Local UFO sighting

 Image: Cartoons a Plenty

In the Wide Bay region we tend to miss out on many of many of the mythical, apocryphal, dubious, and unnatural wonders of the world and the universe at large.  On the other hand, we have a reasonable supply of eccentrics, tellers of tall tales and bullshit artists.

There are no min-min lights here, something that people regard as ‘scary’ although they don’t seem to do much other than appear, hang about for a bit, and then disappear if the observer hangs around for long enough to realise this has happened.  These seem to be out to the west of us.

It’s a similar story with drop bears, a truly terrifying creature that is able to change its entire appearance just with a different storyteller.  They can be similar to the koala but with massive jaws full of slashing fangs and huge claws, although some reports indicate that they are of similar body shape to a tall beer bottle with fur and long spindly legs with vicious claws.  These drop out of trees on unsuspecting visitors to this country, but don’t worry the locals.

Even bunyips seem to avoid the place.  Bunyips, (for the benefit of foreign readers) are carnivorous monsters that appear out of billabongs and waterholes, usually when the moon is full and the person reporting it is in much the same condition.

Reports of yowies tend to come from sources that are less than reliable.

But at last we have caught up with flying saucers: 

Mr Kukopf was in the kitchen of his Downsfield property, 20 minutes north-east of Gympie, about 9pm when a brightly coloured object in the night sky caught his attention. … 

… "It was hanging above the top of the mountain and just stayed there for a while before moving westward towards Woolooga, shrinking the whole time."Mr Kukopf fumbled with his camera phone, wanting to record the sight but in the rush, mixed up the settings and was unable to take a photo.  The mysterious lights disappeared before the camera could be sorted. … 

… As the UFO-spotter stood inside mulling over the experience, the lights returned a second time, but this time over Gympie itself. 

The brightly coloured lights remained motionless in the sky once more while the red lights surrounding the pale, almost translucent green centre began pulsating.  The lights then suddenly began tracking westward again before disappearing out of sight behind a distant mountain …

(Editorial note) I once thought I was about to have an encounter with the min-min lights one night while driving out in the far west.  Out there the traffic is so light that when cars meet they circle each other sniffing tailpipes like dogs, and its so flat that if you see a hill it pays to take a photo of it to last you till the next one.  If a trip is longer than what is referred to as a six-pack and cut lunch one, most authorities advise you to carry extra fuel and another six-pack.

Anyway, a light appeared in the distance and kept moving towards me just off the road for about twenty minutes.  It was a somewhat exciting thought that I might get to meet one of the great mysteries of the Australian outback.  When it got to a couple of miles away it was a bit bright and thinking it could be an effect of my own headlights, I dipped them.

At this, the light dipped as well, and I was able to see the railway line running parallel to the road about fifty meters away.  Bummer.