Yowie facts for kids

For other uses, see Yowie (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Yowie
Country	Australia
Region	Great Dividing Range Northern Territory Australian Capital Territory South Australia Western Australia New South Wales Queensland

The Yowie is a famous creature from Australian folklore. Many people believe it lives in the wild, remote areas of the Outback. This mysterious creature is part of the old stories and traditions of Aboriginal people.

Different Aboriginal groups have different names for the Yowie. In parts of Queensland, it's called quinkin or joogabinna. In New South Wales, names like Ghindaring, jurrawarra, myngawin, puttikan, doolaga, gulaga, and thoolagal are used. Other names include yaroma, noocoonah, wawee, pangkarlangu, jimbra, and tjangara. Stories about Yowie-like creatures are very common in Aboriginal legends, especially in eastern Australia.

What Does a Yowie Look Like?
Where Did the Name "Yowie" Come From?
History of Yowie Sightings
- 19th Century Sightings
- Present Day Sightings
People Who Search for Yowies
In Popular Culture
See also

What Does a Yowie Look Like?

People usually describe the Yowie as a tall, hairy, and ape-like creature. It stands upright, like a human. Its height is said to be between 2.1 meters (about 7 feet) and 3.6 meters (about 12 feet) tall.

The Yowie's feet are described as much bigger than human feet. However, reports of Yowie footprints are not always the same. Some say the feet have different shapes or numbers of toes. The Yowie's nose is often described as wide and flat.

When it comes to how Yowies act, some people say they are shy and timid. Others describe them as sometimes being violent or aggressive.

Where Did the Name "Yowie" Come From?

It's not fully clear how the name "yowie" started. This word was used by the Kámilarói people as early as 1875. A book from that time, "Kámilarói and Other Australian Languages," mentions "Yō-wī" as a spirit that roams the earth at night.

Some writers think the name came from older Aboriginal legends about a creature called the "Yahoo." In 1842, a European account described the Yahoo:

The natives of Australia ... believe in ... [the] YAHOO ... This being they describe as resembling a man ... of nearly the same height, ... with long white hair hanging down from the head over the features ... the arms as extraordinarily long, furnished at the extremities with great talons, and the feet turned backwards, so that, on flying from man, the imprint of the foot appears as if the being had travelled in the opposite direction. Altogether, they describe it as a hideous monster of an unearthly character and ape-like appearance.

Another story from an Aboriginal source suggests the Yahoo is part of the Dreamtime. This is a very important part of Aboriginal beliefs.

Old Bungaree, a Gunedah Aboriginal ... said at one time there were tribes of them [yahoos] and they were the original inhabitants of the country — he said they were the old race of blacks ... [The yahoos] and the blacks used to fight and the blacks beat them most of the time, but the yahoo always made away from the blacks being a faster runner mostly .

Some people also think the name might come from the "Yahoo" characters in Jonathan Swift's book Gulliver's Travels. Or it could be linked to old European stories about hairy "wild men."

History of Yowie Sightings

Stories about people seeing Yowies have been around for a long time. The first reported sighting in Australia might have happened as early as 1795.

19th Century Sightings

In the 1850s, newspapers like the Australian Town and Country Journal wrote about "Indigenous Apes." In 1876, one article asked readers if they had heard of the "Yahoo-Devil Devil, or hairy man of the wood."

In 1882, a man named Henry James McCooey said he saw an "indigenous ape" in New South Wales. He described it as about 5 feet tall, covered in long black hair, with small, restless eyes. He said it ran away when he threw a stone at it. McCooey even offered to catch one for the Australian Museum for £40.

The Yowie also appeared in old Australian tall tales and stories about goldfields.

Present Day Sightings

Even today, people report seeing Yowies across Australia.

Australian Capital Territory

In 2010, a man in Canberra said he saw a young Yowie in his garage. He described it as hairy, with long arms that almost touched the ground.

New South Wales

Many Yowie sightings have been reported in New South Wales:

In 1977, people near Taree heard strange screaming noises at night. A cryptozoologist (someone who studies hidden animals) named Rex Gilroy came to search for the Yowie.
In 1994, a person known as Tim the Yowie Man claimed to have seen a Yowie in the Brindabella Ranges.
In 1996, a couple from Newcastle said they saw a shaggy, upright creature between Braidwood and the coast. It was at least 2.1 meters tall with long arms and no neck.
In 2000, a bushwalker filmed an unknown creature in the Brindabella Mountains. This film is called the 'Piper Film'.
In 2011, a witness reported seeing a Yowie in the Blue Mountains near Springwood. They filmed it and took photos of its footprints.
In 2012, an American TV crew claimed they recorded Yowie sounds near the NSW–Queensland border.
In 2013, a resident of Lismore said they saw a Yowie near Bexhill.

In the 1970s, a reward of AU$200,000 was offered to anyone who could capture a Yowie. No one has claimed it yet!

Northern Territory

In the late 1990s, there were several reports of Yowies near Acacia Hills. In 1997, a mango farmer named Katrina Tucker said she was just a few meters from a hairy, human-like creature on her farm. Footprint photos were taken at the time.

Queensland

The Springbrook area in south-east Queensland has the most Yowie reports in Australia.

In 1977, former Senator Bill O'Chee said he saw a Yowie in Springbrook during a school trip. He compared it to Chewbacca from Star Wars and said it was over three meters tall.
The "Mulgowie Yowie" is a persistent story, last reported in 2001.
In 2014, two Yowie searchers claimed they filmed a Yowie in South Queensland using an infrared camera. They also found fur samples and large footprints.
Later that year, a man from Gympie said he had met Yowies many times. He even claimed to have talked with a very large male Yowie and taught it some English. People in Port Douglas also reported seeing Yowies.

People Who Search for Yowies

Some people are very dedicated to finding evidence of the Yowie.

Rex Gilroy: Since the 1970s, Rex Gilroy, a cryptozoologist, has worked to make the Yowie famous. He says he has collected over 3,000 reports of Yowies. He believes they are a type of ape or early human that still exists. Rex Gilroy thinks the Yowie is related to the North American Bigfoot. He and his partner Heather have spent 50 years researching Yowies.

Tim the Yowie Man: He is an author who claims he saw a Yowie in the Brindabella Ranges in 1994. Since then, Tim the Yowie Man has investigated Yowie sightings and other strange events. He also writes a column in Australian newspapers. In 2004, he won a legal case against Cadbury, a chocolate company, because they said his name was too similar to their Yowie chocolates.

Gary Opit: He is a wildlife expert and environmental scientist who works for ABC Local Radio.

In Popular Culture

The Yowie has appeared in many books, movies, and games:

The role-playing game Call of Cthulhu (1987) includes the Yowie as a mythical monster.
The TV show A Country Practice (1988) had an episode about a suspected Yowie sighting.
The band Metanoia had a vocalist named Justin "Yowie" Smith from 1994-98.
The popular Yowie brand of chocolates, launched in 1995, was named after the creature.
An experimental rock band called Yowie formed in 2000. Their first album, Cryptooology, shows a Yowie on the cover.
In the video game Final Fantasy X (2001), the Yowie appears as an enemy.
The animated film Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003) features a monster called the Yowie Yahoo.
Yowies are mentioned as magical creatures in the book Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison (2010).
The action-horror film Throwback (2014) is about finding and battling a Yowie.
In the animated series We Bare Bears (2018), a character mistakes Charlie for a Yowie.