A series of articles looking at paranormal
beliefs & stories from across the globe
beliefs & stories from across the globe
LEGENDS OF AUSTRALIA
“This is the ground between fact and fiction; mystery”
--UFO Files, the History channel
Beautiful Australia. A land of blue waters, lush terrain and amazing mountains, cliffs with waterfalls
gracefully cascading down. To the Western region desert terrain emits a mystical beauty. It is a land
strong in its culture, folklore and tradition. Traditions and folklore that go back some say, before time
began....
Dreamtime
Dreamtime. A time of wonder no doubt. Dreamtime (supernatural in nature) is the period that Aborigines
believe is ‘before time began’. Aboriginal folklore that has been passed down for many generations,
speaks of a time when all was created such as the earth, sky and all that is in or on them; the hills,
birds, animals, trees and rivers were created by people, spirits and animals in Dreamtime. Different
folktales explain how different things were made. One tale may describe how a bird came to be, while
another may explain how a specific river was made. But ultimately it is all derived in the Dreamtime
period.
Some Dreamtime folklore is so sacred, that it can only be heard and told by certain villages, tribes or
families that “own” the story.
The Aborigines choose to use to utilize the form of art, folklore, song and dance and of course words
to express stories about Dreamtime, or another term you might hear in more recent times is “Dreaming”
where a ritual is used to give the person the sense that they are reliving what those in Dreamtime
experienced and created.
It is said that once the spirits, animals and people of Dreamtime finished creating the world, they then
turned into things such as rocks, hills and stars. However they still hold the same power they used to
create the world and are still and always will be a highly respected belief of Aborigines.
You can find some wonderful examples of audio, video and text Dreamtime stories here:
http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/storylist.htm
An intriguing Aborigine folktale collection Australian Legendary Tales by K. Langloh Parker can
amazingly be found in its entirety online here:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/index.htm
An example of one of the stories of how two bird species came to be can be found here...
http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/alt26.htm
Yowie
The Yowie is the Australian cousin of the Bigfoot. Some reports place it to ten feet tall! Hairy and
mostly dark brown to black in color, in the majority of the cast photos I viewed, I noticed that there
were three digits (toes). In comparing those cast photos to the American Bigfoot, most of the cast
photos depict the Bigfoot with 5 digits, much like an oversized human foot. Thus Bigfoot lol Although a
few did seem to have 3 digits.
The Yowie (possibly derived from Yowrie or Youree which I will explain in a moment) is also named as
a creature in the Aborigine Dream Time Folklore, which would mean it was around as long as the earth.
I found some information that otherwise state that the term “Yowrie or Youree” is the correct and
original term that was used in Dreamtime lore and that Yowie was not coined until the 1970’s.
In my research, I found some reports that even before Europeans migrated to Australia and had heard of
the Yowie; Australian settlers had already been witnessing the alleged creature in different areas of
Australia although most reports, (over three thousand) have come from the Blue Mountain region.
Although recent Yowie sightings have been reported since the late 1700’s fossils have been found from
earlier periods that resemble ‘Yowie casts’
A well known Yowie researcher Rex Gilroy has been hunting the Yowie and other Australian “monsters”
for over 30 years. In 1965 he established the Australian Yowie Research Center which officially opened
in 1976. The center collects and analyses data found and submitted to Mr. Gilroy and his team.
Bunyip
The Bunyip is an alleged crypto type creature that you might hear of if in Australia. To describe a
bunyip is difficult as the descriptions vary vastly. Some reports and articles place the creature as being
gorilla like and walking upright although a sketch I found depicts the creature walking on all four
impossibly long legs, a small body and a big head akin to an aardvark. Another artist depicts it to look
like a giant black wildcat with one centered eye. Some folks say it is invisible and can only bee seen at
night because it glows.
They are usually found around water. Interesting to note that Australia is surrounded by water.
The Bunyip is said to be very dangerous and some say it will devour a person, which may be why the
descriptions vary so much. Would you want to get close enough to a Bunyip to get a good look?
The Bunyip has been compared to the long extinct Australian marsupial;
A Diprotoden. A creature that is similar in appearance to a hippopotamus but has since been extinct for
fifty thousand years.
In 1846 a skull with one eye socket was found on the banks of a river in South Whales, the claim was
a bunyip skull, and the skull was placed on exhibit in a museum in Sydney Australia. Meanwhile
scientists scoffed at the very idea of a “Bunyip skull” and ultimately, a naturalist/zoologist by the name
of William John Macleay examined the skull and compared it to another unclassified skull that was
similar. The final assumption was that both skulls were freaks of nature. Since that time both skulls have
mysteriously vanished.
(click to enlarge)
Reproduced from The Tasmanian Journal of Natural Science
(Launceston: Henry Dowling, John Murray, January 1847)
National Library of Australia
Curse of the Roseate Pearl
March 1912 a cyclone hit in the Pilbara; a western region of Australia. As a result, a steamer was lost
at sea. On that ship, is rumored to have been an infamous cursed pearl known as the Roseate Pearl.
The Pearl gained its reputation through the deaths (some say murder mysteries) of several people that
were associated with it. We may never know the secrets of the Roseate Pearl, as the last known owner
Abraham Davis, took the pearl with him to his death during the cyclone.
Some folks speculate whether the Roseate Pearl truly existed at all. I found no images in my research.
Quinkin
A Quinkin is a spirit known in Australia. It can either be a good spirit or a bad spirit. A bad one has been
said to take a baby right from your home! The good Quinkin try to help the children when the bad
Quinkins are attempting to do them harm.
If you were to journey through Australia, You might find old Aborigine drawings on cliff walls of a
Quinkin. The drawings with ragged long limbs depict the bad spirit Quinkins, while the drawings with
more rounded smooth features depict the good spirit Quinkins.
Some articles say they have red eyes, and are tall and thin and troublesome. Other terms used are
Timara (the good Quinkins) and Bouncing Imjis (the bad Quinkins). Some reports place them mostly
around the Cape York region.
Australia with all its beautiful blue waters, amazing landscape and wonderful people also a place of
mystery.
Tracey H.
PROOF Paranormal
*Resources*
* Bunyip skull and the aboriginal culture
http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/evidence/skull.html
* William John Macleay bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_John_Macleay
One of my vastly used and favorite resources in the whole wide world;
* http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/index.htm (Australia section)
* Home page: http://www.sacred-texts.com/
* http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=652
* http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/dreamtime.htm
* http://www.theaustralianyowieresearchcenter.com/
* http://www.occultopedia.com/y/yowie.htm
* If you’re planning a spooky visit to Australia, you might want to check out
http://www.destinytours.com.au/tymbook.htm
--UFO Files, the History channel
Beautiful Australia. A land of blue waters, lush terrain and amazing mountains, cliffs with waterfalls
gracefully cascading down. To the Western region desert terrain emits a mystical beauty. It is a land
strong in its culture, folklore and tradition. Traditions and folklore that go back some say, before time
began....
Dreamtime
Dreamtime. A time of wonder no doubt. Dreamtime (supernatural in nature) is the period that Aborigines
believe is ‘before time began’. Aboriginal folklore that has been passed down for many generations,
speaks of a time when all was created such as the earth, sky and all that is in or on them; the hills,
birds, animals, trees and rivers were created by people, spirits and animals in Dreamtime. Different
folktales explain how different things were made. One tale may describe how a bird came to be, while
another may explain how a specific river was made. But ultimately it is all derived in the Dreamtime
period.
Some Dreamtime folklore is so sacred, that it can only be heard and told by certain villages, tribes or
families that “own” the story.
The Aborigines choose to use to utilize the form of art, folklore, song and dance and of course words
to express stories about Dreamtime, or another term you might hear in more recent times is “Dreaming”
where a ritual is used to give the person the sense that they are reliving what those in Dreamtime
experienced and created.
It is said that once the spirits, animals and people of Dreamtime finished creating the world, they then
turned into things such as rocks, hills and stars. However they still hold the same power they used to
create the world and are still and always will be a highly respected belief of Aborigines.
You can find some wonderful examples of audio, video and text Dreamtime stories here:
http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/storylist.htm
An intriguing Aborigine folktale collection Australian Legendary Tales by K. Langloh Parker can
amazingly be found in its entirety online here:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/index.htm
An example of one of the stories of how two bird species came to be can be found here...
http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/alt26.htm
Yowie
The Yowie is the Australian cousin of the Bigfoot. Some reports place it to ten feet tall! Hairy and
mostly dark brown to black in color, in the majority of the cast photos I viewed, I noticed that there
were three digits (toes). In comparing those cast photos to the American Bigfoot, most of the cast
photos depict the Bigfoot with 5 digits, much like an oversized human foot. Thus Bigfoot lol Although a
few did seem to have 3 digits.
The Yowie (possibly derived from Yowrie or Youree which I will explain in a moment) is also named as
a creature in the Aborigine Dream Time Folklore, which would mean it was around as long as the earth.
I found some information that otherwise state that the term “Yowrie or Youree” is the correct and
original term that was used in Dreamtime lore and that Yowie was not coined until the 1970’s.
In my research, I found some reports that even before Europeans migrated to Australia and had heard of
the Yowie; Australian settlers had already been witnessing the alleged creature in different areas of
Australia although most reports, (over three thousand) have come from the Blue Mountain region.
Although recent Yowie sightings have been reported since the late 1700’s fossils have been found from
earlier periods that resemble ‘Yowie casts’
A well known Yowie researcher Rex Gilroy has been hunting the Yowie and other Australian “monsters”
for over 30 years. In 1965 he established the Australian Yowie Research Center which officially opened
in 1976. The center collects and analyses data found and submitted to Mr. Gilroy and his team.
Bunyip
The Bunyip is an alleged crypto type creature that you might hear of if in Australia. To describe a
bunyip is difficult as the descriptions vary vastly. Some reports and articles place the creature as being
gorilla like and walking upright although a sketch I found depicts the creature walking on all four
impossibly long legs, a small body and a big head akin to an aardvark. Another artist depicts it to look
like a giant black wildcat with one centered eye. Some folks say it is invisible and can only bee seen at
night because it glows.
They are usually found around water. Interesting to note that Australia is surrounded by water.
The Bunyip is said to be very dangerous and some say it will devour a person, which may be why the
descriptions vary so much. Would you want to get close enough to a Bunyip to get a good look?
The Bunyip has been compared to the long extinct Australian marsupial;
A Diprotoden. A creature that is similar in appearance to a hippopotamus but has since been extinct for
fifty thousand years.
In 1846 a skull with one eye socket was found on the banks of a river in South Whales, the claim was
a bunyip skull, and the skull was placed on exhibit in a museum in Sydney Australia. Meanwhile
scientists scoffed at the very idea of a “Bunyip skull” and ultimately, a naturalist/zoologist by the name
of William John Macleay examined the skull and compared it to another unclassified skull that was
similar. The final assumption was that both skulls were freaks of nature. Since that time both skulls have
mysteriously vanished.
(click to enlarge)
Reproduced from The Tasmanian Journal of Natural Science
(Launceston: Henry Dowling, John Murray, January 1847)
National Library of Australia
Curse of the Roseate Pearl
March 1912 a cyclone hit in the Pilbara; a western region of Australia. As a result, a steamer was lost
at sea. On that ship, is rumored to have been an infamous cursed pearl known as the Roseate Pearl.
The Pearl gained its reputation through the deaths (some say murder mysteries) of several people that
were associated with it. We may never know the secrets of the Roseate Pearl, as the last known owner
Abraham Davis, took the pearl with him to his death during the cyclone.
Some folks speculate whether the Roseate Pearl truly existed at all. I found no images in my research.
Quinkin
A Quinkin is a spirit known in Australia. It can either be a good spirit or a bad spirit. A bad one has been
said to take a baby right from your home! The good Quinkin try to help the children when the bad
Quinkins are attempting to do them harm.
If you were to journey through Australia, You might find old Aborigine drawings on cliff walls of a
Quinkin. The drawings with ragged long limbs depict the bad spirit Quinkins, while the drawings with
more rounded smooth features depict the good spirit Quinkins.
Some articles say they have red eyes, and are tall and thin and troublesome. Other terms used are
Timara (the good Quinkins) and Bouncing Imjis (the bad Quinkins). Some reports place them mostly
around the Cape York region.
Australia with all its beautiful blue waters, amazing landscape and wonderful people also a place of
mystery.
Tracey H.
PROOF Paranormal
*Resources*
* Bunyip skull and the aboriginal culture
http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/evidence/skull.html
* William John Macleay bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_John_Macleay
One of my vastly used and favorite resources in the whole wide world;
* http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/index.htm (Australia section)
* Home page: http://www.sacred-texts.com/
* http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=652
* http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/dreamtime.htm
* http://www.theaustralianyowieresearchcenter.com/
* http://www.occultopedia.com/y/yowie.htm
* If you’re planning a spooky visit to Australia, you might want to check out
http://www.destinytours.com.au/tymbook.htm
