Return to Tully – the famous Flying Saucer nest and its legacy (1966 – 2026)
Return to Tully – the famous Flying Saucer nest and its legacy (1966 – 2026)
Bill
Chalker
1966 has always held a special place of significance for me. While it defined the tentative beginnings of my own interest in the UFO subject, it was the UFO phenomenon itself that strikingly marked the year. 1966 was a watershed year both in Australia and abroad, but most of all, it was a remarkable touchstone for the argument in support of a UFO reality. The year saw in Australia some remarkable cases that argued powerfully that there was an actual UFO reality – there was something real and tangible in our skies and it was landing amongst us!
What played out at Horseshoe Lagoon on the sugar cane farming property of Albert Pennisi on the morning of January 19, 1966, was an extraordinarily potent testament to the case for a UFO reality. The term “saucer nest” entered “UFO lore” and left its indelible mark in the history of the UFO mystery. The famous Tully “UFO nest” affair of 1966 is one of the best-known accounts of an apparent UFO landing report.
1966 was a major year for UFO activity in Australia. The
classic UFO landing at Horseshoe Lagoon near Tully, far north Queensland, and
witnessed by 28-year-old banana farmer George Pedley, and the activity that
followed ensured the locality was the centre of an extended UFO milieu that
continued for many years, particularly in 1969, 1972 and 1975. The area was
also the site of controversial experiments in UFO detection through remote
sensing and filming.
The Tully incident has been mentioned extensively in the UFO
literature over the years, and yet surprisingly many inaccuracies and
misconceptions have developed. These problems became more critical when the
famous incident once again became the focus of attention, this time due to the
English “crop circle” controversy. The prominent schools of thought on the crop
circle formations adopted the 1966 Tully incident as a classic example of their
perceived explanations for the circle complexes. Their claims about the
relevance of the Tully incident as the progenitor or a classic example of the
currently perceived crop circle phenomenon were flawed and generally unfounded.
Doug and Dave, the notorious “circle” hoaxers, also cited the Tully incident as
the inspiration of their crop circle creation escapades. Instead of being an
example of a wind vortex effect, “spaceship” landing site, the result of occult
paranormal forces, “plasma vortex” evidence or hoaxed “saucer nest”, the Pedley
“nest” is a remarkable example of a UFO physical trace case. The choice of
“UFO” is deliberate in that an unidentified phenomenon was apparently involved.
A definitive explanation currently eludes us. Like all
remarkable events it is important to understand the context that the January
19, 1966, occurred in. It is a fascinating story that touches on the wider and
far stranger nature of UFO reality.
The central focus of the Tully “UFO nest” story is Horseshoe
Lagoon on Albert Pennisi’s property near Euramo about 8 kilometres south of the
Tully township. The lagoon and Albert’s property are on the strip of flat
coastal plan. Tully itself is nestled between Mount Tyson (674 metres) to the
immediate northwest and Mount Mackay (724 metres) a little further to the east.
It is from the peak of Mount Tyson that something spawned
the aboriginal legends of the Chic-ah-Bunnah. The peak is recorded as the
“landing place” of Chic-ah-Bunnah. Gladys Henry records the striking tradition
in her 1967 book on aboriginal folk tales “Girroo Gurrll: the First Surveyor
and Other Aboriginal Legends”: “The Chic-Ah-Bunnah was a spirit in the shape of
a man and was always sighted rushing through the air. He emitted a strange blue
light and was blinding to look upon. When he took off from the earth there was
a frightening bang and a roaring rushing noise. He ate glowing red coals and
only came to earth at certain places. The three known places in the area were
Goodarlah Hill on the Murray River, the large rock at the back or western side
of the crest of Mt. Tyson (Mt. Bulleroo) and another rock, away up the Davidson
Valley. The creature was frightful to behold and had a long, hideous nose.
Kitty Chilburrah was said to have seen one personally while on Palm Island, and
the local witness, a little girl named Jaa-Jin-oo (the little eel), claims to
have seen one in the last few years. There is no evidence of the chic ah-Bunnah
having done anyone harm. He merely instilled a great fear in the hearts of the
beholders.”
Jack Muriata, a respected Girrigun tribal elder, described
an encounter with the Chic-ah-Bunnah, he experienced way back in 1932, when he
was a 9-year-old playing one moonless night with friends on the banks of the
Tully River. Jack told his story to Frances Whiting who included the tale in a
story on the Tully UFO saga that appeared in the Queensland newspaper “The
Sunday Mail” 20 January 2002: “Our mothers and grandmothers used to tell us not
to go too far from camp in case the Devil Man came calling. Devil men, we
Aboriginals call them, or chic ah bunnahs. White people call them UFOs, and if
you get caught by one, our grandmothers told us, you will die. “One night I was
with my friends, and we wandered too far from our camp to the river. We were
playing in the dunes when this great big ball of light, so bright, you have
never seen such a light, came flying down from the sky above us. It lit up the
whole river, and then it zoomed down low along the banks, like it was looking
for us. “My friends were yelling, ‘Run! Run!’ and we all took off as fast as we
could back towards camp and our mothers. “You don’t want to get caught by the
devil man.” Another early UFO report came from near Euramo, the closest village
to Horseshoe Lagoon. In September 1959, Max Menzel was driving a tractor when
he spotted “a brilliant, large, conical craft, approximately 30 feet long”,
which seemed to be hovering over the top of sugar cane, just 100 feet away. A
nearby house was illuminated in a vivid red and orange light. There was a
proliferation of sightings through 1965, including an apparent nighttime
landing on the slopes of Mount Mackay on November 29th.
Activity surged for months in the wake of Pedley’s
experience. The Tully district seemed to be haunted by UFOs. One of the most
prolific sources of UFO stories from the Tully area was local witness Claire
Noble. She had reported on the extensive activity that preceded the famous
Pedley sighting of January 1966. The response to Claire Noble’s reports of UFOs
up until January 1966 drew mixed responses from locals.
Albert Pennisi had been farming in the area since 1947 and
knew something of the local stories and was inclined to believe the
observations that Claire Noble and others were making in the months leading up
to January 19, 1966. Besides he was himself was troubled by haunting UFO
related dreams. For a rugged farmer, having such dreams was problem enough, so
he kept this to himself. George Pedley was known to be a quiet, hard worker.
None of the locals had anything against him, even those who did not believe in
his sighting. He said to journalists, “Had anyone asked me five days ago if I
believed in flying saucers I’d have laughed and thought they were nuts. But now
I know better.”
The strange and perplexing element of precognitive dreams in
the Tully UFO saga emerged early in the intense media coverage given to George
Pedley’s close encounter with UFO rising out of Horseshoe Lagoon. “Sun- Herald”
journalist John Dickson quoted Pedley in the January 23, 1966, edition about
Albert’s dream: “He believed me straight away and told me he had been dreaming
for a week that a flying saucer would land on his property.” “He said that
about 5.50 am on Wednesday (the morning of the discovery of the original nest)
his dog suddenly went mad and bounded off towards the lagoon.” Albert
elaborated on these dreams in an interview with the Sydney newspaper “The Sun”
on January 24, 1966. He was quoted by journalist Ben Davie:
“I’d get them almost every night. And they were beginning to
worry me. I couldn’t understand them. It was always the same. This thing like a
giant dish would come out of nowhere and land nearby. And I would watch it in
my dream and get real afraid before it went away. Then on Wednesday morning
about 5 o’clock my dog suddenly seemed to go out of its mind. It was howling
like a mad thing and raced off towards the lagoon.”
Albert reluctantly confirmed this strange element to me, but
he was not alone with suggestions of paranormal happenings. More than a decade
later, according to information I received, at nearby Murray Upper, a similar
situation apparently unfolded. A young woman was woken up by her father
apparently because he thought the house was on fire. There was a huge orange
glow outside. They tried to wake up other family members without success. Fear
started to overcome them, and they ran down the hallway of the house away from
the light. Their next recollection was that they both woke up the next morning
extremely puzzled by what seemed to be a bizarre, shared dream. Over breakfast
they heard radio reports of UFO sightings. They then realised their “memories”
were not dreams. A circular area of flatten sugar cane was found near the
house. I subsequently spoke with the young woman. While she only confirmed
these events in a vague sort of way she did have a history that many would
consider to be a classic UFO abductee. I even spoke to her father, but he did
not confirm the experience and was not keen to elaborate further. Ultimately, I
could not fully confirm the validity of this part of the events.
These stranger elements to UFO experiences do happen but are
usually only reluctantly shared. Maybe Albert thought this aspect diminished
the credibility of the Pedley encounter and the other UFO events, but the
physical certainty of the “UFO nest” far outweighed such concerns.
The RAAF files describe the famous Tully incident in the
following manner: “At about 9.00 a.m. on 19th January, 1966, Mr. G.A. Pedley, a
banana grower of Tully, Qld, observed a light grey non reflecting dull object,
reported to be about 25 feet long and 8 feet deep, rise vertically then climb
on an angle of 450 from a height of about 30 feet above marshland which was
situated about 25 yards away from his position. There was an associated hissing
noise which decreased as the ‘object’ rose. The apparent shape was described as
‘two saucers, face to face’, but no structural detail was observed. The
duration of the observation was approximately 15 seconds, and it disappeared in
mid air whilst receding into the distance (not assessed).
“A clearly defined near circular depression remained in
evidence in swamp grass at the point from which the object was seen rising, and
measured about 32 feet long by 25 feet wide. The grass was flattened in
clockwise curves to water level within the circle and the reeds had been
uprooted from the mud. There was no scorching of grass or surrounding trees and
the observer stated that there was no smell of combustion...” George Pedley
reported his experience to Tully Police at 7.30 pm, on January 19th. At 7 am,
January 20th George Pedley and Sgt. A.V. Moylan went to the site of the
incident. Sgt. Moylan, then contacted Townsville RAAF Base by telephone, on the
morning of January 20th. Flt. Lt. Wallace advised Sgt. Moylan that he would
forward a proforma questionaire for completion by George Pedley. On Friday,
January 21st, Flt. Lt. Wallace confirmed despatch of two copies of the sighting
proforma by mail that same day and also requested Sgt. Moylan obtain “a sample
of the grass from the scorched area.” At 3.30 pm, on the same day, Moylan
returned to the site and took a sample “of the grass from the depression in the
swamp grass at the site.” The proforma was filled out by Moylan based on his
interviews with George Pedley and was dated 26/1/66. Sgt. Moylan despatched the
report and the sample on 26/1/66. Flt. Lt. T.D. Wright, for Air Officer
Commanding, Headquarters Operational Command, RAAF, Penrith, New South Wales
(NSW), on-forwarded police Sgt. Moylan’s report on George Pedley’s UFO sighting
and Flt. Lt. Wallace’s covering minute paper, to the Department of Air, Russell
Offices, Canberra. His communication classified RESTRICTED, which was
channelled to the Directorate of Air Force Intelligence (DAFI), also indicated,
“This headquarters believes that the depressions of the swamp grass were caused
by small isolated waterspouts.”
The RAAF’s suggested explanation doesn’t stand up to the
facts. In the Tully incident we are dealing with water-laden reeds, a fast
moving “object” and an apparent lack of absent reeds from the lagoon. In other
words, the RAAF’s suggestion of a Willy Willy “vortex” of reeds from the lagoon
cannot be sustained.
Albert Pennisi recollected that the investigating RAAF
officer returned to the site years later and confessed he was “wacked”
(puzzled) by the 1966 episode. He had been sent to check Pennisi out and found
him to be very honest. He even checked his service records and was ultimately
intrigued by what went on.
Both Albert and George were astounded by the nest when they
first examined it in detail. Neither had ever seen anything like this before,
despite being experienced bushmen. Albert Pennisi “knew” his lagoon and a
circular effect like this was totally unprecedented in his experience. They
waded out to the floating mass and found that it was possible to swim from
either side under the mass. The water was clear of any obstructions and the
lagoon floor beneath it was smooth and clear of any roots.
Albert and George were most struck by a particular feature
of the surface of the floating reed bed - what seemed to be a clear “print” or
impression of the UFO. The outer perimeter of the floating mass was thrust down
markedly as if indented by a massive, inverted saucer shape, with a circular
centre about 6 to 8 feet in diameter. Albert rushed to his house and returned
with a camera taking a series of photos. By then the upper surfaces of the
reeds on top of the “nest” had turned brown. The underside of the reeds
remained green. This browning had occurred by late afternoon, some 8 hours
after the sighting by George Pedley. About 6 feet to the north of the “nest” a
rectangular patch of the swamp couch grass, approximately 5 by 6 feet had been
clipped at water level and pulled out completely. George Pedley apparently
noticed this initially with his original observation of the circular area.
A further interesting anomaly was found by Christine
Rounland, whose husband helped Pedley with crop fertilising. She came across
some ground marking that resembled curious tracks in loose ploughed soil of an
adjoining paddock between Pedley’s banana palms. They led from the direction of
the lagoon area and extended a short distance into the ploughed field. They
were shaped like a tear drop, pointed on one end and rounded at the other. Each
were about 3 to 4 inches in length and about 2 inches across at their widest
point. They were spaced out at about 12-inch intervals and in a straight line.
Subsequent underwater checks indicated 3 large holes in the
muddy floor of the lagoon beneath the Pedley nest. Whether these were there at
the time of the sighting could not be absolutely proven, but to some they
suggested the possibility of tripod land indentations.
George Pedley also reported later that he noticed the
presence of a “sulphur” smell in the area around the nest, just after the UFO
had departed.
While only the “nest” associated with George Pedley’s
sighting had an explicit connection with a UFO close encounter, other “nests”
were found in quick succession in Horseshoe Lagoon. While intriguing none of
the subsequent finds were as compelling as the original “nest”. The area became
the focus of ongoing “nest” phenomena and indeed Tully became known as the UFO
capital of Australia.
Tully had long been known as the locality with one of the
highest regular rain falls in Australia. The period of Pedley’s encounter fell
within the “wet” season, namely January to February. Usually this takes the
form of heavy to drizzling rain. Hence it is easy to see why weather phenomena
were deemed a possible explanation. However, the facts do not lend themselves
to this convenient answer. Strong winds during this “wet season” usually occur
when cyclones are present. Pedley’s encounter occurred during calm fine
weather. The prevailing weather for the area in the 24 hours preceding the
incident was not conducive for the formation of local windstorms. Locals are
familiar with wind damage, even those involving small scale vortices. These
usually feature rougher and messy grass coverage disturbance and evidence of
debris and trails in the immediate locality. None of this was evident.
When the news of George Pedley’s encounter and the “nest”
started to spread coverage through the media proliferated. It was front page
news. All sorts of theories abounded for the “nest”. Helicopters, nesting birds
(“Big Bird”?), crocodiles, dogs, secret military devices, “spaceships”, reed
eating grubs, willy willy and whirlwinds were amongst the many ideas trotted
out.
There was some confusion regarding the direction of the nest
spiral, which persisted in various accounts over the years. The Pedley “nest”
had a clockwise swirl. This aspect at least ruled out one explanation. The
Brisbane paper, “The Courier Mail”, of January 25th, 1966, stated, “RAAF
officials discounted the theory that “nests” have been made by helicopters. The
RAAF said that in depressions left by helicopters the grass usually ran in an
anti-clockwise direction - the main nest found at Tully ran in a clockwise
direction.” Alf Macdonald, the Stock Routes Inspector for Northern Queensland,
who had lived in the area since 1933, thought the wind vortex theory was
unlikely. He said that the district had not had strong whirlwind and indicated
that they left a path anyway. George Pedley also commented, “I’ve seen wet
whirlwinds and dust whirlwinds. If the police believe this, let them. I know
what I saw. It wasn’t a whirlwind.” The Victorian Flying Saucer Research
Society (now VUFORS) published an excellent item, “The Tully ‘nests’: How
freakish can whirlwinds be?” which concluded that “the atmospheric vortex
hypothesis” was untenable, despite cyclonic rotation in the southern hemisphere
being clockwise. Large scale vortex weather systems such as cyclones and
whirlwinds largely have their rotation determined by the Coriolis Effect, but
local factors can negate these tendencies, particularly in smaller vortex
systems such as “willy willies”.
I had spoken to Albert Pennisi and George Pedley on several
occasions over the years and was always impressed with their accounts. George
was generally reluctant to talk widely about his experience. Albert would speak
about it but kept speculation largely to himself. It happened and the proof was
evident in the “nests”.
Albert, assisted by his sons Adrian and Shane, publicly
lectured about the events for the first and last time in October 2006 at a UFO
conference in Brisbane. I was there and was pleased to catch up with him again.
For me his talk was the highlight of the conference. It also brought back great
memories of wading through Horseshoe Lagoon back in the early 1970s. It seemed
it might have been young Shane Pennisi who told me to watch out for taipans –
something I might have wanted to be alerted to before rather than after! I
fondly recollected.
Albert passed away on 25th January 2009 three days short of
his 90th birthday. Albert was a simple man who, despite a rough start, forged a
good life and family, who tried to help people, and was the real quiet
achiever.
Shane Pennisi told me that Albert refused to change
Horseshoe Lagoon. Shane was close to his
father and did his best to keep it that way. By 2026, it was clear to Shane
that it was time face the difficult task of moving on. It seems he may have
found a buyer who wants to keep Horseshoe Lagoon in the same way.
Albert was in touch with nature and tried to keep the
property that way. Shane shares his father’s take on the land and lamented that
given the changes to the area through drainage and other farming practices, as
well as more housing appearing, the locality that held so much sway in 1966 is
not as isolated and quite as it was back then.
Progress and development intervened but at least the lagoon
still stands as a testament to Albert’s way and to that remarkable moment back
in 1966, and the suggestions via more nests over the following decades that the
UFOs might have landed many times since. Albert’s “dream” and George Pedley’s
daylight encounter with the UFO rising out of the lagoon are marvellous
manifestations of the strange UFO reality that haunts many places around the
world.
UFOs and related strange phenomena seemingly haunted the
Tully area for a very long time indeed. It got very real in a physical way back
in 1966 and for a long time since then. I am grateful for the opportunity to
have returned to Tully and join Shane in trying to preserve the haunting Tully
UFO legacy.
Thank you, Albert, for sharing the experience of the “dream” and its real impact, the UFO physical trace legacy, which haunted the Tully region for so long. According to Shane, his father seemed to always sing while working the farm, but maybe it was the alien siren songs of the UFO that left its marks – the “saucer nests” – that were part of the song lines of his life. The torch was passed to his son Shane, who has done so under difficult and changing circumstances. Now, should the unlikely happen and Albert’s “dream” machine returns, the thing witnessed by George Pedley back in January 1966, if further “nests” are found and more UFOs are seen, there will still be those who will bare witness and there will be those who will try to actively seek answers.
Such is the legacy of the Tully UFO milieu. The 1966 Tully
UFO physical trace case still stands as a classic example of the impressive
physical dimensions of the UFO phenomenon and the extraordinary impact it has
had.
posted by Bill Chalker at 6:42 AM
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