We were visiting Bill, our 95 year old neighbour (that's 13 in dog years), he is very interesting and tells us about the old days. He lent us a book about Oxley, the part of Brisbane where he grew up. He is mentioned in the book. It is called, "Oxley! A Mind of Its Own. A History of a Suburb with Attitude, 1850-1950" It is written by Ralph Fones. Here is an extract;
"It is likely that prior to and during white settlement, that hominids frequented the local area. In other districts around Brisbane, such as Springbrook and Kenmore there have been sightings of hominids- gorilla-like primates, some eight feet (2.5m.) tall and often referred to by Aborigines as 'Yowies'. They were considered 'omnivorous, nocturnal and territorial creatures', had a highly distinctive odour, and not very fond of dogs. White settlers had observed them around Sydney Cove as early as 1795... Increased heavy development of the area most likely forced this creature further and further into the scrub."
I have heard of Yowies before but never heard them described as "likely" in a seriuos book. I thought they were made up to scare pups in the dog park. The troubling part is, "not very fond of dogs." He doesn't explain what this actually means. Does it mean that they are more cat people? Or is it something more sinister that doesn't bear thinking about? Next time I am in the woods, I am going to be very attentive for a "distinctive odour." You never know Tim might get a photo (if he is not busy retreating.)
This photo is called, "Do you smell a distictive odour?"
Life is great when you don't see an eight-foot creature who is not very fond of dogs.
