Creepy Legends About The Australian Bush That Make Us Terrified Of Visiting

The Australian bush is filled with natural and unique wonders that attract millions of tourists from all over the world. But is it safe? Below we look at the most persistent legends surrounding the bush and what dangers may be lurking there.

Bunyips And Yowies Roam The Dark Parts Of The Bush

Australia is notorious for its dangerous wildlife. Home to great white sharks, poisonous jellyfish, and deadly spiders, the country is not the kind of place where you want to roam in the wild unprepared. As if there weren’t enough proven creepy creatures in Australia, there are also those beasts rooted in indigenous mythology that are said to wander the vast bushland.

Indigenous Australian legends speak of the bunyip, a large creature lurking in swamps and waterholes that emerges to pull unsuspecting victims down to a watery grave. There are various descriptions of what the bunyip is said to look like. European settlers in the 19^thcentury believed that the creature had the face of a dog, complete with sharp teeth, either tusks or horns, dark fur, and flippers.

If you don’t run into a bunyip in the bush, there’s still a chance you’ll come face to face with a yowie. This ape-like creature is said to be covered in long hair and live in the eastern states of the country. Reports of yowie sightings date all the way back to the 1700s, with the most recent sighting occurring in New South Wales in 2013.

Devil’s Pool Carries An Ancient Curse

Near Babinda, Queensland lies the eerie Devil’s Pool. Otherwise known as Babinda Boulders, the pool is said to be haunted by an ancient curse that began with a scorned Indigenous woman, Oolana. Living in the area, Oolana was married to another man when she fell in love with Dyga, a man from another tribe. The two lovers met at Devil’s Pool but were confronted by Oolana’s husband. To escape her husband, Oolana jumped into the pool, believing that Dyga would follow her. Instead, he escaped with his tribe and abandoned the area, leaving Oolana behind.

There have been at least 16 reported cases of men dying in the Devil’s Pool, the majority of them foreign backpackers. Legend has it that the spirit of Oolana drags them into the water and drowns them in an act of revenge for Dyga’s abandonment. Whether there really is a curse or the pool is just a natural hazard, it’s definitely a place to tread with caution.

The Bush Is Crawling With Murderers

Sadly, the Australian outback has come to be infamous for the terrible recorded murders that have taken place there. The tragic backpacker murders of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the highly publicized murder of British tourist Peter Falconio in 2001, have led people to believe that the bush is crawling with killers waiting for their next victim.

The film Wolf Creek, about a murderer who poses as a helpful stranger in the outback and lures three tourists to their death, has helped to perpetuate these rumors that the bush is a playground for human butchers. Although there have been a number of outback attacks in the past, the majority of tourists do make their way safely across the country.

Drop Bears Exist In The Wild

While koalas are known as Australia’s cutest animal, their cousin the drop bear is far from cuddly. Drop bears are easy to differentiate from koalas because they have slightly darker fur and sharp fangs. They’re also much larger than the average koala. Unlike koalas, which are herbivores, drop bears are carnivorous and feast on human flesh, dropping from the trees to hunt at night.

These vampire-like creatures may or may not have been invented to mess with tourists, particularly those who are already wary of visiting a country that has such a reputation for dangerous wildlife.

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