I think that “giant” is a good-enough word for these flying creatures that have been reported across the continent of Australia. It certainly seems to have been a giant pterosaur that was seen by the couple taking an evening stroll in Perth, for they estimated the wingspan at 30-50 feet.
Perth Creature, Western Australia
“We had been walking in the evening . . . In the distance I perceived an object in the sky. At this point it was rather indistinct and wondering what it might be I watched it as it approached. . . . it was some sort of flying creature, and my first thought was that it must be some very large bird . . . Its progress had brought it closer and while its shape did resemble a bird I thought by now that . . . it must be the largest bird I had ever witnessed.
“. . . about a quarter mile north of us and quite high. . . Within a minute or so it had reached our position and was about 250 or 300 feet above us and slightly inland. The area was moderately well lit and I saw that it seemed to be a light reddish-tan color. It did not appear to be covered with feathers but had a leathery texture. Soon after it passed us it flew over a more brightly lit sports area which highlighted even more the leathery appearance also bringing more detail to view. The wings were the most definite leathery feature . . . The body also still appeared leathery, though textured as though possibly covered with fine hair or small scales, the distance preventing any finer observation other than that it was slightly different texture than the wings . . .”
If I correctly remember the sighting report, the following account of a flying creature was from the Redcliffe area, north of Brisbane, Australia:
Pterosaur Sightings in Australia
East Coast of Australia
During his farm chores, between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., he [a boy of about twelve years old] forgot something and had to backtrack. . . . at the door of a shed, he saw a large creature with wings. It was on the roof of the shed, just above the door where he had recently been standing.
Although terrified, the boy had a brief view of the body and wings of the creature. It was larger than an average man six feet tall, with wings that folded to the side and back, reminiscent of bat wings.
The following account does not directly involve Australia, but the sighting was in Papua New Guinea, which is north of Australia, and giant pterosaurs would have little difficulty in flying from one land area to another:
Duane Hodgkinson, now a flight instructor in Livingston, Montana, in 1944 was stationed near Finschhafen, in what was then called New Guinea. After he and his buddy walked into a clearing, they were amazed as a large creature flew up into the air. The men soon realized that it was no bird that started to circle the clearing. It had a tail “at least ten to fifteen feet long . . .
Jonathan David Whitcomb, a forensic videographer, interviewed Hodgkinson, in 2004, and found his testimony credible. In 2005, Garth Guessman, another ropen investigator, in Montana video-taped his own interview with Hodgkinson and the session was analyzed by Whitcomb, who became even more convinced the World War II veteran was telling the truth.
