Location: Near Coramba, west of Coffs Harbour
Event: Possible Yowie Encounter
Environment: State Forest
Time: Night
Date: Summer 2015
My partner and I went camping near Coramba in the Coffs Harbour hinterland. The location was in the state forest not far from farms & residences, a 10 minute drive from a sealed road. We had actually lived nearby previously and joked about it being Yowie country (me being a believer, my partner not). We set up camp in an old unused fire trail intersection, which gave a nice big cleared area around camp. After setting up, we went for a hike along one of the slightly overgrown trails (north, then north west).
I had a strange sense of unease about the area on our right, but wasn't too concerned. My partner remarked at the lack of birds, which we both thought was strange, because the bird life where we had lived nearby was audibly and visually abundant (approx 2-3 kms away as the crow flies). On our return I had the same feeling about the area, now on our left. After making the fire and my partner was settled in and reading a paper, I wandered off in the opposite direction to our earlier hike, keen to explore (south). (this way headed toward the same destination but in an opposing circular way). Within a few hundred metres I got that strange feeling again, but stronger, my intuition telling me to turn back. My head and my gut fought it out for a bit, until I decided to head back. My instincts never lie!
A short while later (around dusk) we heard a very strange sound coming from the direction we had walked earlier (north west). I had never heard anything like it. The best description I can come up with is a bellowing cow, crossed with koala mating call with a gooselike honking tone. And very, very loud coming from maybe about 1km away and echoing through the forest. Later that evening, at approximately 9:30pm, sitting around the fire we heard loud crunching, branch snapping sounds from the bush on the south side of camp.
To me, it sounded like large steps, my partner put it down a roo hopping. I reasoned that the bush is very dense there, and no roo would attempt to make its way through it, if given an option. And it wasn't hopping. My partner set off with the lantern in the eastern direction along the track, not really in the direction of the sound, probably more to appease what he thought was me overreacting! lol. The sound stopped as soon as he turned the light on. (one of those Ryobi work lights, quite bright) On his return the we heard very load crunching, snapping sounds as it ran away through the dense scrub, (south). I don’t know anyone or anything that could run that boldly, in the dark, through such heavily forested trees, with the forest floor thick with leaf litter and branches.
We called it a night at around 11pm, the dog bed just outside our tent door (a little Shitzu). My partner fell asleep, and I lay awake for about an hour. Not long after dozing off, I woke up (not sure why) and heard what appeared to be footsteps slowly approaching my side of the tent (south). The fire had died down to glowing coals, so there was still light, but no flames. I reasoned with myself about the sounds, eliminating other possibilities, not a possum or other small animal, not a pig or goat (it was bipedal for sure). Yowie or human? There was minimal leaf litter around the camp site, and virtually no twigs in the area, mainly blady grass and small shrubs behind the tent. Whatever was making the sound was BIG.
It came to within 6ft, (I couldn't see it, it was just around the corner of the tent entrance) I was watching the dog, he heard it but wasn't keen to move (neither was I!). My partner was still sleeping. It must have stood there for about 15 minutes before moving closer, then the dog ran at it. He was tied to the tent so didn't go far, the footsteps retreated, but again, not far. About 30 minutes later it came back again, this time it kept away from the front of the tent, likely to avoid the dogs attention. Again, it stood there about 4ft away, this time for about 30 minutes. I reasoned that there was nothing I could do, and it wasn't trying to harm us, and I was really tired, so eventually drifted off to sleep. We both awoke with a start when the dog nearly pulled the tent off chasing it away again. It must have come closer. It was a bluff on the dogs part, he wasn't going after it! He was quite timid, almost cowering (both times), not puffed up with pride as they often do when they've been brave. I told my partner what had happened, he got up to put more wood on the fire which I hoped would keep it away. I didn't sleep too well until dawn, lol.
In the morning I inspected the area that it had been in, a few of the super tough blady grass tufts were flattened and staying that way. If you've ever stood on that stuff, you know it springs up soon after. the dog did not leave his bed until we left, he was very happy to get in the car.
My partner isn't too keen to go back (not such a skeptic now), I would, but with more people! And a spotlight.
I think it was just curious, there were no threatening gestures toward us, but if there were frequent visitors to the area, maybe it would be more territorial?
On a side note, if it were a human, I believe my dog would have reacted differently, by barking and being more aggressive, as he is in other situations. He was scared.
What I thought was strange was the sound of it retreating seemed to be quieter, as though when running it was lighter on the feet?
My partners version: (he had had a few drinks in the evening, so slept through most of it)
Now after reading through what I thought was a very descriptive narrative of the events that unfolded that night I must add my two bobs worth. I must admit I am no longer a sceptic, and if even had I half of the experience my partner had, I would imagine I would be a true believer, in saying that I did not. Instead I was to encounter a creature in the darkness of the bush that upon my walking towards the edge of our camp with the torch, acting very bravely I would like to add, heard as I could not see, partly to the reflection from the light of the torch and partly because I am blind as a bat over a distance without glasses, something, the best way to describe would be march through the bush with no regard for what was in its path as branches, not twigs (Twigs would make less noise) snapped as it retreated away from the light and edge of our camp.
I at that point could not comprehend what would make that sort of noise running through the bush, I know what a roo sounds like, pigs have four legs so do dogs and no scrub turkey I have ever seen, or hope will ever see, would break that sort of shrubbery. Prior to this as previously mentioned were the bellow that we heard earlier in the adventure, no birds in the middle of the bloody rain forest?? and the dog nearly tearing the tent down taking off for the second time,(as I was asleep ,the first time, I sleep though cyclones and now possible Yowie encounters apparently), as bravely as me I might add, without a bark, as he is a little turd of a thing, prone to letting himself be heard.
All very weird and hard, well to tell absolute truth can’t explain, and have dropped my skepticism down a tad, to the point to the point that I am not so quite as keen as my partner to return, with or without more people and a spotlight.
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