DATE:   February 23, 2002

TIME:      2:00 - 3:00 A.M.

LOCATION:  Scotts Head, New South Wales

TERRAIN:    Mountains

OBSERVED:  My wife and I live on a property at the bottom of a mountain. Our home has a porch just outside our bedroom and in the hour between 2:00-3:00A.M. we have what sounds like a big man stomping around on it, then jumping over the railing onto the grass below. As he reaches the grass you can hear a loud thud  and he walks away with very heavy footsteps. One night previous it sounded like he was running up and down the porch.  There is an offending stench in the air also on these nights while this is occurring. Whatever "he" is makes a weird noise like a cross between a dog and a cat as it runs towards the bush. This occurance doesn't happen every night but when it does it's usually between the above mentioned hours.  We have only lived on this property for 3 weeks, and although I do not really believe in Yowies, I don't know how to explain this.

ACTIVITIES OF WITNESS(ES):  Sleeping

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:  N/A

OTHER NOTES:  My dog which is chained to the other side of the house is absolutely petrified, and refuses to come out of his house, he just lays in his bed shaking.  Normally he would bark at any suspicious movement or sound.

FOLLOW UPS:   Dean Harrison of the AYR is conducting an investigation.  The final report of Deans is posted at the very bottom of this report.

UPDATES:Updates by Fay
Thank you for your quick response, over the last 3 hours we have encounteredd several factors which increases our suspision of a yowie.  We had all the lights off and we placed flour on our verandah.  We heard a bang and trees rustling a few minutes later.
My parenter and a friend stood in the dark and startled the creature as it ran towards the door of the house then in one big leap jumped over the verandah barrier onto a tree on the ground.  We contiuelly hear that funny noise and the smell is sicking.  We couldnt sleep so we all sat in the bed room with the light off listening trying to understand what is actually going on when it started to throw large items on the roof.   It appears to be getting more game.  Several lights at the front of the house has been on with distinct noises close outside.  It then went to the small verandah on the other side of the bed room and made large walking noises close to the window then up and over the room on the roof very quite but still we saw shadows.   It climbed down the post back to the orginal side and off again, like it was playing games with us.  More rocks on the roof, hearing it run from one side to the other, more warning noises like a cross between a cat and dog screeching.  We seriously feel his testing us with the length of time before we react by turning on the lights.  Please give us your opinion on this matter and give us information to assist us in the matter.  I am concerned as I am a family day carer having young children in my home all the time.

----- Original Message -----
From: Fay Easley
To:
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 4:36 PM
 

Dear XXXX and XXXX,

I am writing to check on the two of you to see how things are going.  Have you heard from Dean Harrison yet?  I certainly hope he answers you soon as I know you must be very concerned and more than a little frightened.  I think you should use the utmost caution at nightfall until you can determine what it is that's coming around. I would definitely stay inside the residence if you hear it outside again. I really liked your idea of the flour, I have used it myself in the past when I had a prowler to see if I could get some footprints, and it works!!

I don't know if you've viewed Dean's website so I am including the URL for it here.
http://gcbro.com/DHAY.html

Please let me know if I can be of any help to you. Although we live on different continents, I can offer some emotional support.

Sincerely,
Fay

Yes we have been in touch with Dean.  He rang us this morning.  He is trying to make it down this way as what we have explained to him makes it definately sound like a yowie.
I will be bringing my dog inside tonight as he is petrifyed of this creature every night.     We have secured the perimetre of the house with glad wrap to see if anything gets through, and we have made spikes all over the verandah to see if that is a deterent. We now have a .243 calibre rifle here for safety as well.  I hope somone can get to the bottom of this for us shortly.  Stay in touch.
XXXX & XXXX

An encounter report was received in March 2002 involving a couple who had moved into a house on Acreage in bushland South of Coffs Harbour. The couple had lived at the premises for only two weeks prior to contacting us, and were clearly scared for their safety due to ‘something’ stalking their house each night.

Neither of the residents knew much about the Yowie or what it actually was, in fact they were both firm "non-believers" until the second night after their initial arrival. As with most first time witnesses, 60% had never heard of such a creature and 80% are sceptical.

This investigation lead us to a different picture than we had first anticipated.

Although we were contacted on the Monday, the team couldn’t respond until the Friday due to daytime work commitments. The encounters seemed hot and the witnesses very frightened, but seemingly rational.

The team arrived at 4pm on the Friday after a 6 hour drive south, stopping only once at Macksville for supplies.

We met the residents (Ashley and Sabrina), who again seemed very reasonable and rational people. They walked us around the property explaining their problem, pointing to the various areas of interest and re-enacting previous encounters.

Only a few days after moving into the house, they were apparently being harassed by a ‘creature unknown’ that paced the veranda at 2am each morning, breathing heavily and occasionally screaming outside the windows, sending chills and fear into them both.

They lay still in their bed listening to the sturdy veranda floor boards twist and warp under the weight of each foot step as the creature cased the windows and doors. It didn’t end there. Large rocks were reported to have been thrown on the roof in the dead of the night and their normally fearless Terrier refused to stay outside at night.

The horses in the top paddock also appeared stressed once it became dusk and they ritually and nervously made their way to the bottom end of the field, close to the house. Once dark, the dog would wine and hide, cowering in fear.

Both residents were clearly stressed and exhausted by the previous 3 weeks of little sleep.

In an attempt to find answers one night, they lay flour across the veranda close to their bedroom door. A print was found the next morning, however the next night’s rain turned the flour to virtual rock.

In a desperate attempt to make sense of it all one night, Ashley, after waiting up for the visitor, turned the porch light on when he heard the creature on the veranda. The creature dived off the balcony breaking the small palm tree on its way.

On a separate night he waited with a friend at the window and they both claim to have witnessed a large bark figure appear by the wire fence at the back of the yard, only to disappear again behind the garden. It was at this point when they decided to contact the AYR via the GCBRO website.

Our first task of the operation was to set up an electric trip wire surrounding the parameter of the property which Trevor had pre-made prior to the journey. As the investigation began, Ashley worked on the camera surveillance, while Steve buried cables in the lawn for the backyard camera that faced back towards the veranda.

Four cameras plus infra red was put in place, along with a VCR and monitor in the bedroom. A panic switch which let of a high decibel siren was added incase they felt under threat.

Once 60% of the equipment was et in place, Steve geared up for a perimeter check of the property and surrounding bushland while everything back at the house was made ready for the first night of surveillance.

During the process of finishing the install, Steve radioed in with a report of a man-made dwelling approximately 150m on the other side of the fence line, which was set in the heavy forest that surrounded most of the property.

As dusk fell on the first night, all team members were confined to the house with an allocated vantage point. The main problem with being confined indoors at this house was the fact that any movement at all resulted in heavy creaking of the old wooden floor boards, that made it very difficult to move around without being heard.

My first observation when we arrived was the house had no curtains. Basically every room of the house was visible from outside, especially at night – including the bedroom and bathroom.

At approximately 7-8pm, we had an security breach. The parameter trip sensor had been activated and everyone rushed to the monitor. I was in the front bedroom at the time when I heard Ashley (Resident) comment, “What is Dean doing outside, is that Dean?”. A figure was seen on the monitor at the rear of the house, then promptly disappeared, and it certainly was not I

When the tape was played back as confirmation, we noted an important point for the future – someone should press the record button earlier on. Another law from Murphy struck hard…..

Unhappy with not recording the footage, and against popular opinion, I rushed outside and into the backyard for a visual of the intruder. I found where the breach occurred and followed foot impressions through the backyard to the side of the property. A very large spider wed approximately 1m wide had been freshly  walked through and the tracks lead into the banana plantation over the fence.

I had already formed an opinion by this stage, and the pieces were slowly being placed together. During the night there was very little movement around the house, although the occasional nut from tree branches above the bedroom fell, then skidded sideways from the corrugation of the tin roof. Not surprisingly, I felt this was the noise that the residents had described as the mystery “rock throwing”.

The Terrier was in the house and certainly refused to stay outside, however I observed the fact that this dog showed a deep fear of basically anything, including the owner. I feel that it would have been scared of a domestic cat if one ventured into the yard, and on the basis of it being a cowardly character, I disregarded the notion that it was freaked by a lurking “Hominid”, but more so scared of the dark.

The horses came to the lower fenceline near the house as described by the residents, but again I feel that this is where they came each night regardless and where they are more than likely used to be fed there rather than being driven there by fear.

Each time one of our team moved in the house during the night, the old wooden floor boards amplified the movements and it became impossible to remain quiet. The best option in my mind was to sleep by the windows, thus quietening down the unusual and excess noise.

According to Ashley and Sabrina, this was the first full night sleep they had in weeks, secure in the knowledge that they were being fully guarded by people and equipment.

I woke several times during the night to check the yard for movement, but nothing stepped on the veranda or tripped the sensors. It was an uneventful night.

The next morning Preacher and John (ex-military) arrived early. Steve and Trevor disappeared on bushland search for evidence, as Ashley (AYR), made the finishing adjustments on the equipment. I searched the muddy back-lots of the property boundary for prints, but found very little that could be considered as “concrete”.

After Preacher and John were briefed on situation, they moved out into the surrounding bushland.

I contacted Steve on the radio to find the track entrance that lead to the mystery dwelling that he found the previous afternoon.

At the bottom end of the property on the opposite side of the fenceline, I found the track. It was very well used and resembled a typical human walking track that you might find in a national Park. I noted markings and breaks on trees as I made my way up the slight hill through the bush. It was obvious to me that this track was/is being used more than regularly.

I found my way to the hut, suspicious as to why the track lead back to the property. My initial thoughts of the structure was that it resembled a council dwelling, as it was very well made and established.

Stolen council signs adorned the hut both externally and within. Outdoor chairs were by the door, along with a table and various rubbish that had been recently used.

The hut itself was comfortably furnished and evidence of drug use was abundant. Typical signs of teenagers was apparent, and it was obvious that whoever used this hut felt rather secure and had no fear or problems of it being discovered. It was also obvious that it was still being used on a regular basis.

While in the hut, Ashley (AYR), radioed with information regarding teenagers in the area pertaining to some correlation with the neighbours. Steve and Trevor then reported in concerning a Marijuana plantation they had stumbled across after they had left the hut an hour prior to my arrival to the site.

As quickly as that message came through, Preacher and John ordered complete radio silence. I met up with Preacher and John in the forest who were very unhappy with the radio feeds. They mentioned that anyone could be listening to our communications and more to the point, there was a radio back in the house. It was unwise to broadcast information at this stage due to the nature of the finds and at that stage we couldn’t rule out the involvement of the residents (Ashley and Sabrina) themselves. The picture was now becoming far more involved than we imagined, and it was now time to get serious.

Ashley (AYR) secured the spare radio at the house, while myself, Preacher and John changed to a secure channel.

At this stage the focus of the operation turned from a potential Yowie related matter to an investigation to find the facts behind something a little more sinister, a human related problem.

We now had re-focus all our attention to the human related signs in the surrounding forest. We now needed to investigate any evidence linking the drugs to the property, the residents, owners of the property or neighbours. We had to get to the bottom of case and find the facts behind what was “really” going on out here. We had to find out who the ‘suspected’ teenagers were, where they came from and why Ashley and Sabrina have been ‘allegedly’ targeted, and indeed “IF” they were really targeted at all, or if they were somehow involved in any way?

I cautiously made my way to the bordering fenceline and slowly worked along the parameter, following any tracks I could find that lead from the boundary into the bush. It wasn’t long before I found another plantation.

Steve and Trevor found radioed with details on another main ‘mother plantation’ they located. I discovered various pots and fertilizer which lead me to my second crop. All indications at this time showed a direct involvement with the property. Whoever was servicing these plants entered the area from the horse paddock at the higher end towards the back of the land.

Beyond the fence line at the top of the paddocks, the bush became thick and resembling more of a Jungle atmosphere. Its was at this point where it seemed unlikely any of the locals venture. It turned to overgrown valleys and peaks. The Lantana gripped the landscape and consumed much of the native foliage. There were very few tracks or trails, and I found myself gently ‘cutting’ my way through until I found the odd opening where I could walk more freely.

After a further hour of hiking into the more mountainous terrain, I found my way to the top of a hill, then sat against tree stump to rest and assess the morning finds. I thought of each and every possibility and had reached some firm conclusions. The thought of “Yowie” was no far from my mind, and whatever the case may have been, the fact remained that the Ashley and Sabrina may have been in danger.

The thought that they simply called us out as Vigilantes, and using the story of a Yowie to secure us, did cross my mind. I decided to tackle this question head-on when I returned to the house. It was time for them to be straight with us and provide a more accurate picture, but this conversation would have to be held in private.

They seemed to be good people and I knew either way the story may head, the team would still work towards helping them in anyway they can.

I got to my feet, picked up my backpack and radio. I suddenly froze in a mid-stoop position, staring at the ground.

I was confronted with a clear footprint. Not a shoe print, but a bare foot measuring close to 12 x 6.5”, and all five toes were apparent. Although the print had been slightly rain-washed, it was cemented like rock in what was once thick mud beside the stump only inches from where I sat. Beside this clear print of a left foot, was another print – a right foot.

The story of this expedition took yet another unexpected twist. My adrenaline levels rose and I found evidence of more, but less clear prints around the old tree stump. Due to low light levels under the forest canopy, it was difficult to produce enough contrast on my video camera to do the prints justice.

I knew very well that these unhospitable conditions was no place for a person to be aimlessly wandering around without shoes, and above all, they ‘certainly’ were not the shape of the average human foot. These were string evidence of a hairy man in the area.

Documenting my thoughts and feelings on video, I continued on taking more notice of what could now potentially be Yowie related signs. I stated on the video that “I now believed we were dealing on a two fold situation where there is human involvement at play and also a possible hairy-man occasionally roaming the property.

After I climbed the back boundary fence and entered the property on my return, Preacher and John radioed for me to ‘lay low’. I lay still on the ground in thick grass wondering what was happening? Peering down the hill towards the house I could see people at the lower fence, looking through binoculars at the forest 70m to my right.

Preacher radioed for me to slowly make my way to the side fence close to the bushline. Once at the fence via Preacher and John’s guidance, I worked my way through, then hid behind a log within the forest tree line.

The synopsis on he situation was the a figure has been sighted in the bushline and the crew below were tracking it when I came into view. They were unsure whether the figure was either a hominid or human, however the vibe was that it appeared to be large.

Funnily enough, at this stage I thought both Preacher and John were in the bush ahead of me and were guiding me to their position, but I couldn’t find them. They were among the crew down below. Feeling protected/covered by Preacher and John’s ‘resources’ (which again, thought was close by), I crawled painstakingly slowly on my stomach to where the figure was last sighted. I sat there for approximately 30 minutes, however not a twig broke and there was no sign of any intruder.

Soon after returning to the house, I then returned to the hut with Ashley (AYR) who was still yet to see it. Following various surrounding tracks , we also stumbled upon the main plantation.

Before dusk, back at the house, I led Ashley (resident) aside for a talk in the barn. Feeling there was a degree of deception in the air, I was in no mood for games. I painted a picture of what was happening around them without their knowledge, then produced a scenario in which ‘he’ was directly implicated with the plantations.

I harshly pursued a confession for quite sometime, however the true astonishment in his eyes regarding my take on the situation was convincing enough to rule he and Sabrina out of the equation. Added to that, he called for Sabrina to listen to what we discovered.

The Verdict:

Ashley and Sabrina moved into this house 3 weeks ago. Their goal was to run a Childcare business from home and live an open lifestyle on a semi rural property.

The knew little about the owners who occupied the house for the past 17 years. During the background check, Ashley discovered the son of the Owners also had a friend of the same age who lives/d in the house next door on the hill.

The female owner who could be describes as ‘alternate’, comes to the house a few mornings per week to feed the horses. According to Ashley and Sabrina, she promptly disappears over the hill in the top paddock – in the same direction to where the smaller and newer plants were found.

The neighbours son was also seen on occasions walking through the top paddock and entering the bush close to the hut.

The neighbour himself is close friends with the female owner and more than likely keeps an eye on the house.

No curtains in the house including bathroom and bedroom. Immediate suspicion crept into my mind, as Sabrina is quite an attractive girl and if it was known that they both walked around ‘naked’ between the bedroom and shower, the motive of voyeurism is a strong case towards ‘bumps’ outside the windows at night.

To put this theory of a voyeur to the test, and to confirm my previous nights suspicions of the neighbour breaching out perimeter wires, I walked straight out the front door at 8pm (time of last nights breach) and directly towards neighbours fence – sure enough, someone launched themself from the bushes outside the house and promptly made their way home up the driveway.

The drugs had obviously been growing for many years and both neighbours were in on the act. After the woman and son moved out of the house,  (and Ashley and Sabrina moved in) – the neighbours looked after matters, thus regularly seen crossing the top paddocks towards the plants and hut. On their return during the night, they discovered that they could see clearly into the house and more than likely ‘a naked female’ on occasion and a new pastime was initiated.

The “rocks on the roof” was nothing more than nuts being dropped from an over hanging tree, then hitting the corrugated iron and bouncing along the tin and into the guttering.

The shadows outside may have been the neighbours, as too the ‘creature’ that launched off the veranda, although I couldn’t explain the footprints found in the next valley?

The after effect

The cameras were left at the location to give them some piece of mind. We shed light on their problems and made them aware of a situation that surrounding them.

On the trip home while travelling North through Grafton, I received a call from Ashley on my mobile phone. Apparently Ashley, Sabrina and a friend were standing at the base of the bottom paddock soon after we left looking through binoculars, when they claim the ‘Yowie’ walked across the top corner of the paddock in full view. “It was just like the picture from ‘Out of the Shadows’”.

Later in the week, Ashley confronted the woman owner of the property and told her he wanted to plants gone before Sabrina had her Childcare closed down over the issue. At first she agreed, however it wasn’t long before the matter turned ugly.

She requested they leave the house and spread rumours among the community about the Childcare. Some parents believed the stories and pulled their children out. The Police arrived and accused them of having a group of Camo-clad milisha on the property, heavily armed and shooting everything that moved (not a shot was fired for the entire weekend).

During the nights while the IR was left on, nothing approached the house and all was quiet, but once the IR was turned off – the problems immediately returned. This is the same story we hear each time we employ the use of Infrared.

A hair sample was obtained from the ‘creature’ after it was disturbed at night close to the house. It ran through the backyard, jumped a fence and crashed over a children's sea-saw. A large clump of hair was left wedged in the centre swivel which included 20 follicles.

They sent the samples to us for analysis. The samples were ‘demanded’ by a Detroit research lab who convinced me they are leaders in primate DNA. The samples were sent – then destroyed in the USA – we never heard back from them again after the bad news……………

Later in the year both Ashley and Sabrina moved out.

Synopsis: There more than likely a hairyman roaming the woods, however I feel most of their problems was human related.