Would you consider this an encounter?
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 6:57 pm
Hi Folks
As you can see I am new to this board, and I thought I would relive a personal experience with you to get your opinion on what may have been taking place. Im sorry but it may be a little bit long for those with a short attention span!!
Im a keen fisherman and during the summer months regularly fish Borumba dam near Imbil which is just south of Gympie. To try and set the scene Borumba dam is nestled in very deep valleys where some banks consist of native gums and grasses through to dense rainforest with enormous fig trees supporting huge staghorns. Overall the terrain is very steep leading down to the dam itself progressively flattening in the upper reaches of the "arms" which were the original 3 rivers which were dammed to create the lake itself in the 60s.
There are three arms to the lake, Borumba, the Yabba and the Kingham arm. One afternoon while fishing the yabba arm with a friend we were casting lures on a large bend where the hills plummet into the water. The bank is heavily timbered with Fig trees and has a rainforest look to it. Closer to the waters edge at this particular point there are also clusters of lantana.
Well above us a massive commotion erupted, unable to see what was going we both just stood there with our mouths open wondering what was going on. Like a thundering stampede heading straight at us was the sound of trees shaking, bushes being smashed, branches breaking and rocks tumbling down the face of the hill , i actually though it must have been an avalanche of sorts.
Suddenly close to the waters edge five female red deer burst from the bush in an absolute panic, confonted by the waters edge they tried to half swim half scramble at the boggy edge of the lake in any direction other than that which they had come. Crashing into each other in absolute panic, you could clearly see the whites of their eyes, and the veins bulging in their necks and hind quaters at the obvious massive rush of adrenaline. One was starting to foam at the mouth in her obviously chaotic frame of mind. Thrashing madly in every direction the deer were obviously taken over by a primal fear that extreme danger was cluthcing at them. They saw us but didnt cosider us a threat in comparison to whatever it was charging down the hill at them.
The odd thing was the heavy thumping smashing sound still thundering down the hill towards the waters edge. It had a very different sound to that of the deer. While they were doing plenty of crashing and smashing they still had that constant stampede sound of many hooves pounding the ground. The only way to describe the sound of what was still charging down the hill was like a person running down a really high sand hill. If you have done it you will know what i mean. The thumps of the footfalls were much more spaced and had a very heavy thump each time they hit the ground. When you run down a sandhill your steps are huge leaps with all of your body weight smashing down with each foot fall. Branches were still snapping underfoot and the obvious movement within the bush gave the impression of sapplings being grabbed for support in the steep terrain.
Meanwhile the deer (still in a mad panic) managed to all head along the bank to a small creek inlet and again made a run for a flatter section of bush where they could be heard running rampantly in obvious panic and smashing their way off into the distance.
Needless to say we were still there standing on the deck of the boat wondering what was going on and what the hell was going to come bursting out of the bush at us.
Suddenly you could see a cluster of bush bow forward down towards the water and what sounded like something coming to a skidding halt. Rocks clattered down the hill and all was quiet. It was as if whatever it was coming down the hill looked up from its fixation on the deer saw two dumb guys on a boat looking up the hill.
looking at each other we had one of those really intense WTF moments where no one is game to speak or even suggest what might be within casting distance up the hill.
One thing that was really noticable was the absolute silence. From all of the choas previously experienced it was suddenly deathly quiet. Powering the electric motor i quickly slipped us away from the bank and back towards the main basin. Gradually the noise came back to the bush, but the really creepy thing was the occasional heavy crack of a thick branch beneath foot and clutter of rocks tumbling from whatever it was trudging back up the hill.
A friend also had a similar experience with a very large buck red deer with a full set of antlers charging down to the waters edge and actually swimming past his boat foaming at the mouth and eyes white with terror constantly looking behind himself. My friend said that the deer had no concern for the boat or himself (something i might add they will usually bolt at the first sign of) he said the deer hit the other bank and was constantly looking behind itself as it powered up the hill. He said the buck hit the top of the ridge and started punching out a huge bellow which is very different to that of "the roar" (the breeding season bellow) a warning perhaps?
My personal expeirences in the area iclude the following.
- I can without hesitation say that I have heard clacking and thumping when on Borumba
-I have also noticed stripped trees close to the waters edge.
-I have also heard clattering rocks tumbling down a hill side, starting with a heavy thump and clack like they have been thrown.
-I have only once set foot on the bank in the upper reaches so I havent seen tracks of note.
-I have certainly had that eerie being watched feeling and also had people with me say it completely out of the blue when fishing at Borumba.
So there you go. Needless to say we caught fish and had a great day but on the way home in the car in the dark there was that heavy feeling in the air of "what was it that we experienced today"
Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill???
As you can see I am new to this board, and I thought I would relive a personal experience with you to get your opinion on what may have been taking place. Im sorry but it may be a little bit long for those with a short attention span!!
Im a keen fisherman and during the summer months regularly fish Borumba dam near Imbil which is just south of Gympie. To try and set the scene Borumba dam is nestled in very deep valleys where some banks consist of native gums and grasses through to dense rainforest with enormous fig trees supporting huge staghorns. Overall the terrain is very steep leading down to the dam itself progressively flattening in the upper reaches of the "arms" which were the original 3 rivers which were dammed to create the lake itself in the 60s.
There are three arms to the lake, Borumba, the Yabba and the Kingham arm. One afternoon while fishing the yabba arm with a friend we were casting lures on a large bend where the hills plummet into the water. The bank is heavily timbered with Fig trees and has a rainforest look to it. Closer to the waters edge at this particular point there are also clusters of lantana.
Well above us a massive commotion erupted, unable to see what was going we both just stood there with our mouths open wondering what was going on. Like a thundering stampede heading straight at us was the sound of trees shaking, bushes being smashed, branches breaking and rocks tumbling down the face of the hill , i actually though it must have been an avalanche of sorts.
Suddenly close to the waters edge five female red deer burst from the bush in an absolute panic, confonted by the waters edge they tried to half swim half scramble at the boggy edge of the lake in any direction other than that which they had come. Crashing into each other in absolute panic, you could clearly see the whites of their eyes, and the veins bulging in their necks and hind quaters at the obvious massive rush of adrenaline. One was starting to foam at the mouth in her obviously chaotic frame of mind. Thrashing madly in every direction the deer were obviously taken over by a primal fear that extreme danger was cluthcing at them. They saw us but didnt cosider us a threat in comparison to whatever it was charging down the hill at them.
The odd thing was the heavy thumping smashing sound still thundering down the hill towards the waters edge. It had a very different sound to that of the deer. While they were doing plenty of crashing and smashing they still had that constant stampede sound of many hooves pounding the ground. The only way to describe the sound of what was still charging down the hill was like a person running down a really high sand hill. If you have done it you will know what i mean. The thumps of the footfalls were much more spaced and had a very heavy thump each time they hit the ground. When you run down a sandhill your steps are huge leaps with all of your body weight smashing down with each foot fall. Branches were still snapping underfoot and the obvious movement within the bush gave the impression of sapplings being grabbed for support in the steep terrain.
Meanwhile the deer (still in a mad panic) managed to all head along the bank to a small creek inlet and again made a run for a flatter section of bush where they could be heard running rampantly in obvious panic and smashing their way off into the distance.
Needless to say we were still there standing on the deck of the boat wondering what was going on and what the hell was going to come bursting out of the bush at us.
Suddenly you could see a cluster of bush bow forward down towards the water and what sounded like something coming to a skidding halt. Rocks clattered down the hill and all was quiet. It was as if whatever it was coming down the hill looked up from its fixation on the deer saw two dumb guys on a boat looking up the hill.
looking at each other we had one of those really intense WTF moments where no one is game to speak or even suggest what might be within casting distance up the hill.
One thing that was really noticable was the absolute silence. From all of the choas previously experienced it was suddenly deathly quiet. Powering the electric motor i quickly slipped us away from the bank and back towards the main basin. Gradually the noise came back to the bush, but the really creepy thing was the occasional heavy crack of a thick branch beneath foot and clutter of rocks tumbling from whatever it was trudging back up the hill.
A friend also had a similar experience with a very large buck red deer with a full set of antlers charging down to the waters edge and actually swimming past his boat foaming at the mouth and eyes white with terror constantly looking behind himself. My friend said that the deer had no concern for the boat or himself (something i might add they will usually bolt at the first sign of) he said the deer hit the other bank and was constantly looking behind itself as it powered up the hill. He said the buck hit the top of the ridge and started punching out a huge bellow which is very different to that of "the roar" (the breeding season bellow) a warning perhaps?
My personal expeirences in the area iclude the following.
- I can without hesitation say that I have heard clacking and thumping when on Borumba
-I have also noticed stripped trees close to the waters edge.
-I have also heard clattering rocks tumbling down a hill side, starting with a heavy thump and clack like they have been thrown.
-I have only once set foot on the bank in the upper reaches so I havent seen tracks of note.
-I have certainly had that eerie being watched feeling and also had people with me say it completely out of the blue when fishing at Borumba.
So there you go. Needless to say we caught fish and had a great day but on the way home in the car in the dark there was that heavy feeling in the air of "what was it that we experienced today"
Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill???
)
