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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} | ||
{{Use Australian English|date = July 2011}} | {{Use Australian English|date = July 2011}} | ||
[[File:Bunyip 1890.jpg|thumb|Illustration of a | [[File:Bunyip 1890.jpg|thumb|Illustration of a bunyip by J. Macfarlane (1890)]] | ||
The '''bunyip''' is a [[animal|creature]] from the [[Australian Aboriginal mythology|aboriginal mythology]] of southeastern Australia, said to lurk in [[swamp]]s, [[billabong]]s, [[stream|creeks]], riverbeds | The '''bunyip''' is a [[animal|creature]] from the [[Australian Aboriginal mythology|aboriginal mythology]] of southeastern Australia, said to lurk in [[swamp]]s, [[billabong]]s, [[stream|creeks]], riverbeds and [[Watering hole|waterhole]]s. | ||
== | ==Bunyip== | ||
The origin of the word ''bunyip'' has been traced to the [[Wemba-Wemba]] or Wergaia language of the Aboriginal people of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], in South-Eastern Australia.<ref>{{harvnb|Clarke|2018|p=35}} ''apud'' Ramson, William Stanley (ed.) 1988 ''The Australian National Dictionary''; [[Robert M. W. Dixon|Dixon, Robert M. W.]]; Ramson, W. S.; Thomas, Mandy (eds.) 1992 ''Australian Aboriginal Words in English'' .</ref><ref name="Hughes">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/australianwordst0000unse/page/90/mode/1up?ref=ol&q=bunyip|title=Australian Words and Their Origins|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1989|isbn=0-19-553087-X|editor-last=Hughes|editor-first=Joan|editor-link=<!--Joan Hughes (lexicographer)-->|page=90}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Butler |first = Susan |title = The Dinkum Dictionary: The origin of Australian Words |year = 2009 |page = 53 |publisher = Text Publishing |isbn = 978-1-921351-98-3}}</ref>{{sfn|Holden|2001|p = 15}} | The origin of the word ''bunyip'' has been traced to the [[Wemba-Wemba]] or Wergaia language of the Aboriginal people of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], in South-Eastern Australia.<ref>{{harvnb|Clarke|2018|p=35}} ''apud'' Ramson, William Stanley (ed.) 1988 ''The Australian National Dictionary''; [[Robert M. W. Dixon|Dixon, Robert M. W.]]; Ramson, W. S.; Thomas, Mandy (eds.) 1992 ''Australian Aboriginal Words in English'' .</ref><ref name="Hughes">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/australianwordst0000unse/page/90/mode/1up?ref=ol&q=bunyip|title=Australian Words and Their Origins|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1989|isbn=0-19-553087-X|editor-last=Hughes|editor-first=Joan|editor-link=<!--Joan Hughes (lexicographer)-->|page=90}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Butler |first = Susan |title = The Dinkum Dictionary: The origin of Australian Words |year = 2009 |page = 53 |publisher = Text Publishing |isbn = 978-1-921351-98-3}}</ref>{{sfn|Holden|2001|p = 15}} | ||
The word ''bunyip'' is usually translated by Aboriginal Australians today as | The word ''bunyip'' is usually translated by Aboriginal Australians today as devil or evil spirit.<ref>See for example, "[[Oodgeroo Noonuccal]]", Kath Walker's story collected in ''Stradbroke Dreamtime''. [http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/abor-stories/biami.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206012750/http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/abor-stories/biami.html|date=6 February 2012}}</ref> This modern translation may not accurately represent the role of the bunyip in pre-contact [[Aboriginal mythology]] or its possible origins before written accounts were made. Some modern sources allude to a linguistic connection between the bunyip and [[Bunjil]], "a mythic 'Great Man' who made the mountains, rivers man, and all the animals".<ref name = Oxford>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Davey |editor1-first=Gwenda |editor1-link=<!--Gwenda Davey--> |editor2-last=Seal |editor2-first=Graham |editor2-link=<!--Graham Seal --> |title=Bunyip |encyclopedia=The Oxford Companion to Australian Folklore |year=1993 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6BOPAAAAMAAJq |pages=55–56 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-553057-8 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | ||
The word ''bahnyip'' first appeared in the ''[[Sydney Gazette]]'' in 1812.<ref name="Eberhart">{{cite book |last=Eberhart |first=George M. |title=Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology |volume=2 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2002 |isbn=1-57607-283-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9gMsCUtCZUC&pg=PA74 |pages=74–77}}</ref> It was used by James Ives to describe "a large black animal like a seal, with a terrible voice which creates terror among the blacks".<ref name="Gilmore">{{cite book |last=Gilmore |first=David D. |title=Monsters: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manner of Imaginary Terrors |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0812203226 |page=150}}</ref> | The word ''bahnyip'' first appeared in the ''[[Sydney Gazette]]'' in 1812.<ref name="Eberhart">{{cite book |last=Eberhart |first=George M. |title=Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology |volume=2 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2002 |isbn=1-57607-283-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9gMsCUtCZUC&pg=PA74 |pages=74–77}}</ref> It was used by James Ives to describe "a large black animal like a seal, with a terrible voice which creates terror among the blacks".<ref name="Gilmore">{{cite book |last=Gilmore |first=David D. |title=Monsters: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manner of Imaginary Terrors |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0812203226 |page=150}}</ref> | ||
== Distribution == | == Distribution == | ||
The bunyip is part of traditional Aboriginal beliefs and stories throughout Australia, while its name varies according to tribal nomenclature.<ref>{{cite book |last = Wannan |first = Bill |title = Australian Folklore |year = 1976 |orig-year = 1970 |publisher = Landsdowne Press |page = 101 |isbn = 0-7018-0088-7}}</ref> In his 2001 book | The bunyip is part of traditional Aboriginal beliefs and stories throughout Australia, while its name varies according to tribal nomenclature.<ref>{{cite book |last = Wannan |first = Bill |title = Australian Folklore |year = 1976 |orig-year = 1970 |publisher = Landsdowne Press |page = 101 |isbn = 0-7018-0088-7}}</ref> In his 2001 book Robert Holden identified at least nine regional variations of the creature known as the bunyip across Aboriginal Australia.{{sfn|Holden|2001|p = 22–24}} | ||
== Characteristics == | == Characteristics == | ||
[[Image:Bunyip (1935).jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Bunyip'' (1935), by Gerald Markham Lewis, from the [[National Library of Australia]] digital collections, demonstrates the variety in descriptions of the legendary creature.]] | [[Image:Bunyip (1935).jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Bunyip'' (1935), by Gerald Markham Lewis, from the [[National Library of Australia]] digital collections, demonstrates the variety in descriptions of the legendary creature.]] | ||
The bunyip has been described as [[amphibian|amphibious]], almost entirely aquatic (there are no reports of the creature being sighted on land),{{sfn|Clarke|2018|p=35}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Amphibious, but never been witnessed going ashore on the riverbank, according to {{harvnb|South Australian Institute|1901|p=101}}.}} inhabiting lakes, rivers,<ref>{{harvnb|Clarke|2018|p=35}} ([[Lake Tyrrell]], Little Wimmera River). {{harvnb|Clarke|2018|p=35}}</ref> swamps, [[lagoon]]s, [[billabong]]s,<ref name=Oxford/> creeks, [[wiktionary:waterhole|waterhole]]s,{{Refn|name="mcneil"}} sometimes "particular waterholes in the riverbeds".{{sfn|Clarke|2018|p=40}} | The bunyip has been described as [[amphibian|amphibious]], almost entirely aquatic (there are no reports of the creature being sighted on land),{{sfn|Clarke|2018|p=35}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Amphibious, but never having been witnessed going ashore on the riverbank, according to {{harvnb|South Australian Institute|1901|p=101}}.}} inhabiting lakes, rivers,<ref>{{harvnb|Clarke|2018|p=35}} ([[Lake Tyrrell]], Little Wimmera River). {{harvnb|Clarke|2018|p=35}}</ref> swamps, [[lagoon]]s, [[billabong]]s,<ref name=Oxford/> creeks, [[wiktionary:waterhole|waterhole]]s,{{Refn|name="mcneil"}} sometimes "particular waterholes in the riverbeds".{{sfn|Clarke|2018|p=40}} | ||
Physical descriptions of bunyips vary widely. George French Angus may have collected a description of a bunyip in his account of a "water spirit" from the Moorundi people of the [[Murray River]] before 1847, stating it is "much dreaded by them ... It inhabits the Murray; but ... they have some difficulty describing it. Its most usual form ... is said to be that of an enormous starfish."<ref>George French Angus (1847) ''Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand''. Vol 1, p.99. London. Reprinted 1969 Libraries Board of South Australia. {{ISBN|9781139107532}}</ref> The Challicum bunyip, an outline image of a bunyip carved by Aboriginal people into the bank of [[Fiery Creek (Victoria)|Fiery Creek]], near [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]], Victoria, was first recorded by ''[[The Australasian]]'' newspaper in 1851. According to the report, the bunyip had been speared after killing an Aboriginal man. Antiquarian Reynell Johns claimed that until the mid-1850s, Aboriginal people made a "habit of visiting the place annually and retracing the outlines of the figure [of the bunyip] which is about 11 paces long and 4 paces in extreme breadth".<ref>Johns cited in {{harvnb|Holden|2001|p = 176}}</ref> The outline image no longer exists.{{sfn|Holden|2001|p = 176}} Robert Brough Smyth's ''Aborigines of Victoria'' (1878) devoted ten pages to the bunyip, but concluded "in truth little is known among the blacks respecting its form, covering or habits; they appear to have been in such dread of it as to have been unable to take note of its characteristics" | Physical descriptions of bunyips vary widely. George French Angus may have collected a description of a bunyip in his account of a "water spirit" from the Moorundi people of the [[Murray River]] before 1847, stating it is "much dreaded by them ... It inhabits the Murray; but ... they have some difficulty describing it. Its most usual form ... is said to be that of an enormous starfish."<ref>George French Angus (1847) ''Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand''. Vol 1, p.99. London. Reprinted 1969 Libraries Board of South Australia. {{ISBN|9781139107532}}</ref> The Challicum bunyip, an outline image of a bunyip carved by Aboriginal people into the bank of [[Fiery Creek (Victoria)|Fiery Creek]], near [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]], Victoria, was first recorded by ''[[The Australasian]]'' newspaper in 1851. According to the report, the bunyip had been speared after killing an Aboriginal man. Antiquarian Reynell Johns claimed that until the mid-1850s, Aboriginal people made a "habit of visiting the place annually and retracing the outlines of the figure [of the bunyip] which is about 11 paces long and 4 paces in extreme breadth".<ref>Johns cited in {{harvnb|Holden|2001|p = 176}}</ref> The outline image no longer exists.{{sfn|Holden|2001|p = 176}} Robert Brough Smyth's ''Aborigines of Victoria'' (1878) devoted ten pages to the bunyip, but concluded "in truth little is known among the blacks respecting its form, covering or habits; they appear to have been in such dread of it as to have been unable to take note of its characteristics."<ref>Smyth cited in {{harvnb|Holden|2001|p = 175}}</ref> Eugénie Louise McNeil recalled from her childhood memory in the 1890s that the bunyip supposedly had a snout like an owl ("a [[Australian boobook|Mopoke]]"), and was probably a [[nocturnal]] creature by her estimation.{{Refn|name="mcneil"|Crawford, Eugénie (1972). ''A Bunyip Close Behind Me''. quoted in Seal 1999, p. 15<ref name=seal/> and {{harvnb|Holden|2001|p=60}}. The informant of the childhood experience in the 1890s is not Crawford (as misattributed by Holden) but her mother, Eugénie Louise McNeil (1886–1983).}} | ||
The bunyips presumably seen by witnesses, according to their descriptions, most commonly fit one of two categories: 60% of sightings resemble seals or swimming dogs | The bunyips presumably seen by witnesses, according to their descriptions, most commonly fit one of two categories: 60% of sightings resemble seals or swimming dogs and 20% of sightings are of long-necked creatures with small heads; the remaining descriptions are ambiguous beyond categorisation. The seal-dog variety is most often described as being between 4 and 6 feet long with a shaggy black or brown [[Coat (animal)|coat]]. According to reports, these bunyips have round heads resembling a [[Bulldog breeds|bulldog]], prominent ears, no tail, and whiskers like a seal or otter. The long-necked variety is allegedly between 5 and 15 feet long and is said to have black or brown fur, large ears, small tusks, a head like a horse or [[emu]], an elongated, [[mane (horse)|maned]] neck about three feet long and with many folds of skin, and a horse-like tail. The bunyip has been described by natives as [[amphibian|amphibious]], [[nocturnal]], reclusive and inhabiting lakes, rivers and [[swamp]]s. Bunyips, according to Aboriginal mythology, can swim swiftly with fins or flippers, have a loud, roaring call and feed on [[crayfish]], though some legends portray them as bloodthirsty predators of humans, particularly women and children. As a result Aboriginal People purposely avoided unfamiliar bodies of water lest there were bunyips lurking in the depths. Bunyip eggs are allegedly laid in [[platypus]] nests.<ref name=healy&cropper>{{Cite book|last1=Healy |first1=Tony |author1-link=<!--Tony Healy--> |last2=Cropper |first2=Paul |author2-link=<!--Paul Cropper--> |title=Out of the shadows : mystery animals of Australia |date=1994|publisher=Ironbark |isbn=0-330-27499-6|location=Chippendale [Australia] |url=<!--not previewable--> |pages=161–180 |oclc=31304800}}</ref> | ||
The bunyip appears in [[Ngarrindjeri]] dreaming as a water spirit called the [[Mulyawonk]],<ref>Fargher, John. [https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/landscape/docs/hf/010521_fleurieuswampvalues_post_9_spirits_mythological_creatures.pdf Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps Aboriginal Values - Spirits and mythological creatures] Department for Environment and Water. Retrieved 17 June 2025.</ref> which would get anyone who took more than their fair share of fish from the waterways, or take children if they got too close to the water. The stories taught practical means of ensuring long-term survival for the Ngarrindjeri, embodying care for country and its people.<ref name=salleh2021>{{cite web | last=Salleh | first=Anna | title=Indigenous knowledge project could help save endangered Fleurieu Peninsula wetlands | website=ABC News | publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=27 May 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-28/indigenous-knowledge-values-relearnt-from-elders-and-scientists/100152406 | access-date=30 May 2021 | archive-date=29 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529054338/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-28/indigenous-knowledge-values-relearnt-from-elders-and-scientists/100152406 | url-status=live }}</ref> | The bunyip appears in [[Ngarrindjeri]] dreaming as a water spirit called the [[Mulyawonk]],<ref>Fargher, John. [https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/landscape/docs/hf/010521_fleurieuswampvalues_post_9_spirits_mythological_creatures.pdf Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps Aboriginal Values - Spirits and mythological creatures] Department for Environment and Water. Retrieved 17 June 2025.</ref> which would get anyone who took more than their fair share of fish from the waterways, or take children if they got too close to the water. The stories taught practical means of ensuring long-term survival for the Ngarrindjeri, embodying care for country and its people.<ref name=salleh2021>{{cite web | last=Salleh | first=Anna | title=Indigenous knowledge project could help save endangered Fleurieu Peninsula wetlands | website=ABC News | publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=27 May 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-28/indigenous-knowledge-values-relearnt-from-elders-and-scientists/100152406 | access-date=30 May 2021 | archive-date=29 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529054338/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-28/indigenous-knowledge-values-relearnt-from-elders-and-scientists/100152406 | url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
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There have been various attempts to understand and explain the origins of the bunyip as a physical entity over the past 150 years. Writing in 1933, Charles Fenner suggested that it was likely that the "actual origin of the bunyip myth lies in the fact that from time to time seals have made their way up the Murray and Darling (Rivers)". He provided examples of seals found as far inland as [[Barmera, South Australia|Overland Corner]], [[Loxton, South Australia|Loxton]], and [[Conargo, New South Wales|Conargo]] and reminded readers that "the smooth fur, prominent 'apricot' eyes, and the bellowing cry are characteristic of the seal",{{sfn|Fenner|1933|pp = 2–6}} especially [[southern elephant seal]]s and [[leopard seal]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Resture|first=Jane|title=Bunyip Sightings - In Search of an Origin|url=http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_bunyips_mythology1/index1.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117121223/http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_bunyips_mythology1/index1.htm|archive-date=17 January 2011|website=Jane's Oceania}}</ref> | There have been various attempts to understand and explain the origins of the bunyip as a physical entity over the past 150 years. Writing in 1933, Charles Fenner suggested that it was likely that the "actual origin of the bunyip myth lies in the fact that from time to time seals have made their way up the Murray and Darling (Rivers)". He provided examples of seals found as far inland as [[Barmera, South Australia|Overland Corner]], [[Loxton, South Australia|Loxton]], and [[Conargo, New South Wales|Conargo]] and reminded readers that "the smooth fur, prominent 'apricot' eyes, and the bellowing cry are characteristic of the seal",{{sfn|Fenner|1933|pp = 2–6}} especially [[southern elephant seal]]s and [[leopard seal]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Resture|first=Jane|title=Bunyip Sightings - In Search of an Origin|url=http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_bunyips_mythology1/index1.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117121223/http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_bunyips_mythology1/index1.htm|archive-date=17 January 2011|website=Jane's Oceania}}</ref> | ||
Another suggestion is that the bunyip may be a [[folk memory]] of extinct Australian [[marsupial]]s such as the ''[[Diprotodon]]'', ''[[Zygomaturus]]'', ''[[Nototherium]]'', or ''[[ | Another suggestion is that the bunyip may be a [[folk memory]] of extinct Australian [[marsupial]]s such as the ''[[Diprotodon]]'', ''[[Zygomaturus]]'', ''[[Nototherium]]'', ''[[Palorchestes]]'' or ''[[Thylacoleo]]''. This connection was first formally made by Dr George Bennett of the Australian Museum in 1871.{{sfn|Holden|2001|p=90}} In the early 1990s, palaeontologist Pat Vickers-Rich and geologist Neil Archbold also cautiously suggested that Aboriginal legends "perhaps had stemmed from an acquaintance with prehistoric bones or even living prehistoric animals themselves ... When confronted with the remains of some of the now extinct Australian marsupials, Aborigines would often identify them as the bunyip." They also note that "legends about the'' mihirung paringmal'' of western Victorian Aborigines ... may allude to the ... extinct giant birds the [[Dromornithidae]]".<ref>{{citation |editor1-first = Pat |editor1-last = Vikers-Rich |editor2-first = J. M. |editor2-last = Monaghan |editor3-first = R. F. |editor3-last = Baird |editor4-first = T. H. |editor4-last = Rich |year = 1991 |title = Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia |page = [https://archive.org/details/Vertebratepalae00PVic/page/2 2] |publisher = Pioneer Design Studio and Monash University |isbn = 0-909674-36-1 |url = https://archive.org/details/Vertebratepalae00PVic/page/2 }}</ref> | ||
In a 2017 ''[[Australian Birdlife]]'' article, Karl Brandt suggested Aboriginal encounters with the [[southern cassowary]] inspired the myth.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Brandt|first1=Karl|date=June 2017|title=Bunyip Hunters|url=https://www.calameo.com/read/0041078952dea0d695ac2|journal=Australian Birdlife|volume=6|issue=2|page=10}}</ref> According to the first written description of the bunyip from 1845,<ref name = "firstuse"/> the creature laid pale blue eggs of immense size, possessed deadly claws, powerful hind legs, a brightly coloured chest, and an [[emu]]-like head, characteristics shared with the Australian cassowary.<ref name=":0" /> As the creature's bill was described as having serrated projections, each "like the bone of the [[stingray]]", this bunyip was associated with the indigenous people of [[Far North Queensland]], renowned for their spears tipped with stingray barbs and their proximity to the cassowary's Australian range. | In a 2017 ''[[Australian Birdlife]]'' article, Karl Brandt suggested Aboriginal encounters with the [[southern cassowary]] inspired the myth.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Brandt|first1=Karl|date=June 2017|title=Bunyip Hunters|url=https://www.calameo.com/read/0041078952dea0d695ac2|journal=Australian Birdlife|volume=6|issue=2|page=10}}</ref> According to the first written description of the bunyip from 1845,<ref name = "firstuse"/> the creature laid pale blue eggs of immense size, possessed deadly claws, powerful hind legs, a brightly coloured chest, and an [[emu]]-like head, characteristics shared with the Australian cassowary.<ref name=":0" /> As the creature's bill was described as having serrated projections, each "like the bone of the [[stingray]]", this bunyip was associated with the indigenous people of [[Far North Queensland]], renowned for their spears tipped with stingray barbs and their proximity to the cassowary's Australian range. | ||
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== Early accounts of European settlers == | == Early accounts of European settlers == | ||
[[File:Aborigines of Victoria, Figure 245.png|thumb|An 1878 illustration of the bunyip from "Aborigines in Victoria".]] | |||
[[File:Story of the bunyip 1882.jpg|thumb|right|An 1882 illustration of an Aboriginal man telling the story of the bunyip to two [[White people|white]] children]] | [[File:Story of the bunyip 1882.jpg|thumb|right|An 1882 illustration of an Aboriginal man telling the story of the bunyip to two [[White people|white]] children]] | ||
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[[File:Bunyip skull.jpg|thumb|The purported bunyip skull]] | [[File:Bunyip skull.jpg|thumb|The purported bunyip skull]] | ||
In January 1846, a peculiar skull was taken by a settler from the banks of [[Murrumbidgee River]] near [[Balranald, New South Wales|Balranald]], New South Wales. Initial reports suggested that it was the skull of something unknown to science.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94445051 |title = | In January 1846, a peculiar skull was taken by a settler from the banks of [[Murrumbidgee River]] near [[Balranald, New South Wales|Balranald]], New South Wales. Initial reports suggested that it was the skull of something unknown to science.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94445051 |title = Public Thoroughfares |newspaper = Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate |date = 12 January 1847 |access-date = 16 September 2013 |page = 2 |publisher = National Library of Australia |archive-date = 23 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200423204520/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/94445051 |url-status = live }}</ref> The squatter who found it remarked, "all the natives to whom it was shown called [it] a bunyip".<ref>Cited in {{harvnb|Holden|2001|p = 91}}</ref> By July 1847, several experts, including W. S. Macleay and Professor Owen, had identified the skull as the deformed foetal skull of a foal or calf.{{sfn|Holden|2001|pp = 92–93}} At the same time, the purported bunyip skull was put on display in the [[Australian Museum]] (Sydney) for two days. Visitors flocked to see it, and ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' reported that many people spoke out about their "bunyip sightings".<ref>[http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/evidence/skull.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228120153/http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/evidence/skull.html|date=28 February 2006}} National library of Australia. Bunyips – Evidence</ref> Reports of this discovery used the phrase 'Kine Pratie' as well as Bunyip.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31750864 |title = The Bunyip, or Kine Pratie |newspaper = [[Sydney Chronicle]] |date = 23 January 1847 |access-date = 16 September 2013 |page = 2 |publisher = National Library of Australia |archive-date = 23 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200423204519/http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31750864 |url-status = live }}</ref> Explorer [[William Hovell]], who examined the skull, also called it a 'katen-pai'.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12897214 |title = Original Correspondence |newspaper = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date = 9 February 1847 |access-date = 16 September 2013 |page = 3 |publisher = National Library of Australia |archive-date = 23 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200423204520/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12897214 |url-status = live }}</ref> | ||
In March of that year, "a bunyip or an immense Platibus" ([[Platypus]]) was sighted "sunning himself on the placid bosom of the Yarra, just opposite the Custom House" in [[Melbourne]]. "Immediately a crowd gathered" and three men set off by boat "to secure the stranger" which "disappeared" when they were "about a yard from him".<ref>{{cite news |url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71607452 |title = | In March of that year, "a bunyip or an immense Platibus" ([[Platypus]]) was sighted "sunning himself on the placid bosom of the Yarra, just opposite the Custom House" in [[Melbourne]]. "Immediately a crowd gathered" and three men set off by boat "to secure the stranger" which "disappeared" when they were "about a yard from him".<ref>{{cite news |url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71607452 |title = Port Phillip |newspaper = [[The South Australian]] |location = Adelaide |date = 2 March 1847 |access-date = 16 September 2013 |page = 7 |publisher = National Library of Australia |archive-date = 23 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200423204520/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71607452 |url-status = live }}</ref> | ||
=== William Buckley's account of bunyips, 1852 === | === William Buckley's account of bunyips, 1852 === | ||
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=== Stocqueler's sightings and drawings, 1857 === | === Stocqueler's sightings and drawings, 1857 === | ||
In an article titled, 'The Bunyip', a newspaper reported on the drawings made by [[Edwin Roper Loftus Stocqueler|Edwin Stocqueler]] as he travelled on the Murray and Goulburn rivers: 'Amongst the latter drawings we noticed a likeness of the Bunyip, or rather a view of the neck and shoulders of the animal. Mr. Stocqueler informs us that the Bunyip is a large freshwater seal, having two small padules or fins attached to the shoulders, a long swan like neck, a head like a dog, and a curious bag hanging under the jaw, resembling the pouch of the pelican. The animal is covered with hair, like the platypus, and the colour is a glossy black. Mr. Stocqueler saw no less than six of these curious animals at different times; his boat was within thirty feet of one near | In an article titled, 'The Bunyip', a newspaper reported on the drawings made by [[Edwin Roper Loftus Stocqueler|Edwin Stocqueler]] as he travelled on the Murray and Goulburn rivers: 'Amongst the latter drawings we noticed a likeness of the Bunyip, or rather a view of the neck and shoulders of the animal. Mr. Stocqueler informs us that the Bunyip is a large freshwater seal, having two small padules or fins attached to the shoulders, a long swan like neck, a head like a dog, and a curious bag hanging under the jaw, resembling the pouch of the pelican. The animal is covered with hair, like the platypus, and the colour is a glossy black. Mr. Stocqueler saw no less than six of these curious animals at different times; his boat was within thirty feet of one near McGuire's punt on the Goulburn, and he fired at the Bunyip, but did not succeed in capturing him. The smallest appeared to be about five feet in length, and the largest exceeded fifteen feet. The head of the largest was the size of a bullock's head, and three feet out of water. After taking a sketch of the animal, Mr. Stocqueler showed it to several blacks of the Goulburn tribe, who declared that the picture was "Bunyip's brother," meaning a duplicate or likeness of the bunyip. The animals moved against the current, at the rate of about seven miles an hour, and Mr. Stockqueler states that he could have approached close to the specimens he observed, had he not been deterred by the stories of the natives concerning the power and fury of the bunyip, and by the fact that his gun had only a single barrel, and his boat was of a very frail description.'<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64568063 |title=The Bunyip |newspaper=Portland Guardian and Normanby General Advertiser |date=23 March 1857 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia) |access-date=3 November 2018 |archive-date=3 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103092125/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64568063 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
The description varied across newspaper accounts: 'The great Bunyip question seems likely to be brought to a close, as a Mr. Stocqueler, an artist and gentleman, who has come up the Murray in a small boat, states that he saw one, and was enabled to take a drawing of this "vexed question," but could not succeed in catching him. We have seen the sketch, and it puts us in mind of an hybrid between the water mole and the great sea serpent.'<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189958682 |title=Southern Districts: Albury |newspaper=The Armidale Express |via=Trove (National Library of Australia) |access-date=3 November 2018 |archive-date=3 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103092045/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189958682 |url-status=live }}</ref> 'Mr. Stocqueler, an artist, and his mother are on an expedition down the Murray, for the purpose of making some faithful sketches of the views on this fine stream, as well as of the creatures frequenting it. I have seen some of their productions, and as they pourtray localities with which I am well acquainted, can pronounce the drawings faithful representations. Mother and son go down the stream in a canoe. The lady paints flowers, &c.; the son devotes himself to choice views on the river's side. One of the drawings represents a singular creature, which the artist is unable to classify. It has the appearance in miniature of the famous sea-serpent, as that animal is described by navigators. Mr. Stocqueler was about twenty-five yards distant from it at first sight as it lay placidly on the water. On being observed, the stranger set-off, working his paddles briskly, and rapidly disappeared. Captain Cadell has tried to solve the mystery, but is not yet satisfied as to what the animal really is. Mr. Stocqueler states that there were about two feet of it above water when he first saw it, and he estimated its length at from five to six feet. The worthy Captain says, that unless the creature is the "Musk Drake" (so called from giving off a very strong odour of musk), he cannot account for the novelty.'<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64982354| title=South Australia| pages=2| newspaper=Empire (Sydney, NSW)| date=2 January 1857| via=Trove (National Library of Australia)| access-date=3 November 2018| archive-date=3 November 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103131327/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64982354| url-status=live}}</ref> | The description varied across newspaper accounts: 'The great Bunyip question seems likely to be brought to a close, as a Mr. Stocqueler, an artist and gentleman, who has come up the Murray in a small boat, states that he saw one, and was enabled to take a drawing of this "vexed question," but could not succeed in catching him. We have seen the sketch, and it puts us in mind of an hybrid between the water mole and the great sea serpent.'<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189958682 |title=Southern Districts: Albury |newspaper=The Armidale Express |via=Trove (National Library of Australia) |access-date=3 November 2018 |archive-date=3 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103092045/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189958682 |url-status=live }}</ref> 'Mr. Stocqueler, an artist, and his mother are on an expedition down the Murray, for the purpose of making some faithful sketches of the views on this fine stream, as well as of the creatures frequenting it. I have seen some of their productions, and as they pourtray localities with which I am well acquainted, can pronounce the drawings faithful representations. Mother and son go down the stream in a canoe. The lady paints flowers, &c.; the son devotes himself to choice views on the river's side. One of the drawings represents a singular creature, which the artist is unable to classify. It has the appearance in miniature of the famous sea-serpent, as that animal is described by navigators. Mr. Stocqueler was about twenty-five yards distant from it at first sight as it lay placidly on the water. On being observed, the stranger set-off, working his paddles briskly, and rapidly disappeared. Captain Cadell has tried to solve the mystery, but is not yet satisfied as to what the animal really is. Mr. Stocqueler states that there were about two feet of it above water when he first saw it, and he estimated its length at from five to six feet. The worthy Captain says, that unless the creature is the "Musk Drake" (so called from giving off a very strong odour of musk), he cannot account for the novelty.'<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64982354| title=South Australia| pages=2| newspaper=Empire (Sydney, NSW)| date=2 January 1857| via=Trove (National Library of Australia)| access-date=3 November 2018| archive-date=3 November 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103131327/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64982354| url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
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In the 21st century, the bunyip has been featured in works around the world. | In the 21st century, the bunyip has been featured in works around the world. | ||
*(2001) Issue 104 of the ''[[Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(Archie_Comics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' comics by ''[[Archie Comics]]'' features a Bunyip which attacks and later befriends the Downunda Freedom Fighters. | |||
* (2002) The video game series ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger]]'' portrays Bunyips as peaceful, mystical elders who inhabit the world of The Dreaming, though not as ferocious as their namesake and resembling primates. The robotic suits that Ty can pilot in ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue]]'' and ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan]]'' are named after the Bunyips, such as Shadow Gunyip, Battle Gunyip and Missile Gunyips. | * (2002) The video game series ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger]]'' portrays Bunyips as peaceful, mystical elders who inhabit the world of The Dreaming, though not as ferocious as their namesake and resembling primates. The robotic suits that Ty can pilot in ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue]]'' and ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan]]'' are named after the Bunyips, such as Shadow Gunyip, Battle Gunyip and Missile Gunyips. | ||
* (2008) The [[MMORPG]] [[Runescape]] features a [[familiar]] Bunyip, who largely represents the folklore description. | * (2008) The [[MMORPG]] [[Runescape]] features a [[familiar]] Bunyip, who largely represents the folklore description. | ||
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* {{Cite book |last=Clarke |first=Philip A. |author-link=<!--Philip A. Clarke--> |chapter=Ch. 3. Water spirit beings |editor1-last=Cahir |editor1-first=Fred |editor1-link=<!--Fred Cahir--> |editor2-last=Clark |editor2-first=Ian D. |editor2-link=Ian D. Clark (historian) |editor3-last=Clarke |editor3-first=Philip A. |editor3-link=<!--Philip A. Clarke--> |title=Aboriginal Biocultural Knowledge in South-eastern Australia: Perspectives of Early Colonists |publisher=[[CSIRO Publishing]] |year=2018 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SDBZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 |pages=35–54 |isbn=<!--1486306128, -->9781486306121 }}<!--alt (nonpaginated) url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjBZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT85--> | * {{Cite book |last=Clarke |first=Philip A. |author-link=<!--Philip A. Clarke--> |chapter=Ch. 3. Water spirit beings |editor1-last=Cahir |editor1-first=Fred |editor1-link=<!--Fred Cahir--> |editor2-last=Clark |editor2-first=Ian D. |editor2-link=Ian D. Clark (historian) |editor3-last=Clarke |editor3-first=Philip A. |editor3-link=<!--Philip A. Clarke--> |title=Aboriginal Biocultural Knowledge in South-eastern Australia: Perspectives of Early Colonists |publisher=[[CSIRO Publishing]] |year=2018 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SDBZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 |pages=35–54 |isbn=<!--1486306128, -->9781486306121 }}<!--alt (nonpaginated) url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjBZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT85--> | ||
* {{Cite book |last = Fenner |first = Charles |author-link=Charles Fenner |year=1933 |title=Bunyips and Billabongs |publisher = Angus and Robertson |location = Sydney |url=<!--{{Google books|LYC4PQAACAAJ}} non-previewable--> |oclc=10292063}}<!--https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1758469--> | * {{Cite book |last = Fenner |first = Charles |author-link=Charles Fenner |year=1933 |title=Bunyips and Billabongs |publisher = Angus and Robertson |location = Sydney |url=<!--{{Google books|LYC4PQAACAAJ}} non-previewable--> |oclc=10292063}}<!--https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1758469--> | ||
* {{Cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Holden|2001}} |last1=Holden |first1=Robert |author1-link=<!--Robert Holden (Australian author)--> |last2=Holden |first2=Nicholas |author2-link=<!--Nicholas Holden--> |year=2001 |title=Bunyips: Australia's folklore of fear |publisher=National Library of Australia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHoldennKPCZT0x6kC |isbn= | * {{Cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Holden|2001}} |last1=Holden |first1=Robert |author1-link=<!--Robert Holden (Australian author)--> |last2=Holden |first2=Nicholas |author2-link=<!--Nicholas Holden--> |year=2001 |title=Bunyips: Australia's folklore of fear |publisher=National Library of Australia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHoldennKPCZT0x6kC |isbn=0642107327 }} | ||
* {{Cite journal |author=South Australian Institute<!--no byline--> |author-link=South Australian Institute |title=Notes on Natural History: The Bunyip |journal=South Australian Institutes' Journal |volume=1 |number=6 |date=18 January 1901 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6IQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA107-IA4 |pages=100–107 }} | * {{Cite journal |author=South Australian Institute<!--no byline--> |author-link=South Australian Institute |title=Notes on Natural History: The Bunyip |journal=South Australian Institutes' Journal |volume=1 |number=6 |date=18 January 1901 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6IQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA107-IA4 |pages=100–107 }} | ||
{{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||