Every Aussie child’s first cryptid.
by Murray Byfield
The Bunyip
Australian children are raised with the mystery of the Bunyip, from campfire songs to top selling children’s books, we see them everywhere. But the Bunyip was not always seen as a character to make light of. Australian Aboriginal mythology described the Bunyip as a dark, evil water monster that lived in billabongs, rivers and lakes and possessed supernatural powers, emerging from its watery lair at night to seek out evil doers.
Throughout South-Eastern Australia it was known by many different names including Mochel-mochel (Darling Downs), Moolgewanke (South Australia), Dongus, Bunyup, Kianpratty (New South Wales) and Kajanpratic, Tumbata, Toor-roo-dun (Victoria).
Although no documented physical evidence of bunyips has been found, it has been suggested that tales of bunyips could be Aboriginal memories of the Diprotodon, which became extinct some 50,000 years ago.
Description
According to Aboriginal beliefs, bunyips were large and fierce, living in burrows with underwater entrances. Although the descriptions change from one site to another, there seems to be two distinct types of Bunyips.
It appears that the Aborigines had two types of Bunyips. One type looked like a shaggy seal or large swimming dog with shining eyes, head and whiskers like an otter. The second was said to be four-legged, about the size of a bull, its body covered in fur or feathers, a long, maned neck with a head similar to an Emu, small tusks and a horse-like tail.
