Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

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Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Hollyvine » Mon 31 Dec, 2018 12:16 pm

Firstly, I’m a huge skeptic when it comes to stuff like this. I’ve camped and hiked all over the world in very remote areas. Never saw anything weird, have heard weird noises to later be explained.
Hoping someone can shed some light to what happened to my fiancé and I.

Couple days ago my partner and I were on our sixth night of road tripping/camping trip.
We drove through the blue mountains (which were breathtaking) I’m from Alaska and it was the first time in a long time I got that butterfly feeling in my stomach from how beautiful the surrounding scenery was. Definitely the highlight of our trip driving through those back country roads.

We got to the free camping area at Chifley Dam around 7ish and had dinner and our tent setup by 8:30ish. Two other campers showed up around then as well. We went to sleep around 9:30pm. It was really hot out so we had the rain fly back and watched the stars before falling asleep. Everything was great!

Right around 1am I heard a footstep noise that woke me up.
For a second I thought it was our neighbors going to throw away rubbish in one of the bins located behind us.
Still very alert I continued to lay down. The footstep started to get closer & I grabbed my torch and knife. At this point I could here two different sets of footsteps. One seemed to be going left around us and the other one going to the right side of us.

I don’t get scared easily but at this point I was shaking and very anxious.
I noticed a couple things that stood out to me when they were close by...

The footsteps were heavy. When they stepped on branches the branches broke. There was an awkwardness about them like if you were to count one one thousand slowly then step then two one thousand & step. Like somebody who had been walking through the desert for to long or almost like somebody that drank a bit to much. Dare I say zombie walk? They both did this walk the whole time and never changed pace.

Third thing was the weirdest to me. It sounded like they were wearing a skirt or clothing made out of wood. Almost like a wind chime flowing in the wind without the chimes going off as they stepped.

They never stopped to check us out. Whatever it was got very close but I couldn’t see anything and I was to scared to move and give away my position in case it was someone trying to sneak up on us (I wanted them to think I was asleep) thought to myself that was my best tactic at that moment.

I laid their as they went by and then once they were far enough I woke my fiancé up said I heard something very strange and we needed to go on a quick car ride to see what it was. Got in the car turned the lights on and continued down the path towards the bathrooms. Had my fiancé shine our really bright torch and had the high beams on. Didn’t see anything...

This area is also fenced in. We got to the bathrooms and I wasn’t sure what to do at this point. Whatever it was didn’t try to harm us. The campers next to us were clearly asleep and wouldn’t have had time to run back too we’re they were without us seeing them.

I had thrown away some rubbish and waved to them earlyer so I knew exactly where they were. I’m sure at this point they were wondering what the hell we were doing with our brights on/torches out driving slowly through the campsite at 1am.
We went back to the tent and I laid their & didn’t fall asleep tell the morning. I wish I could have asked our neighbors if they heard anything weird but they were gone by the time we woke up and left. Overall, extremely weird expericance and I’ve been researching animals in the area an cannot make sense of what it could have been.
Wondering if anybody has had a similar experience or would know what kind of animal/thing it might be. Thanks.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby ribuck » Mon 31 Dec, 2018 6:22 pm

Everything at night seems weird/scary when your mind is trying to fill in the unseen details.

Your neighbours are probably telling the story about the UFO that cruised past in the middle of the night, shining its spotlight on their tent, while they were cowering in their sleeping bags.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby highercountry » Mon 31 Dec, 2018 7:58 pm

I think what you heard was probably just a pair of grazing kangaroos. They can't "walk" like most 4 (or2) legged animals.
You'd hear their rear legs as a heavy, slow, single footstep.
Don't know about the "wooden" sound but possibly the much lighter front leg footstep and tail contact on the ground.
I don't think the video is in slow motion. Most of the 'roos I've seen walking move at about that pace.
Ordinary fences are no barrier to them.
https://youtu.be/Mi53VlMA31I

Good story though. Have you heard about Bunyips. Might have been one.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Lindsay » Mon 31 Dec, 2018 8:22 pm

Yep, sounds like kangaroos.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby trekker76 » Tue 01 Jan, 2019 8:18 pm

Kangas probably. Next time shine the torch and take a look. :)
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Hughmac » Wed 02 Jan, 2019 7:54 pm

Had a similar experience near Stanthorpe in Queensland once, braced myself and jumped out of my sleeping bag to find myself confronting a very disinterested horse. *&%$#! unnerving in the dark.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Hollyvine » Wed 02 Jan, 2019 10:23 pm

Thanks for all the reply’s! My partner and I thought about it some more and watched some kangaroo videos on YouTube and both agreed it’s was most likely a kangaroo. If they were moving slowly it would make sense it could almost sound like footsteps. Also, we noticed they drag there tails a lot. This could explain the weird stick noise I heard. This trip was my first time even seeing a kangaroo so I really dont know that much about them. A shame so many get hit by cars!
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby davidf » Thu 03 Jan, 2019 10:25 am

Unfortunatly the roos run into the car.

I think it was a massive brown snake mutated from the marangaroo chemical dump site.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Moondog55 » Fri 04 Jan, 2019 2:35 pm

@Hollyvine If you think a few roos moving in the night sound strange wait until you hear a few Old man koalas arguing over who gets to mate with the receptive female. Competition is fiercely vocal
Ve are too soon old und too late schmart
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Lyrebird » Sat 05 Jan, 2019 2:36 pm

Or you're returning alone along a Scenic Rim track in the dark (having been a bit optimistic with your time calculations) and a concealed wallaby on the slope beside you coughs right in your ear :o .
For a few secs I thought I was being grabbed by Yowies. Little twerp
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby sailfish » Fri 01 Feb, 2019 10:16 pm

Hi, being familiar with the Chifley Dam, as it is very close to my home and a place I have fished, kayaked and sailed, I would say that kangaroos are the most likely suspects. Other animals commonly out there are wombats, sheep and occasionally cattle and even wild pigs, any of which commonly find a way through fences. There is as a possibility of fishermen in waders and even fly fishermen. The swish noise could be wader legs rubbing or fly casting. It isn't a place for trout anymore but other fish species are often targeted by fly fishers at night. If they were after cod, they would be using very heavy gear & almost hand sized lure like flys.

Occasionally we get reports of Panthers. Most dismiss this but I've seen 8cm wide very cat like tracks that are hard to explain. I very much doubt you would ever hear something like that though. I only mention it to stir the imagination but I am serious about having seen those odd tracks just the one time years ago.
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Re: Strange noise/footsteps in Chifley Dam

Postby Hallu » Tue 05 Feb, 2019 2:26 am

Yup we've all been there. Since they stomp the ground and are quite heavy (especially red kangaroos) and your ears are almost on the ground when sleeping in your tent, you hear everything. A wombat tearing up grass can be just as scary. Roos don't care about campgrounds and aren't scared of tents. Plus they have bad vision, so unless you're moving, they don't really see you, unlike birds who notice human shapes. A night in Australia is so silent that when a roo breaks it and stomp right to your tent (or at least it always seems like it) it can be very scary. Nothing to be ashamed of here.
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