In the early 1990′s, reports of a strange creature started filtering out of Buderim, an urban center on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Witnesses of the creature all described it the same way and all stated that it did not resemble any living animal within the region. What it did resemble though was a creature that once thrived in Australia, a creature that was known by many different names, a creature that many people feel died out on September 7th, 1936, a creature that many people believe is actually a Thylacine.

The Beast was most often described as having a long and thin dog-like body shape, a very large mouth with prominent teeth, a large and long head with a notable bump above it’s eyes, a sandy-gold fur color, and dark stripes across its back. One witness described it as looking almost as if someone cut a dingo and a kangaroo in half, and then joined them back together.

Most sightings of the creature took place while witnesses were driving down long roads that wove in and out of dense rainforest. The Beast would often dart out of the surrounding forest and across the road which would in turn cause the witness to slam hard on their brakes. The loud sound of the vehicle suddenly coming to a stop would often times cause the Beast to freeze in the middle of the road for a few moments which allowed the witnesses to get a good look at the animal. Other times the Beast would cross in front of the vehicles at night and would be frozen by the oncoming headlights. After “unfreezing”, the Beast would either run to the other side of the road, or sometimes hop the short distance to the safety of the trees and bushes on the other side (a well documented behavior in Thylacines).

The two most notable sightings of the Beast of Buderim took place in 1995, the first happening in March. A dentist by the name of Lance Mesh was driving down a road with his 10yr old daughter Samantha not far from their home when they spotted a large dog-like creature emerge from the bushes and stand by the side of the road. The car slowed down as they approached the Beast and both occupants were able to see that the creature possessed all the defining features of the long extinct Thylacine. As the car got closer though, the creature turned and fled back into the jungle. The two witnesses continued on their way.

The second most notable sighting took place five months later on August 8th. A man by the name of Roy Swaby was driving along a main road in Buderim at night when a large, full grown, male grey kangaroo suddenly jumped out of the woods and directly into the path of his vehicle. Roy slammed on his brakes and narrowly avoided hitting the large animal which continued to hop towards the other side of the road as if fleeing from some other creature. As quickly as the large kangaroo vanished on the other side of the road, the pursuing creature made itself known. Roy sat stunned as he watched a large sandy colored dog-like creature leap out of the bushes lining the side of the road and land directly within the path of his four headlights. Roy stated that the Beast turned its head and looked directly at him, its eyes glowed yellow-green from the light reflecting off them. The animal opened its long mouth and snarled at the vehicle, took two steps forward, crouched low and then leapt forward nearly 15ft into the scrub on the other side where it vanished into the darkness. The creature was reported as being sandy-tan in color with black stripes on its hindquarters, nearly 5ft in length, and possessing a long straight tail that measured an additional 3ft.

While there is no concrete evidence that proves the Thylacine still exists in modern day Australia or Tasmania, there have still been hundreds of reports and sightings of the creature since officially being declared extinct by international standards in 1986.

-The Pine Barrens Institute

*Image Credit: http://wallpaperpulse.com/black-wolf-wallpapers

Do you have a strange tale, family legend, or odd sighting you would like to report? Get in touch with us here to share what you know!

Want more monster stories in your life? If the answer is yes, then make sure to check out our book ‘Monsters In Print: A Collection Of Curious Creatures Known Mostly From Newspapers’, available now from Amazon!

Make sure to also check out our shop for official PBI shirts, totes, buttons, and stickers!