW and WHY you favour the biped interpretation. I readily admit to being confounded by your reasoning and contrary to what you say you actually CAN give detailed auditory evidence by simply and accurately discribing exactly what you heard. Let's continue this on a new thread: "Auditory Analysis and Comparison: Biped v Wallaby".

I look forward to your analysis, Chewy.

So, again:

Night Walker wrote:Now, how about those other points I raised previously?

Other points:

Regarding the pungent odour - in the particular valley we were in, there seemed to be a distinct absence of larger mammals including wallabies and kangaroos. As for livestock, there is livestock some kilometres away from this valley, but they are contained by electric fencing and cattle grids. The fencing stretches for kilometres keeping them in. Our daytime hikes ranged from dawn to dusk in the valley and surrounding hills and valleys. No stray horses, cows, or bulls were observed, or heard, along with no droppings from such animals. That the odours accompanied a bush silence of sorts, is worthy of note and nothing more due to the source of the smell remaining unknown.

As for the "orbs", I see no evidence of orbs in any of the photos taken.

Thank you for your reply, Joe.

Can you clarify the status of the land that you were on - State Forest, freehold, other?

In your opinion, what were the little balls of light pointed out and highlighted in the pictures above?

A group of people in the woods makes considerably more noise than 1 or 2 individuals so perhaps most of the aimals were well alerted to your general presence and stayed appropriately away. Would you agree with that assessment or, in your opinion, was there "something else" (some biped) out there as Chewy has strongly suggested?

Suspicions aside, do any of the events described support a "something else"-(biped)-being-out-there conclusion or simply a regular-night-in-the-bush conclusion?

Hi NW,

Below is a picture of the terrain to give you a clearer perspective on the location and surrounding areas.

It is State Forestry and the cattle are a long way over a few hills/mountains.

In regard to making a lot of noise ourselves - that is what we normally don't do - especially at night. We make a point of being as stealth as possible and normal and sit tight in the one place. Generally only teams of two, sometimes on a rotation basis or sometimes groups of two have their own differing locations to manage.

There is no right or wrong in this game. It all depends on the personality of the target. Best let him come to you, rather than try to go to him.

Sometimes stealth/sit/wait works. Other times, making noise sparks their interest and they will come for a look. Simply depends on their personality.

When the one that hit me came along, I was positive that he was on his way down to base at the time to see what all the noise was about (as that was the direction he was heading). When I stood up and got on the radio - he had a sudden change of plans....... Ouch.......
I digress.... The location is mountainous, remote, enormous and sits right in the middle of some of the most active areas of the Country.
We have been visiting the location for over a decade and have many stories of our own and from many other people who had been there before us.

Not many people know of this exact area or the significance of it.
I remember when we took Glennys and George Mackay (in their 50’s at the time), in their large camper van, they were hit at about 3am. The campervan was so large that two of our team could not make it move, however what was outside one night, was rocking it from side to side to the point where George fell out of bed and began yelling at it. Right outside the front door was a fantastic print in clay, which we cast.

At the time, the rest of the crew was on top of the mountain miles away. They had been left behind because the camper was too large to attempt to try and get it in any further.
Gosh I rattle on....... always away from the subject!

I hope the picture below provides a good insight.

DMH

In addition to what Dean said, I've been out to that site on my own and conducted my own solo treks. Unlike other mountainous areas there does seem to be a distinct lack of animal life in that area.

Regarding the orbs : Upon reviewing the photo with Lasso tying the rope to the tree, I would say the light on the ground is an illuminating mag light as you can see the length of the black handle behind it. As for the circular one suspended mid-air, I had initially taken it to be the suspended camp lamp, but due to it's circular shape and comparing it with photos unmistakably depicting the suspended camp lamp, now I don't know what to make of it.

Whilst the smells, bush silences, uneasy feelings, and possible sounds of bipedal walking are all inconclusive, the tree whacks heard by four of us is less easy to explain away.

Dean, Chewy and Mikka at the exact spot of Dean's experience:

Hey Joe,

The lack of ground dwelling animal life out there is like nothing I have seen in any forest. No Wallabies, No Roo's, No Zebra's...... Only bugs, bugs and more bugs that can suddenly call a stop work meeting and become deathly silent at once.

I think it was the first night we were there last Week that we felt uneasy.

In regard to the two sets of three tree wacks on top of the hill, I can't name any known native animal that can work a tree fax. The more I think about it, the more I wonder why we didn't send one back?? Normally we would? Tree's do not wack themselves like that and animals can't do it. There were no Humans around..... That just leaves our hairy friends who commonly do this.

When we were there in Jan, I had one just near the track only (as a guess), 50 yards from me that was absolutely SLAMMING the tree. After what happened the night before, I was just a tad apprehensive about walking past it back to base. I think it had taken me about 10 mins of standing there staring before I moved on. I was by myself and was stripped of all hero status from the previous night, so I simply kept my head down and walked quickly. "I don't want to know, I don't want to know, I don't want to know.........."

They like the tree tapping out there. Sometimes we hear another one respond from another area.

Once I saw what had to be a smaller one, run through the foliage (you could hear it running and see the small trees swaying as he made his way through them), and he ran up to a tree – wack, wack, wack..... Then he ran off up the hill. Next second to the other side of us – wack, wack, wack...... a response. Most likely hitting the tree with his mobile phone..... They rarely read instructions.


Oh here’s an interesting one (speaking of constantly getting off the subject). I was listening to Sasquatch Watch Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sasquatchwatchradio ) last Week and I was listening to a researcher telling a story regarding a BF he had Zeroed. At one stage during the night he lit up a glow stick and hung it from a tree. Later in the night they heard a noise and observed the glow stick moving through the forest and disappearing into the distance. I guess it would be interesting and a non aggressive novelty.

Another good BF radio show archive is my friend Don Keatings - http://www.nowlive.com/desktop/default. ... =100288192
Both worth the time to listen. If you go to Sasquatch watch radio, scroll down to Henry Franzoni (who is mentioned on another recent thread here), and see what you think.

DMH

Could you, in as much detail as needed, please describe the sounds of these "tree whacks" and/or "tree taps"? Sound, time, approximate direction, estimated distance, etc. Is there any qualitative difference between "whacks" and "taps"?

Thanks.

Simply do it yourself.

Go outside, pick up and 4ft long, 4-5" thick branch and smash it 3 times as hard as you can against a thick tree with little to no bark - you've got it! Thats how it sounds.

How loud you hear it depends on how close it is to you. Sometimes close, sometimes quite a distance away.

DMH