Paranorma and

Psychic Australian October 1978

Australia's Ancient Astronauts

By Rex Gilroy

The Legend of the Silver Bird

From Arhem Land I have obtained the legend of a great silver bird which, according to local tribesmen, landed upon a certain plateau to lay a big silver egg, out of which the first tribesmen hatched; they were white skinned. Around the Ayres Rock (Uluru) region local tradition has it that the ancestors of the Aborigines came from the stars. The legend was related to me by Aboriginal actor-historian Ben Blakenley: -"Long long ago, far back in the Dream Time, a great red coloured egg (spaceship) came down from the skies. It tried to land safely on the ground but broke (crash landed). Out of it emerged white-skinned culture-heroes (gods) and their children.

"The children's elders soon died, either through their old age or because they could not accustom themselves to our atmosphere. The children however were young and able to adapt more easily to their new surroundings. "They carved and painted the likenesses of their parents upon cave walls to perpetrate their memory. In time the great red coloured egg rusted away until its remains had merged with the ground, thus creating the red soil of Central Australia. "The children of the culture heroes who came from the sky grew in numbers until they eventually populated the whole land, their skins turning black due to the hot climate. The cave art depicting the elders still survives showing figures in garments reminiscent of modern day astronauts.

Traditions

Aboriginal myth and legend, like that of most primitive people throughout the world, speak of "dream-time" culture heroes {gods} who came down from the sky at the dawn of history to impart culture on Earth's primitive cultures. These traditions linked as they are with many ancient archaeological sites give rise to current thoughts that in ancient times our Earth may have been visited by intelligent beings from other worlds. Perhaps the most fascinating evidence supporting this hypothesis can be seen in the many beautiful cave paintings and rock carvings of early man throughout the world. The cave paintings and carvings of the Australian Aborigines like those elsewhere in the world depict vivid animal scenes and often beside these animals are seen strange human-like shapes and images.

Scholars have long argues whether these are visiting astronauts and their spacecraft, or mythical culture heroes and toltemic designs. Ufologists have pointed out that many of these puzzling shapes are similar to UFO shapes which have been sighted and reported in the 20th century. The implications are that 15,000 years ago strange shapes were observed in the skies. Whether these were spacecraft containing voyaging astronauts remains unresolved. What I therefore offer is evidence both for and against the theory of ancient astronauts and that they may once have visited and had some influence upon the ancient history of Australia.

Wandjina Cave Paintings

Take for example the world famous Wandjina cave paintings of the Aborigines of Western Australia. These human figures dressed in strange garments have been claimed by many to represent ancient astronauts. The myths and legends surrounding the Wandjina claim in some cases that these beings came down from the stars to impart culture to the primitive tribesmen, while other legends say that Wandjina came from the west across the Indian Ocean in great ships in ancient times. Some researchers maintain the Wandjina figures represent astronauts and place special emphasis upon the apparent helmets worn by the figures. On the other hand I see the Wandjina in a different light-as representations of visiting Egyptian and Phoenician seafarers who may have landed on the Kimberley coastline during South-East Asian trading expeditions over 3,000 years ago.

Archaeologists have pointed to the basic similarities in the garments worn by the Wandjina too those of early middle eastern seamen. These interesting possibilities are further supported by the presence of middle-east blood groups, racial features and Egyptian words to be found among local tribes. Yet there still remain other equally mysterious cave paintings and carvings thereabouts which would tend to support the ancient astronaut hypothesis, including many strange myths and legends extending across into Central Australia.

Creation Myths {Legends} Blue Mountains

I have obtained two further creation myths of the "ancient astronaut" variety from the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Both were myths of the Dharuk tribe which formely occupied a vast area stretching from the Hawkesbury River-Sydney District across to the western slopes of the Blue Mountains. The first legend concerns "Biramee the Bird Man," who laid a great egg near what id now the town of Linden, from which the ancestors of the Aborigines hatched. The second myth is also described in carvings found upon a slab of rock unearthed during road work operations some years ago. Biame the Sky God created earth out of a big ball of mud. he then took stones from the earth's surface from which he created all the animals and plants, including the first Aborigines. However, Biame had forgotten to give the first Aborigines the power to think, and as a result they began starving to death due to fact they did not know how to hunt food.

So together with his culture heroes Biame came down from the sky in a big dream-time hunt across the Blue Mountains he gave the Aborigines the spear thrower and the boomerang, teaching them how to hunt their food and also to make fire. Then together with his culture heroes he returned to the sky from whence he had come. The carvings not only depict the sky god Biame but also many strange little figures which were also the totemic figures of the various tribal groups that peopled the area. Among these totemic figures carved on the stone is a strange fish-like object which some have theorised to be space-craft. They also point to a strange human figure clad in garments which could be said to resemble an astronaut; others see a resemblance between this figure and a Egyptian soldier equipped with helmet and shield and say that the above creation myth is more reminiscent of those of the middle-east.

Blue Mountain Rock Art

Be this as it may, there are nevertheless some strange rock arts on the Blue Mountains dating back many thousands of years which may yet to be given a convincing explanation by archaeologists. Perhaps the most remarkable of these is the "astronaut's face" found upon a cliff side. Measuring 30 cm in height and 24 cm in width, the mysterious face has been carved by first hollowing out the rock to a depth of 4 inches. In the center are carved two eyes, nose with nostrils and an open mouth; the area surrounding the face gives the impression of a head encased inside a "space helmet" type covering. Situated some distance around the cliff is a large rock shelter, upon a wall of which is a mysterious flying object.

Heart shaped, it measures 77 cm long by 26 cm width, is painted in red ochre and is depicted emitting a "vapour trail" of grey ochre extending for some 20 ft along the cave wall.Is it really a representation of a flying object? And if so then what relationship does it share with the carved "astronaut's face" nearby? Whatever their importance, these stone-age artworks defy current explanation along traditional lines. Ufologists throughout the world marvel at the famous Nazca Plain "airstrip" and other astronomical formations of the Peruvian alps, yet similar structures are to be found throughout Australia.

Queensland Rock Formations

A large plateau near Toowoomba in southern Queensland although now covered in trees was at one time cleared. Scattered upon it are to be found strange rock formations and outlines in stone which when seen from above by aircraft suggest the remains of an ancient airstrip. Elsewhere in Queensland are to be found a number of mysterious pyramidal structures. Claimed by geologists to be natural formations these pyramids often measuring 400 ft high with four sides each measuring 400 ft long at the base, when arranged on a grid are found to connect with one another over distances of some hundreds of square miles. If not natural formations then what was their purpose? Can we speculate that here were aerial markers for ancient astronauts? It will be a point of interest to Ufologists that a large percentage of unidentified object reports have come from these and other areas where extensive "astronomical" structures have been found.

Bathurst Stonehenge

If this is the case then how long has this been happening? There are certainly many unanswered questions about these and other enigmatic archaeological structures found across our continent, particularly with respect to those mysterious granite structures which form the "Bathurst Stonehenge," Australia's answer to the Megalithic monuments that dot the landscape of Europe. Consisting of extensive stone alignments, standing stones {Menhirs}, stone circles, even carved human heads and other structures, this enigma of our ancient past covers and extensive area over several square miles. Whilst most of the stones arranged to form alignments could have been placed there easily by human hands, there are certain structures which by their very weight and proportions could not possibly have been moved and erected by normal human means.

These include a large circle 30 feet wide erected upon a 4 ft thick granite base and consisting of 10 large granite boulders. One of these has been carved in the shape of an altar stone.Nearby upon a hillside and erected upon a 16 ft wide base of carved granite blocks is a standing stone 15 ft tall and 33 ft in circumference. Apart from the two extensive stone alignments which are a feature of the "Bathurst Stonehenge" culture, are numerous structures including several triangular formations each consisting of large granite boulders. One such triangle is built of three enormous boulders each spaced 60 yards by 60 yards by 60 yards apart. For a full report of "Bathurst Stonehenge" see {Paranormal Australia, Nov '76}

The two extensive stone alignments pass through a large number of strange formations, these include another alignment constructed of seven enormous boulders which have been erected in a south-west-north-east axis, and passing through one of the alignments of smaller stones ending near the base of a large wall. The wall built of large granite blocks is 15 ft high and 53 ft on length with a width of 30 ft. It is very reminiscent of other structures found in the Pacific Islands and South America. There can be little doubt that these structures are all part of an enormous astronomical observatory for plotting the heavenly movements and the seasons.Yet who were its builders? And we might ask ourselves, what strange forces motivated this and other races of man throughout the world, to take from about 15,000 years ago such an intense interest in the heavens?

Possible Visitations

Could it have been motivated by actual visitations to this planet in dim antiquity by advanced beings much like ourselves from other worlds in the cosmos? Such a possibility is given little or no attention by many other scientists. yet who can dare claim that ours is the only planet in the Universe capable of supporting life? On the basis of a study by astronomer Harlow Shapley it is estimated that there are as many as 100,000,000 planets on which we can speculate that life exists. Among these perhaps 100,000 contain civilisations more advanced than our own. Willy Ley a scientific writer {now deceased} suggests there may be 18,000 inhabited planets in the Milky way alone. Although our present day space ships would not permit us to travel very far or very fast in space, who knows what our space travel might be in 10,000 years? If civilisation survives that long it could bee speculated that space travel may be commonplace on other planets as driving to the supermarket is for us and if so, perhaps spacemen have indeed come to earth.

Aboriginal Folklore{Giants}

Not only does early Aboriginal folklore tell of beings who came down from the stars at the dawn of history to impart knowledge, some of these beings according to Aborigines were giants. Certain rock art throughout Australia, like that of other lands throughout the world, is claimed to depict these giant beings often clothed in garments reminiscent of those worn by modern day- astronauts. Regardless of whether these artworks really do depict giants, astronauts from other worlds or not there can be no doubt the claims of giant races in ancient times is a proven scientific fact. Fossilised jaws and teeth of tremendous proportions have been unearthed from Africa, the near-east, China, Java and also Australia.

Enormous stone artifacts which, I have excavated from Bathurst in central western New South Wales range in weights from 8 to 25 pounds, implements which only beings of enormous strength and stature could have possibly have made and used. One recent fossilised giant man track discovered near Cowra NSW measures 2 ft 5 inches in length by 15 ins across the toes. Another footprint from Katoomba on the Blue Mountains although only half intact measures 18 inches across the toes. Many smaller giant man tracks exists which are 8 inches wide and 1 and a half feet in length. Nevertheless if we make a calculation based upon normal human stature and constitution, the beings who were able to handle these clumsy stone artifacts and left behind such enormous footprints must have ranged in height from 12 to 15 ft, and even as much as 20-25 feet tall, weighing anything from 800 to over 1,000 lbs!

Ancient Astronauts Theory

Although these finds may not be proof of extraterrestrial civilisations having visited earth in antiquity, there is certainly evidence which could be said to lend considerable weight to the ancient astronaut theory here in Australia. The evidence primarily consists of Archaeological finds which imply the former existence on this continent of a race of non-aboriginal man who inhabited Australia before the dawn of history, and who have left behind them traces of a vast astronomical knowledge. Similar features are to be found elsewhere throughout the ancient world. However, the mystery remains as to how these ancient peoples came by their knowledge often without sophisticated equipment which is only now available too modern man.

Star and Moon Maps{Astronomers}

In the Gosford district of NSW are to be found "star and moon" maps carved upon flat rock surfaces, often upon mountaintops where a clear view of the heavens could be obtained. These "maps" not only depict th phases of the moon but also the movements of certain stars and planets. In the same area have been found a great slab of stone, hollowed out saucer fashion, into which water could be poured to give a good reflection of the heavens at night. Mounds of earth heaped up around them enabled the ancient astronomers to look down into the water, for a more comfortable study of the heavenly movements. Similar "star maps" and open-air astronomical observatories are to be found on the Blue Mountains west of Sydney but the race that left them remain a mystery.

Were the Gods of the Aborigines and other ancient people voyages from other worlds? Only time can decide. All the research and numerous volumes devoted to the subject are inconclusive, and raise questions to which there are only tentative answers. In 1969 man set foot on the Moon. and took the first steep towards the exploration of the cosmos. Perhaps only when we can explore other worlds will we fully understand the history of our own.

Strange Phenomena and

Psychic Australian March 1979

Cessnocks Fantastic 30 ft Lizard Monsters

By Rex Gilroy

Cessnocks Fantastic 30 ft Lizard Monsters