Encounter #8: The Malaan Monster

“they told him that the Malaan Monster had just attacked their two pig dogs”

Yowie Encounter – Near Koombooloomba area – qld

The follow account was described second hand of an encounter experienced by an Indigenous Ranger in the vicinity of the Koombooloomba dam.

Year: Unconfirmed. Account suggests it was during the dam construction (1950s), though may have occurred in the mid 1980s during additional works in the area.

Location: Vicinity of Koombooloomba dam. Closest Rd – Bew Rd.

Environment: Rainforest

Witness who described the encounter indicated it came from an Indigenous man who was a ranger from the Laura area near Cooktown. He told a story that when they were building the Koombooloomba Dam near Ravenshoe, they had asked him as an Indigenous Elder to inspect the proposed site for the dam for any possible aboriginal cultural heritage sites. One day the Indigenous ranger was walking along a track when two Italian men came walking in the opposite direction in an agitated state. He stated they “were as white as ghosts“. He asked the men if everything was alright, and they told him that “the Malaan Monster had just attacked their two pig dogs” and that they were getting the hell out of there and advised him to do the same. He continued along the track a bit further and came across two dead pig dogs, both with their heads ripped off. He was in great shock and turned round and left the area.

The Indigenous ranger had no rational explanation for what he had seen and was convinced whatever killed the two dogs, and tore there heads off must have been a big animal with two strong arms. (Report Credit: Rod Simpson)