Yowiehunters Forum

Posted: **Wed Nov 27, 2019 10:04 pm**

On 20th November i hiked from Megalong Rd to Cox's River campsite via Six Foot Track. Pretty draining with a heavy rucksack (30kg) in 37c heat. There was noone else there except wallabies, cows on other side of river, birds and a later fox.
I had some food and set up my tent. After a quick wander around the immediate area i bedded down and left some canned food and some sealed fruit bars outside my tent. I thought the fruit bars would keep the ants at bay if i piled them up about a yard away. You can smell these ones through the wrapper. I didn't know there was a fox about until i realized they had been taken. I used my thermal imaging camera to identify the fox and then swore and took my 'Storm Safety Whistle' out. I didn't want to blow all the way on it as it's so darn loud so i blew rather pathetically about a quarter of the way. Within 3 or 4 seconds an absolutely enormous bellow responded across the nearby hills. Never have i heard a creature that loud. I was somewhat shaken and just had to get out for a scan about with the thermal camera (See attached video).
Subsequent checking on Youtube of bull sounds/bellow seems to identify it as the closest sound. I did not see any bulls or large cows.. only young or small ones. The bellow was similar in timbre or makeup but i say in honest truth that although i know bulls are bloody strong creatures, the loud bellow i heard was utterly gigantic and rolled all around the hills like it was King Kong. I didn't capture the sound or blow the whistle again. For all my psychological preparation for the trip, in my physically exhausted state i wasn't going out poking about that night.
The next day the fox was still about and two couples arrived and left. Around the same time a Parks and Wildlife bloke arrived, took some readings and then offered me a lift out. It became apparent that he didn't want me there because of bushfire risk (lightning strikes) and more or less rushed me to pack up my tent n things. He had been fighting the fire up at Wolgan Valley (or Wollemi). We had an epic drive out though bushfire smoke drifted down from north (bad on chest hey!?) and i half expected a yowie to run in front of the ute/vehicle. I snapped an echidna seeming moving becoz of the smoke.
I can post some pics of the two days but i was intending to start a proper yowie-search or O.P later in the day he removed me. On the drive out he kept getting out and changed the road signs to 'Park Closed' or notwot.
Earlier in week i was up at the start if Six Foot Track by Katoomba. Some crashes and vids from that. I was out from 3.30am to 11am.

thermalVideo_1574253652360.mp4

Posted: **Wed Nov 27, 2019 10:20 pm**

Note i didn't actually get fully out of the tent by the looks of things.. - and i'm not surprised!!
I met someone at Katoomba who has seen glowing eyes while camping with yowie-obsessed hubbie and dogs at Kanimbla. I told her to contact YHR to do a phone interview or wotnot. She said her bro in law saw a road yowie at Oberon. If you need to chase that up then perhaps let me know.

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 12:32 am**

Boab Bob wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 10:04 pm On 20th November i hiked from Megalong Rd to Cox's River campsite via Six Foot Track. Pretty draining with a heavy rucksack (30kg) in 37c heat. There was noone else there except wallabies, cows on other side of river, birds and a later fox.
I had some food and set up my tent

Carrying a 30kg pack is madness at any time, more so for a two (?) day walk, and even more so in such bad heat . . .

Also, hope you didn't have an open fire as there is presently a Park Fire Ban in operation for BMNP (as well as other parks).

For NSW, always check at www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/alerts/alerts-list for Park Fire Bans and www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans for total Fire Bans (these override Park Fire Bans).

Smokey Sasquatch says, "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires".

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:35 am**

I’m travelling and am not a driver. I have plenty of experience hiking and the muscle/muscle memory plus I stopped every 10 minutes. Yes midday heat not advisable but please don’t preach. Of course I didn’t have an open fire. Your time is better spent having a go at Aussies flicking cig butts out their car windows.. that’s what triggers the human made fires besides arson proper, stupidly left bits of glass etc.

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 2:14 pm**

Boab Bob wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:35 am I’m travelling and am not a driver. I have plenty of experience hiking and the muscle/muscle memory plus I stopped every 10 minutes. Yes midday heat not advisable but please don’t preach. Of course I didn’t have an open fire. Your time is better spent having a go at Aussies flicking cig butts out their car windows.. that’s what triggers the human made fires besides arson proper, stupidly left bits of glass etc.

Touchy little fella, aren't you?

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:32 pm**

Go troll someplace else. I'd expect more than condescending mouth from someone who's meant to be an established contributer. You've contributed nothing here except rude assumptions. Let's talk about the blinking Hairyman instead.

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:49 pm**

Three of us camped for night next to the coxs river when we hiked from kanagra to Narrowneck over a year ago now. As soon as we arrived and set up camp we heard wood knocks. I also recorded something walking up to my sound recorder bipedally and walked around a bit before walking away. This area is hours to get to and no one would be hiking there at night, too dangerous. Very weird area and would love to go back for a hike and atleast 2 night's stay.

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:22 pm**

yowiedan wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:49 pm Three of us camped for night next to the coxs river when we hiked from kanagra to Narrowneck over a year ago now. As soon as we arrived and set up camp we heard wood knocks. I also recorded something walking up to my sound recorder bipedally and walked around a bit before walking away. This area is hours to get to and no one would be hiking there at night, too dangerous. Very weird area and would love to go back for a hike and atleast 2 night's stay.

Is the audio recording available to listen to?

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 7:52 pm**

Great job on the hike Bob - tough way to go in. Nice to see thermal IR recording, but bugger about the fire risk and NPWS.

Any other planned trips, or to other areas?

Posted: **Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:40 pm**

JohnnyAnonymous wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:22 pm
yowiedan wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:49 pm Three of us camped for night next to the coxs river when we hiked from kanagra to Narrowneck over a year ago now. As soon as we arrived and set up camp we heard wood knocks. I also recorded something walking up to my sound recorder bipedally and walked around a bit before walking away. This area is hours to get to and no one would be hiking there at night, too dangerous. Very weird area and would love to go back for a hike and atleast 2 night's stay.
Is the audio recording available to listen to?

It's on my you tube channel Australian Yowie

Posted: **Fri Nov 29, 2019 12:09 am**

Boab Bob wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:32 pm Go troll someplace else. I'd expect more than condescending mouth from someone who's meant to be an established contributer. You've contributed nothing here except rude assumptions. Let's talk about the blinking Hairyman instead.

Not trolling. Some advice though: Get down off your high horse before it bucks you . . .

Posted: **Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:20 pm**

yowiedan wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:49 pm This area is hours to get to and no one would be hiking there at night, too dangerous.

Without knowing exactly where you were, there's things like The Three Peaks challenge which people aim to do in less than 48hrs. That means moving at night.

Posted: **Sun Dec 01, 2019 7:48 am**

yowiedan wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:40 pm
JohnnyAnonymous wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:22 pm
yowiedan wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:49 pm Is the audio recording available to listen to?
It's on my you tube channel Australian Yowie
Many thanks... much appreciated, Cheers!
Johnny

Posted: **Sun Dec 01, 2019 4:49 pm**

Really enjoyed the description of your camp-out, Bob. Well done! You've got guts for doing it on your own and double-guts for doing it when the fires were going. I'm a bit envious of you blokes (and ladies) who live in NSW/QLD where there are heaps of sightings. There are none near me, so it's a major operation if I want to go and look.
Again; well done.

MA

Posted: **Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:50 am**

Mad Academic wrote: Sun Dec 01, 2019 4:49 pm Really enjoyed the description of your camp-out, Bob. Well done! You've got guts for doing it on your own and double-guts for doing it when the fires were going. I'm a bit envious of you blokes (and ladies) who live in NSW/QLD where there are heaps of sightings. There are none near me, so it's a major operation if I want to go and look.
Again; well done.

MA

Thanks for that. i regret not going further down the river but i wouldn't have once the parks guy changed the signs/announced it was closed (on the way out i seem to remember). I don't live in NSW or up north but i think my time was fruitful enough especially as i may have a stump-peeking yowie on thermal footage - i didn't see it at the time but there was a loud crash 20 metres away before i did 13 mins of footage. I need to edit it down. Not that close but wow they seem quite catious. I think this one's a female. Also possible it's a wallaby but seems quite intelligent movement. This wasn't at Cox's River site but within 30km.

Posted: **Fri Jan 03, 2020 12:16 am**

BB, you did better than I, on hearing that bellow! I would have been shaking in my sleeping bag!
Your post actually made me wonder if there are any threads here about the use of a dog-whistle or the like, to provoke a response from any hairies...

Thanks for a great post!
Shazz

Posted: **Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:59 am**

Yes Shazza. good point! Perhaps they might think it might be somekind of a femalevocalization. On the cows and such: I suppose it were a bull it could get annoyed or awakened by a whistle. A human-like creature might get wound/stirred up too. It was quite an incredible bellow!
Cheers Shazzoir .. always love your posts!

Shazzoir wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 12:16 am BB, you did better than I, on hearing that bellow! I would have been shaking in my sleeping bag!
Your post actually made me wonder if there are any threads here about the use of a dog-whistle or the like, to provoke a response from any hairies...

Thanks for a great post!
Shazz

Posted: **Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:18 pm**

Two screen shots of something peeking at me. At the time i was trudging up and down after a loud crash near to the path where i was. NOT at Cox's River. Behind the rock or stump in the distance. I didn't see the movement at the time. It withdraws behind the rock or stump and then peeks round again. The window for viewing it is just momentary .. a second, because of my own 'sweeping the camera' movement. Time was early dawn as per the time stamp 5.03 AM .. the light was grey-white (bushfires smoke coming down part of it) and no visible sky.

Posted: **Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:33 pm**

Boab Bob wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2020 12:18 pm Two screen shots of something peeking at me. At the time i was trudging up and down after a loud crash near to the path where i was. NOT at Cox's River. Behind the rock or stump in the distance. I didn't see the movement at the time. It withdraws behind the rock or stump and then peeks round again. The window for viewing it is just momentary .. a second, because of my own 'sweeping the camera' movement. Time was early dawn as per the time stamp 5.03 AM .. the light was grey-white (bushfires smoke coming down part of it) and no visible sky.

Well, it was quite dark . i'm not saying it was light yet.. halfway out the dark sort of thing.

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