Yowie of 1848
Posted by: Loren Coleman on October 6th, 2008
The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News
February 26, 1848
The Marvellous
THE WILD MAN OF THE AUSTRALIAN WOODS.
– A creature described by the na-
tives as something very similar to an ou-
rang-outang is supposed by many colonists
to exist in the mountain ranges at the back
of Western Port, but their ideas of it are
mixed up with such a superstitious dread
as to induce many to consider it only in
the light of an imaginary being, created by
their own fears, or by interested parties
amongst themselves; but the fact of some
strange and peculiar tracks having been
noticed in the ranges, recorded in the Port
Philip papers at the time they were disco-
vered, and many other circumstances, seem
to indicate that there is some animal resi-
dent there which has not yet been seen by
a white man; and from the position of
this tract of country, being quite out of
any road pursued by European travellers,
it is very possible such a thing may exist.An account of this animal was given me
by Worrouge-toulon, a native of the Woe
worong tribe, in nearly the following man-
ner: “He is as big as a man and shaped
like him in every respect, and is covered
with stiff bristly hair, excepting about the
face, which is like an old man’s, full of
wrinkles; he has long toes and fingers,
and piles up stones to protect him from
the wind or rain, and usually walks about
with a stick, and climbs trees with great
facility; the whole of his body is hard and
sinewy, like wood to the touch.” Wor-
rongbe also told me “that many years ago
some of these creatures attacked a camp
of natives in the mountains, since which
period they have have had a dread of mo-
ving about there after sunset, The only
person now alive who killed one, he told
me, was Garbora, the great doctor, who had
succeeded in hitting one in the eye with
his tomahawk. On no other part of his
body was he able to make the least impres-
sion. All this might be very probable,
when it is considered that in the time be-
fore the white people came, their golbora
narrok, or stone tomahawk, was not by
any means a sharp weapon. On one oc-
casion, when pheasant shooting about three
days journey in the mountains, in company
with two natives and a white man, we con-
structed a bark hut, and had retired to re-
pose, when shortly afterwards, I was startl-
ed by a most peculiar cry, very different
from any of the other noises which are
heard from the wild animals inhabiting
these ranges, I should have previously
mentioned, that the blacks, after the fa-
tigues of the day, had very soon fallen
asleep; but, on the noise rousing them
they both started up and seized their guns,
with the utmost horror depicted on their
countenances. Not a word escaped them,
and the mysterious sounds still echoed
amongst the hills. On my asking one, in
rather a loud voice, what he was frightened
at, he desired me not to speak loud; that
the shouts which had aroused them pro-
ceeded from a bundyilcarno, or devil, which
is the name they have given this thing.
The noise shortly died away in the distance,
and I once more endeavored to sleep.
Neither of my natives would lie down for
the night, and as soon as day dawned, they
insisted on leaving the scene of this strange
occurrence, and going to some distant part.
Thanks to Jerome Clark for passing this along.
For more information on the Yowie, see Tony Healy’s and Paul Cropper’s The Yowie: In Search of Australia’s Bigfoot:
- Similar Phenomena:
Er - two issues with the veracity of this “journalist”.
Australian aborignals didn’t use tomahawk. Stone axe maybe, but no handle on it as such.
Second point “…and climbs trees with great
facility.”
“Facility”? We’re talking about early aboriginal contact here, Melbourne was only established in 1835, that’s pretty advanced use of language for a people who hadn’t met to many English speakers yet.
As the British were new to the area, they would have been using terms they were used to from other areas, such as Canada and Africa.
‘Facility’ in that usage was a lot more common in those days, so I see no reason why one of the locals wouldn’t have learned that word for that use. And then it is probably a retelling of the account by the native, not a quote.
Now, how such critters could have gotten there, which would had to have been by boat, and why none of these stone buildings have been found; that is a problem.
western australian newspapers are terrible now, i see it was no different 150 years ago…