OT: Ghosts, goblins and the supernatural...

I've known sound and light to travel great distances on a still night. Perhaps the sound was being made by something a bit further away ?

In 1980 I was taking tourists on a trip out the back of what is now known as the Mereenie Oil Field, west of Alice. The Mereenie Loop Road was a very vague and sandy 2 wheel track in those days. We arrived at a fork in the road and we were looking for a way to Ayreonga Community but I drove off in the wrong direction. The NatMaps of those days were 20 years old and I became disorientated reading them. My passengers were no use at all. This track eventually took us to the west of where we were heading for. At sunset we pulled up to camp on the banks of a creek.

After tucker and beers we were bushed and all elected to have an early night. Then the noises started. Normally the Outback is very quiet at night. We could hear occasional screeches(probably a Night Owl) and then a faint moan(unknown). My passengers were becoming uneasy. Then a short while later we heard Glunk Glunk noises.Soon after two Emu's approached us and then sped off in fright.

We all pulled our swags closer to the fire. The noises abated for a while. Then I thought I heard the sound of a vehicle. It was faint for a while and then gradually became louder. At around 10pm lights came into view and we flagged the vehicle down with a torch. The BJ40 Toyota stopped and two Sydney Hairdressers(Boyz) stumbled from it. Were they glad to find us. They were totally lost, with a quarter of a tank of diesel left, half a bottle of water and no food. We did not admit to being lost as well at that stage. We rustled up some more tucker and it was midnight before we all turned in. The noises stopped for the rest of the night.

The next day we found our way out of there after a number of dead ends which were then being created by Oil Exploration Shot Lines and ended up coming in to Haasts Bluff Community from the west.

This year I was out in that country again but all was quiet. However I had people I had never met before join the convoy(they were friends of a friend). Further out to the west we saw some ancient artifacts lying in the sand. The new arrivals decided to help themselves to some rubbing stones. I objected and told them not to take these artifacts from where they were as in my view it was Bad Luck and that the spirits might not like it. They ignored my request.

Sequel to this is that after they left my trek they ventured to the Kimberley and then back to Perth. Along the way they started agruing with one another and the marriage of 25 years split when they got back home. The spirits had had their revenge!!

See. There is an explanation for everything.....LOL

Most here will have seen this already, but if not here goes.

The Min Min
I hadn't been from Longreach to Boulia before. I'd come from Charleville that day, and seeing as it was only another 300K to go I decided to push on carefully through the dark, narrow bush track that wound through some hills and then across the long plains. One landcruiser driver passed me as I was sneaking uphill. He obviously knew the track as his speed was considerably more than mine. As in about 100k more. This startled a family of bush pigs who decided that the other side of the track was home. Remembering the hari kari roo , I managed to miss them all.
There was a bush pub about half way along the track. As I approached it I noticed a herd of grazing cattle both sides of the track so I slowed from 80 to 50k/h. What I didn't see was a couple of roos who were also grazing . As they put their heads up and bounded away I noticed that they seemed taller than my Landcruiser. I was obviously in need of a stop and revive so I pulled up at the little pub.
The pub itself was a collection of buildings with some travellers sitting on the verandah drinking wine (!) and a couple of station types at the bar. The barmaid was a tall backpacking girl who came straight across and asked what I wanted to drink. Somehow I don't think that the answer "You wouldn't have coffee would you ?" was what she wanted to hear, but I scored a one anyway. I guess I must of been there about half an hour during which I decided that there was a bit too much life in that place for this sorry soul. Off I trotted to try for a quiet spot in Boulia.
The track itself was a lonely place in the dark. Flat but lots of trees and what might have been in the wet, swampy ground. I started to think of the stories of the min min lights. According to the story many travellers have not only seen them but actually been chased by them. I did read somewhere that they were caused by some sort of spontaneous combustion involving marshy gases. Of course the white fella explanation and the aboriginal ones were as usual, quite different. The aboriginal one involved spirits that chased you.
As I was musing about the min min there was a single light in my rear vision mirror. I estimated it to be about 2k behind me and thought "gee its a small moon tonight". It was too bright for a car or bike and stayed about 2k behind me for the next 5 minutes or so. I slowed down and the light appeared to do the same. I went faster and so did the light. Now the min min story seemed a bit more immediate. I didn't believe it for a minute...or did I ?
I estimated I was about half an hour from Boulia. As I drove I had one eye on the track and one eye on the rear vision mirror.
Finally my min min light decided enough was enough. It started getting closer and closer behind me.
The min min turned into a huge road train with one surviving headlight. He'd been waiting for a long straight stretch so that he could pass me.
It's the only road train I've ever been happy to see. I pulled right off to the side of the track and let him go past . Bloody min min !
You know, in Boulia they have a min min visitors centre.
I reckon that road train must do that trip fairly often.

wont need to watch chainsaw masacre tonight!

Someone farted in my pants... I dont know who it was, and I was the only one in the building.