Yowie
The Yowie is the down-under cousin of the Bigfoot legend. The term is an anglicised version of various Aboriginal myths of the ‘Hairy Men’ that date back well before colonisation. The stories are very similar to the Bigfoot legend, a big and stinky ape-like creature that can walk upright and is covered in hair. There is a well-known alleged sighting that happened in Emerald in 1988, a man was apparently stalked by a beast that thundered in the bush and even picked up the back of his car up when he tried to get away. Spooky.
Panther
This is possibly the most well known, on any given slow news week, there is bound to be a panther sighting pop up in a headline. Some believe there is possibility there are big cats that roam the hills of the Eastern Coast, brought here off ships from British colonisation. Reported sightings have been made locally, suspiciously in the same hills area around Emerald.
Bunyip
A mystical creature of Aboriginal legend that one of Cardinia Shire’s very own towns is named after, the Bunyip. The description of this apparent creature vary widely, but the most common is akin to an amphibious dog that swims fast across river beds and moves swiftly on land. The term Bunyip is loosely translated to ‘evil spirit’ in Aboriginal language, though the actual origin of term for the mystical creature before colonisation is not well known. The town Bunyip was named as such because of the belief of local Aboriginal tribes that the creature inhabited the swampland.
