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The Mirreeulla (Hawkesbury River Monster; Australia)

EnolaGaia

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This thread is being established for discussion of the Mirreeulla - a water monster associated with the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney.

It appears this particular water monster has not been mentioned or discussed on the FTMB before.

Here's a brief synopsis of the case ...

“Mirreeulla” Hawkesbury River Monster (NSW, Australia)

The Dharruk people told European settlers of enormous water serpents known as Mirreeulla inhabiting the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney. The creatures had long necks, large bodies and tails and were depicted in cave art. There have been hundreds of reported sightings in the past 140 years.

SOURCE: https://www.news.com.au/technology/...s/news-story/c81bf6fd15b59a2e4e3e845c99206584

NOTES:

  • The native Dharruk people from whom the legend originated are sometimes cited as 'Dharuk'.
  • The spelling 'Mirreeulla' seems to be consistently used for the monster itself.
 
The most voluminous website dedicated to the Mirreeulla seems to be this one:

https://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/australian_nessie_mainpage.html

Here's that site's introduction to the case ...

For thousands of years, the former Dharuk tribal Aborigines of the central coast, north of Sydney, preserved traditions of enormous reptilian 'water monsters' which, they told early European settlers last century, inhabited the nearby Hawkesbury River. Their ancient cave art along the river includes depictions of these mystery creatures, which they called "Mirreeulla" ("giant water serpent"), described as having a snakelike head, long neck, a large body with two sets of flippers, and a long eel-like tail. The Aboriginal description of these animals also matches that of European sightings of the creatures since last century, from Wisemans Ferry at the western end of the river, eastward to the Broken Bay-Brisbane Waters expanse at the river's mouth.

I have had an almost 45-year-long fascination with the`water monsters' of the Hawkesbury River, during which time I have gathered over several hundred reported sightings of the creatures dating from last century to the present-more than enough to convince me that they are no mere mythical Aboriginal 'bunyip', but living survivors from geological times.My researches into these mysterious creatures many years ago led me to coin the name "Hawkesbury River Monster? in describing them, and the name has stuck. The general physical description of the "Mirreeulla" is unmistakable: they resemble the Plesiosaurus, or some ancient marine reptile very much like it.
 
My family used to have a houseboat on the Hawkesbury when I was young around the Cowan Creek/ Coal & Candle Creek area. It's a beautiful part of the world, surprisingly close to Sydney CBD, yet surprisingly remote at the same time. It can also be quite eerie in places.
To this day, reports of the monster/s still appear with some recent footage appearing on YouTube only a year or two back (in my opinion, this time it was a large seal).
Sea life of all sorts live in or frequent the river and it's not uncommon for the occasional whale to make an appearance, dolphins, sea turtles and definitely sharks of varying kinds, some of which can grow to 3-4 metres in length.
I would have loved to have spotted something out of the ordinary, but alas, never did.
However, it's a body of water large enough to hide something big... very big in fact.
 
My family used to have a houseboat on the Hawkesbury when I was young around the Cowan Creek/ Coal & Candle Creek area. It's a beautiful part of the world, surprisingly close to Sydney CBD, yet surprisingly remote at the same time. It can also be quite eerie in places.
To this day, reports of the monster/s still appear with some recent footage appearing on YouTube only a year or two back (in my opinion, this time it was a large seal).
Sea life of all sorts live in or frequent the river and it's not uncommon for the occasional whale to make an appearance, dolphins, sea turtles and definitely sharks of varying kinds, some of which can grow to 3-4 metres in length.
I would have loved to have spotted something out of the ordinary, but alas, never did.
However, it's a body of water large enough to hide something big... very big in fact.

Last video I recall from the Hawkesburry River was the turtle earlier in the year.
 
Aussie crypto-legend Tony Healy on the hunt for the Hawkesbury River Monster https://www.eyretribune.com.au/stor...NWfsFyJ4NxqKY7FZib6gKJ7OJgUoPd5dBVKjE#slide=0

I spent a lot of time on the Hawkesbury as a teenager as my folks has a charter boat there which I often went out on on weekends. I never saw anything strange there, although it's pretty murky water most of the time and I really wouldn't swim in it.
You occasionally hear reports of larger turtles, the occasional seal and dolphin there. One thing I do know and that's there's a lot of juvenile bull sharks in the shallower waters there.
It's a large expanse, lots of creeks, mangroves and inlets. It would be a great habitat for something unknown to live in.
 
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