Big Cat
South Australia
Roxby Downs, South Australia 1995
Location: Roxby Downs, South Australia
Event: Yowie Sighting
Date: 1995
11 years old, Jarrod Nicholson, his mate Fred and three younger boys rode their bikes to a secluded dam about 30 minutes from Roxby Downs. “We were there no longer than 20 minutes”, Jarrod recalls, “when the youngest member of the group complained that someone in a fur suit was stalking the bush (desert) around the huge clay pan we were in … but nobody else saw it.
About an hour passed … before me and Fred saw it running … crouching … to another hiding spot. He stopped there behind a small dune and kept watching. “The three younger lads started heading back [but] Fred and I were too curious to leave and crouched near the dam … watching him. Ten minutes passed with no movement, so we proceeded carefully towards the thing.
We … closed half the gap, when the beast became enraged … and stood up, revealing its true size. The thing was around six foot, maybe seven foot, very lanky and skinny, with tannish coloured hair or fur similar to a camel’s covering its entire body except around the eyes. I was too scared to get any better … look at it. “He started towards us and that was it. We turned and ran as fast as we could to the bikes … pedalling our hearts out, not looking back for a second. Halfway home my chain fell off …
I screamed for my friend to stop, but he kept going (“better you than me”, I suppose). I just dropped the bike and ran all the way home … I was in trouble with the old man for leaving my bike behind. “That was … the scariest thing to ever happen to me (and I’ve seen some scary things working underground for the last four years).
At the time we believed that it wanted to attack us, but now I think he was just after a drink and us little bastards were in his way.” [It is worth noting that in The History of Australian Exploration From 1788-1888, Ernest Favenc wrote about two squatters named Oakden and Hulkes who, while searching for good grazing land to the west of Lake Torrens in 1851, were told by Aborigines that ape-like creatures were sometimes encountered in the area. Roxby Downs is only 80 km west of Lake Torrens].
Email from Jarrod Nicholson to Australian Yowie Research, August 17, 2006.
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Australian Yowie Research - Data Base
www.yowiehunters.com
Willungra, South Australia 1992
Location: South of Adelaide
Event: Sighting
Date: 1992
I was on a scout camp in the hope forest area, near Willunga and Kuipto forest (south of Adelaide). I was asleep and in the morning I was told of the scouts had gone wandering but scared away by a scruffy large man that screamed at them.
They ran all the way back to camp and told the other leader and he stayed up most of the night calming them down and keeping watch-most of the boys were about 12 but there was a cocky 16 year old with them which with a attitude would not have thought have scared so easily.
When I was told I immediately wanted to search out this thing/person but they all seemed to concerned for my welfare - really scared - and the other leader said to leave it alone and we ran out of time to go for a search later.
I have heard some terrible bellowing noises in the area - I have put this all down to milking cows and the thing in the bushes -maybe a tramp plus we have suspicions of a dope crop grown nearby as some shady characters have been seen in strange out of the way areas.
The campsite is in a hard to get to by vehicle deep gully with a creek and nature reserves the size of small farms nearby.
This happened about 7 years ago.
© Copyright AYR
Australian Yowie Research - Data Base
www.yowiehunters.com