TOTEM POLES AT ANCIENT WATERWAY

Photos taken by Vallis floating about  Fairfield  Waters ,Townsville,which lived up to its  name , there  being  much  surface  water  and  many  waterbirds . 

(Construction,  Bridge, Queensland.)

HEAVEN CLOSED

Our Aeronautical  Correspondent  Abra  discovered  this great bookshop- unfortunately closed for a few days- when she flew into   Cairns .  Nevertheless, she peered through windows and took an interior  photograph. 

 

(Books,  Heaven, Cairns .)

RUGGED BOTANICAL SETTING

Townsville.  Sara  safari  photograph.

 (Tropics,  View, Sara.)

MANDORAH MONSTER BRANDED FAKE NEWS

 The recent   yarn in  this  blog about   renewed  interest  in   sightings of  something  strange  in waters  off  Darwin  years ago , which  became known as  the Mandorah Monster ,  drew an  immediate  response from  a gentleman  who  should  write  his  memoirs  about  his  adventures on  land  and  sea .

Under the nom-de-plume an unidentified Darwin correspondent , he declared  the  MM was a well known beat  up by certain Northern Territory  News hounds, on dull news days, in order to fill space.  They even had  photos of an incoming tidal "'ripple"' and this  wavelet was often described as travelling at  some fantastic speed - Aaah those good ole days... he added .

 This so called Monster , he continued, was actually one of many huge Manta Rays, usually about six foot or  more across.

One became  snagged on  a  rope anchor and  gave  him and another person on the boat a short, fast ride.  It was just one of many memorable unforgettable occasions when fishing on a shoal near the Two Fella Creek entrance.  ( Bushman and author  Bill Harney, born at Charters Towers, Queensland,  used to  live at Two  Fella  Creek ).

" I was pulling the reef anchor up when it happened, "he recalled .

" It was witnessed by a nearby boat who just laughed and chiacked us with the usual teasing of those days.  These huge rays would often have their wing flaps turned up, as they surfaced, when chasing a meal, and thus these 'stories' gained momentum with the oft re-telling, etc. It was good for Mandorah  tourism   and  a  known  joke."

(Monster, Darwin , Ray.)

EXCLUSIVE : ALIENS WANT TO CALL NORTHERN TERRITORY HOME

 Northern Territory  real estate is expected to  become the dearest in  Australia  following  a  tip from  E.T.  that   investors on  PLanet  Zog  and elsewhere  are  intent on buying  the abandoned  out  of  this world  business at  Wycliffe Well which traded as the  Unidentified  Flying   Object  capital  of   Australia.

Emerging from a  decades long  hibernation in  a  dark  Darwin  penthouse,  E.T. said his sleep had been interrupted by  numerous inter-gallactic messages  from  the  folks back home  urgently   wanting  information about  the   attractive   Wycliffe  Well  property , and   any  other  Territory  real estate where  you could  get  spaced   out.

He said  aliens all over the  cosmos  were  concerned about  the deteriorating lifestyle  due to  Elon  Musk  blasting   the heavens with rockets , NASA  zooming  in  on the Sun , the  Chinese  delivering   noodles  to the  Man on  the  Moon , Japan  stepping  up  its  involvement  in  the  space race . 

As a result, the  Northern Territory  sounded  like a highly desirable , peaceful place  in which  to  touch  down , settle .

The once  thriving  Wycliffe Well roadhouse cashed in on UFOs, but fell on hard times and was  flooded in 2022. The  abandoned premises were  vandalised  and  a large  green  alien  statue  was  decapitated. 

However, E.T.  pointed  out   cashed up  buyers  in space   say  they  will fill Wycliffe  Well , near Tennant Creek ,  with  a  horde   of  real  aliens ,  form   five   football   teams  in   both major codes , including  a women's  side,  run  a  global  UFO  airline  from  there  which  will  undercut   Qantas  and Virgin .     

(Aliens, Territory, Spoof.)

MONSTER RESURFACES

 LIttle Darwin  is surprised  by  the   fact  that  there  is  renewed interest  in  stories  it  ran  years  ago  in  the  blog  about   a  strange apparition  off   Darwin known as  the  Mandorah  Monster. One of  those  posts , with  its heading,  is  rerun below .  

MANDORAH MONSTER MYSTERY SOLVED?

It is surprising that nobody in the Top End media thought to link  the recent  sighting of humpback whales way  up  a Kakadu  river  with  Darwin's  baffling   Mandorah  Monster of  yesteryear.  Back in the l950s and  early l960s , the   Mandorah Monster  was  as  famous locally as  the Loch Ness Monster. 

The tropical Nessie  was sighted  from time to time off   Mandorah, just cross the harbour   from the  Northern Territory capital.  There was a holiday resort  at  Mandorah with a  honeymoon suite  which  featured  Cupids in a big way .  The   monster was seen  during  nuptial  ferry  trips across  the  harbour, one of  the crew  named  Roy  Big  Foot .

While some people said the scary  object was some kind of  fast moving  giant  sea  creature, others  believed  it  mechanically driven  , even Russian !

The  Russkie  connection  could have been inspired by a highly dubious  report  in the  Northern Territory News   quoting   Mr  J. G. Slaggert, said to be a self employed businessman, as having sighted  a flying saucer  land  at the  Darwin Golf Course , its occupants speaking perfect English , questioning  him  about  Darwin ,  announcing   they   were  Russian !!! 

Viewed below are l959 photographs taken  on the  ferry trip to Mandorah, including the honeymoon cottage, the wartime tower and gun emplacements. 

Seriously, it is just possible that  the  Mandorah Monster was  actually  a  humpback  whale / whales  frolicking  off  Darwin . Meanwhile , our roving cameraman , Vallis, has handed in the following  shot of  a  sea monster  in  North  Queensland  waters.  

(Monster, Mandorah , Russian.) 

CALIFORNIAN DREAMING FANTASY IN A MOKE FILLED WITH JOYRIDING CROWS

Magnetic Island ,Queensland. 

 

Crow sculpture , Saddleworth,South Australia .

(California, Crows, Dreaming.)

MEET SPIKEY , SKY DIVING SPIDER

 

Vallis  

(Spider, Sky, Photo.)