WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Myself and my mate Brian, who I was living with

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<v Speaker 1>at the time, had each taken two weeks paid holiday

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<v Speaker 1>from work to go to a spot Brian swore we

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<v Speaker 1>would love. I remember at the time that I'd never

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<v Speaker 1>even heard of it before. I should have, as it

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<v Speaker 1>was relatively well known. It's a place called Mount Warning.

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<v Speaker 1>Mount Warning is twelve hundred meters high, give or take,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's just a big, splendid jungle covered hill with

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<v Speaker 1>a rock summit that sticks up from the coastal hinterland

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<v Speaker 1>in far northern New South Wales. The thing, apart from

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<v Speaker 1>its beauty in historical relevance with the indigenous people of

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<v Speaker 1>that area is that it is the first place to

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<v Speaker 1>receive the rays of sun in Australia. Being the highest

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<v Speaker 1>easternmost point in the country attracts a lot of sun lovers, hippies,

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<v Speaker 1>alternative types in the light, plus a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>like me who love nature and want to see the

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<v Speaker 1>place for its own and maybe the sun thing too.

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<v Speaker 1>So the three of us took a train from Sydney

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<v Speaker 1>to I can't pronounce this word, murwill Bump, merwill Bump,

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<v Speaker 1>murwill Umba, merwill Umba, where we hired a car and

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<v Speaker 1>a big tent big enough for the three of us

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<v Speaker 1>in our gear, we drove to a place right at

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<v Speaker 1>the foot of the mountain, a kind of caravan park

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<v Speaker 1>with camping sites too. Back then it was called Willumbon

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<v Speaker 1>Wildlife Reserve, which in retrospect turned out to be funny.

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<v Speaker 1>My mate Brian is a herpetologist and a damn good one.

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<v Speaker 1>He still is, and ostensibly the reason for all of

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<v Speaker 1>us going all the way that far north right on

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<v Speaker 1>the Queensland border was so that he could do some

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<v Speaker 1>snake hunting and collecting, which he was permitted to do so.

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<v Speaker 1>Seeing as FJ was no fan of potentially fatal pieces

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<v Speaker 1>of rope, Brian trained me up as his assistant. Basically,

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<v Speaker 1>I helped him catch him bag. I would also render

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<v Speaker 1>first day should we cop a bite from a nasty species.

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<v Speaker 1>Each day we would head out into the vastness of

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<v Speaker 1>the surrounding area, looking for snakes along the roadsides and

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<v Speaker 1>near the creeks, each time probing a bit further up

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<v Speaker 1>the mountain road and its verges. At night, we would

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<v Speaker 1>walk to a large wayside spot two kilometers from the

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<v Speaker 1>campsite with our guitars and gear, and we would cook

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<v Speaker 1>our dinner on an open fire beside the nice clear

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<v Speaker 1>creek that ran along behind the clearing. We would sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>catch yabbies in the creek and cook them in the

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<v Speaker 1>billy right there. We'd stay up there well into the

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<v Speaker 1>night and then walk back down the dark, unlit road

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<v Speaker 1>to the campsite so we could sleep. Rush routine worked

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<v Speaker 1>really well. It wasn't school holidays or anything, but in

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<v Speaker 1>the caravan park there were still quite a few holiday

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<v Speaker 1>makers and gray nomads and such, and so by heading

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<v Speaker 1>up the road each night when it started getting dark,

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<v Speaker 1>we would be away from the other people and be

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<v Speaker 1>at ease to make some noise, have a few ales

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<v Speaker 1>whoop it up a bit, and carry on like you

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<v Speaker 1>do when you are in your twenties. One night, one

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<v Speaker 1>very dark night, Brian explained that on moonless nights, a

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<v Speaker 1>lot more snakes than things are apt to move around,

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<v Speaker 1>as it is safer for them from nocturnal predators. They're

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<v Speaker 1>being less light than normal, which made sense to me. Plus,

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<v Speaker 1>it had been a very hot day, it being late

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<v Speaker 1>November and coming into summer, and he knew that some

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<v Speaker 1>snakes would be soaking up the last of the heat

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<v Speaker 1>from the sealed roads up in the bush and it

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<v Speaker 1>was a very good chance we could back some pythons,

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<v Speaker 1>and as it turned out, he was exactly right. Our

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<v Speaker 1>other mate, Jay wasn't keen on going up and past

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<v Speaker 1>our firepit area on this particular evening. He had a

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<v Speaker 1>book to read and just wanted to kick back in

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<v Speaker 1>the tent and plank quietly on his acoustic and have

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<v Speaker 1>some time for him, which was cool with us, so

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<v Speaker 1>Brian and I took the snake bags. We took a

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<v Speaker 1>good stick, a dolphin torch, and off we went. We

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<v Speaker 1>stopped at the fireplace and bowled the billy for a

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<v Speaker 1>cup of tea as the sun set. Once it was dark,

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<v Speaker 1>we headed up the road that leads to the peak

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<v Speaker 1>of the mountain. It's a long walk to the top,

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<v Speaker 1>eight kilometers from where we were. He hadn't made any

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<v Speaker 1>plans to go all the way to the top, just

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<v Speaker 1>walk along and bag some snakes, enjoy the night's warmth

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<v Speaker 1>and the music. I guess it would have been nine

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<v Speaker 1>or ten that night. Neither of us had watches, and

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<v Speaker 1>mobile phones hadn't been invented yet. We had one eight

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<v Speaker 1>foot carpet snake, which is a beautiful python, a few

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<v Speaker 1>brown tree snakes in the bags, and we're just quietly chatting,

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<v Speaker 1>no torch on for quite some time, so as to

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<v Speaker 1>let our eyes get accustomed to the darkness. It was

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<v Speaker 1>a different kind of bush up there from what I

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<v Speaker 1>was used to up north. It is tropical and more

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<v Speaker 1>like jungle than bush. The thick green tangle whirld came

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<v Speaker 1>right up to the roadsides on both sides of the road,

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<v Speaker 1>except it wasn't green. It was just an all encompassing

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<v Speaker 1>living blackness of vines and palms and figs and ferns

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<v Speaker 1>and trees that sting and stab and things that want

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<v Speaker 1>to bite you everywhere you step. It's not a silent

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<v Speaker 1>darkness either. The forest is full of life and movement,

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<v Speaker 1>with things that croak and squeak and chatter and squabble

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<v Speaker 1>and scurry and fly and hump past your face and

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<v Speaker 1>flap into you and scrabble in the branches above you.

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<v Speaker 1>In the black. We were walking slowly along this dark

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<v Speaker 1>tree covered tunnel of a road to our left, and

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<v Speaker 1>I heard a branch crack. Now many Australian trees are

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<v Speaker 1>self pruning, especially in summer, Ucalyptus especially. They dropped their

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<v Speaker 1>branches all the time. This is one reason so many

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<v Speaker 1>Australian birds and marsupials have adapted to live in hollows

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<v Speaker 1>made where the tree branches have come off. The animals

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<v Speaker 1>and trees have evolved together, so hearing a branch crack

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<v Speaker 1>is nothing unusual. Usually we didn't even mention it. We

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<v Speaker 1>heard it and barely acknowledged it as we kept chatting

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<v Speaker 1>in the dark, barely able to see each other though

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<v Speaker 1>we were right side by side. A few moments later

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<v Speaker 1>came another crack. This was different altogether. This was quite close,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe a stone's throw away, and it came from down

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<v Speaker 1>the gully that we knew was beside us. It wasn't deep,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe thirty meters. It just a fold in the land

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<v Speaker 1>that the runoffs used to join with the creek. Now

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<v Speaker 1>this was a break, the sound of something literally breaking,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe the trunk of a fairly large soul. It just

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<v Speaker 1>went bang, more like a gunshot than a branch breaking.

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<v Speaker 1>You could tell that this tree didn't break like a

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<v Speaker 1>dead fall. It just got broken green, and it was loud,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was closed. And we stopped, but before either

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<v Speaker 1>of us called to say, oh crap. From the same

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<v Speaker 1>spot as the snap came a sound like a cough.

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<v Speaker 1>I've often described it as a bit like someone clearing

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<v Speaker 1>their throat, like a big man going um, or a

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<v Speaker 1>cross between that and a cough. I can make a

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<v Speaker 1>sound pretty close to it. We turned to each other

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<v Speaker 1>and Brian spoke first, but all he got was, did

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<v Speaker 1>you hear that? Suddenly the air was torn apart, like

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<v Speaker 1>as if by thunder. The loudest and most horrific, ear splitting,

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<v Speaker 1>blood curdling scream yell roar hit us like a bomb blast.

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<v Speaker 1>The sound literally vibrated our bodies and in our ribs

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<v Speaker 1>and skulls, and it seemed to take heat and strength

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<v Speaker 1>out of us, if only for a moment. It lasted

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<v Speaker 1>for what seemed like an impossible time. Maybe it was

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<v Speaker 1>about as long as one can hold its breath, maybe shorter.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't, with impunity say how long that scream went for,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was long and drawn out in the most

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<v Speaker 1>ferocious and frightening sound I've ever heard. As it tailed off,

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<v Speaker 1>there was another huff or a cough at its end,

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<v Speaker 1>and the two of us stood, weakened the knees and bones,

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for the hammer to fall. It sounded like the

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<v Speaker 1>warning of certain death to come at any second. We

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<v Speaker 1>had suddenly plummeted into a few horrible moments to the

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<v Speaker 1>very bottom of the food chain. It was a bit

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<v Speaker 1>like when you're swimming out in the surf behind the

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<v Speaker 1>brake and you see a fin and you don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if it's a dolphin or not, and you suddenly realized

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<v Speaker 1>that you might be on something's menu, and there's nothing

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<v Speaker 1>you can do about it, so you accept the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that there are only three out comes. One you will

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<v Speaker 1>make it safely to shore. Two you're going to get injured,

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<v Speaker 1>possibly badly, and three you're going to die today. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>whatever made that sound was close, and it was the

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<v Speaker 1>king of the effing jungle. Years after this incident, I

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<v Speaker 1>would have the pleasure of having a male lion roar

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<v Speaker 1>from twenty meters behind me in the dark. A lion's roar,

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<v Speaker 1>as almost bowel moving as it was, was nowhere near

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<v Speaker 1>as loud and powerful and barrel chested as this thing. Seriously,

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<v Speaker 1>the yali that made that roar must have been freakin huge.

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<v Speaker 1>In those first few moments after the scream, nothing happened.

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<v Speaker 1>There was complete silence, not a cricket chirp, not a

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<v Speaker 1>possum stir, not a frog croak. Everything was silent as

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<v Speaker 1>a grave. It was as if that roar had sucked

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<v Speaker 1>the vitality out of every living thing in that area.

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<v Speaker 1>That area either, but the whole bloody mountain seemed to

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<v Speaker 1>hold its breath. I was snapped out of my shock

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<v Speaker 1>by Brian, whose face was almost nose to nose with

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<v Speaker 1>mine as he said, Okay, Harry Butler, what the f

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<v Speaker 1>was that? Now? Please allow me to just give a

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<v Speaker 1>very quick heads up on that last comment for your

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<v Speaker 1>American listeners. Harry Butler is a well loved Offsea naturalist

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<v Speaker 1>who had a popular TV show on the ABC called

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<v Speaker 1>Harry Butler in the Wild. We had all grown up

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<v Speaker 1>with this show. In fact, Harry was one of the

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<v Speaker 1>people to inspire the late Steve Irwin to take the

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<v Speaker 1>path that he took in life. So there's Brian, eyes

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<v Speaker 1>like dinner plates, waiting for me to give him a

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<v Speaker 1>sensible answer, and I could not. He knew that I

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<v Speaker 1>was very good in the bush. He knew I had

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<v Speaker 1>heard everything that was to hear in the bush. He

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<v Speaker 1>knew I was running through my noise catalog in my mind,

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<v Speaker 1>trying really hard to equate that sound was something in

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<v Speaker 1>my Brett's book of bush Noises. Now, after a moment,

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<v Speaker 1>I gave him my honest answer, I'll be ft if

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<v Speaker 1>I know, Mike. And then it hit me. I was

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<v Speaker 1>back in w J at night with the same bloke,

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<v Speaker 1>and I was looking at the yowie I'd seen all

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<v Speaker 1>those years ago, and I knew what it was in

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<v Speaker 1>an instant that was out there and had made that sound.

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<v Speaker 1>And I said, wait, I think I might know what

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<v Speaker 1>this is. Mate. Brian, looking more serious than I'd ever

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<v Speaker 1>seen him look before, said oh yeah. I said, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>do you want to know what I reckon it was?

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<v Speaker 1>He looked right into my face. I could practically hear

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<v Speaker 1>his gears turning. He took a moment and he said no.

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<v Speaker 1>Suddenly I wasn't scared. Maybe it was the pleading look

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<v Speaker 1>in Brian's eyes that made me think he was relying

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<v Speaker 1>on me for a solid and helpful idea. The third response,

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<v Speaker 1>I call it there is flight, fight, and a total

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<v Speaker 1>complacence of Bambi volence. So I finally said, well, Mike,

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<v Speaker 1>if it's big enough to sound like that and it

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<v Speaker 1>wants us, we are eft. And Brian replied we're closer

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<v Speaker 1>to the peak than the camp. Let's have some balls

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<v Speaker 1>and just keep going. And then, and only then did

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<v Speaker 1>we remember we had a torch. It had been gripped

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<v Speaker 1>in my hand the whole time. And although our minds

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<v Speaker 1>were still full of tilt, that roar had frozen us

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<v Speaker 1>to the spot, and it took a moment to fall.

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<v Speaker 1>So I shined the light straightforward to the spot where

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<v Speaker 1>the sound had come from, and despite the rays barely

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<v Speaker 1>penetrating that vast green wall, a second after flicking it on,

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<v Speaker 1>there came a thud, like someone dropping a bag of

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<v Speaker 1>cement from the back of a truck. We felt it

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<v Speaker 1>through the road. We knew it was a foot thump,

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<v Speaker 1>a stamp, like what an annoyed horse would do, only

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<v Speaker 1>so much more powerful. Okay, you don't like the light either,

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<v Speaker 1>I thought, so I shined it down the corner of

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<v Speaker 1>the road behind us. Nothing same in front, just more

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<v Speaker 1>road in jungle, and I turned off the light. I

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<v Speaker 1>had kind of judged that as I walked about the

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<v Speaker 1>seven kilometers an hour, that we had been walking pretty

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<v Speaker 1>slowly for an hour or so, and we had covered

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<v Speaker 1>about five kilometers. We were a long way from home,

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<v Speaker 1>and that bugger. Yahwe probably knew it. So we continued

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<v Speaker 1>up the road, slowly at first, and then with an

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<v Speaker 1>f U king Kong attitude, completely unarmed. Of course, the

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<v Speaker 1>noises of the bush came back, but conversation had begun

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<v Speaker 1>to die away, and after about another twenty minutes or so,

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<v Speaker 1>Brian just stopped and said to me, very quietly and seriously, Bretto,

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<v Speaker 1>I can feel it watching us, Mate, Can you feel that?

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<v Speaker 1>Of course I can, mate, But he hasn't made us

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<v Speaker 1>move on yet. That's a good thing, nay, said my mate. Dude,

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<v Speaker 1>this feels wrong. And when the road hits the base

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<v Speaker 1>of the path it stops at this park. Now, said

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<v Speaker 1>my mate, dude, this feels wrong. And when the road

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<v Speaker 1>hits the base of the path it stops at this

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<v Speaker 1>little car park thing. And then there's this little rocky,

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<v Speaker 1>windy footpath to the summit, like through the forest. Mate.

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<v Speaker 1>This was new info, and straightway changed my mind. Suddenly.

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<v Speaker 1>That single lane road felt like a much safer line

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<v Speaker 1>to take than to blunder in total darkness right into

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<v Speaker 1>this thing's backyard with a torch or no torch. The

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<v Speaker 1>blacktop felt like a wiser of two options. Okay, mate,

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<v Speaker 1>let's go home. We did one hundred and eighty degree

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<v Speaker 1>and walked back down that blackest pitch road past where

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<v Speaker 1>the roar happened, down and down and down, watched all

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<v Speaker 1>the way. I have no doubt. We got back to

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<v Speaker 1>our tent at about midnight. FJ was still awake. He

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<v Speaker 1>had been filming some footage on the old microcassette video

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<v Speaker 1>camera we had taken with us to catalog the holiday.

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<v Speaker 1>In the clip, he was laying back with a cigarette

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<v Speaker 1>and telling the camera that he could hear some very

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<v Speaker 1>strange noises coming from up the mountain and that he

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<v Speaker 1>was glad he was staying right here. He hoped we

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<v Speaker 1>were okay. I still have the footage. It's a shame

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<v Speaker 1>he didn't get any of what he was hearing on tape.

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<v Speaker 1>But the gist of it is that he was five

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<v Speaker 1>kilometers away and he heard the roar, so you can

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<v Speaker 1>imagine what standing a stone's throw away did to us.

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<v Speaker 1>We sat in the tent and we talked about it,

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<v Speaker 1>had a couple of stiff drinks, and turned in. Now

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<v Speaker 1>here's the bit that drove it all home for me

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<v Speaker 1>and my mate. Next morning, it was sunny, perfect and

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<v Speaker 1>people out and about, and all the reality around you

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<v Speaker 1>makes your logic denial thing kick in and you wonder

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<v Speaker 1>did that stuff really happen? You get it the day

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<v Speaker 1>after very every real experience with something otherworldly. You guys

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<v Speaker 1>know what I mean. But we went to the little

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<v Speaker 1>shop in the caravan park that morning for some stuff

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<v Speaker 1>and it was like a little general store beside the

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<v Speaker 1>park's end ground swimming pool, postcards, post office, milk bar, etc.

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<v Speaker 1>I joked about something to Brian about the last night's

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<v Speaker 1>goings on, and the really nice bloke that ran the

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<v Speaker 1>shop just up and said, you blokes up near the

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<v Speaker 1>big fella on the mountain last night, eh or something

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<v Speaker 1>like that. It was years ago. Anyway, this bloke goes

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<v Speaker 1>on to tell us that it is playing local knowledge

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<v Speaker 1>and it has been for a long time. There is

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<v Speaker 1>a yalie up on Mount Warning and there always will be,

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<v Speaker 1>and most people know that. He went on to say

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<v Speaker 1>that the indigenous people of the region would go miles

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<v Speaker 1>out of their way to avoid that mountain back in

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<v Speaker 1>their day. He told us about how the lady had

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<v Speaker 1>the little place on the left after the kindergarten in

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<v Speaker 1>Wallumbe had her little terrier just swooped up from its

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<v Speaker 1>running tether by that big bugger in one hand as

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<v Speaker 1>it went straight through her laundry line. The dog didn't

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<v Speaker 1>even yell, It just crushed it in one hand as

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<v Speaker 1>the yowie went straight on through her yard into the bush,

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<v Speaker 1>dragging fresh laundry after it. I had been past her

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<v Speaker 1>house a dozen times or more. So even though we

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<v Speaker 1>didn't need to be, we felt pretty validated by the

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<v Speaker 1>bloke in the shot because even though he may have

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<v Speaker 1>been stretching the truth even a tad. I don't know,

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<v Speaker 1>but I know what we heard on Mount Warning that night,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was big. It was a bloody yowie. It

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<v Speaker 1>could have been nothing else. We don't have bears, We

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<v Speaker 1>don't have cougar's wolves or the sorts of land predators

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<v Speaker 1>that can growl or roar like that. We don't have

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<v Speaker 1>huge deer like moose er el in our forests. That

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<v Speaker 1>Mike Bellow pretty well. It was no koalis fighting or

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<v Speaker 1>possums going at it for fruit, or bats screeching. There

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<v Speaker 1>are yowie's, you might call them sasquatch. It is mysterious,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's really no mystery. It's very plain and simple.