The Blue Mountains is an area steeped in magic. Many strange creatures make their home in the isolated ferny gullies, generally unseen by the population. They tend to be timid creatures, hiding away from view.
The earliest sightings date back to a soldier in Governor Macquarie’s regiment who claimed to have seen a “huge, ape-like animal” near the regiment’s camp in Springwood. The ‘Hairy Man’, as he is called locally, has been identified as a yowie, an Australian relative of Big Foot.
Another elusive creature is the black panther, a big cat that has been periodically sighted over the past hundred years all across the Mountains, and throughout the ranges to the north and south.
And of course there are the faeries.
If you are lucky, you can chance upon a sighting of faerie folk dancing in dappled sunlight in sheltered glades. Years ago we encountered a young faerie in Madeline Glen and managed to photograph her.
More recently we realised a faerie family had moved into our yard. Although they keep mostly to themselves, sometimes they will come out to play. One day they revealed that they guarded a large treasure chest, one that could only be found by those who are pure of heart and who are seeking adventure.