Ancient ‘crocodile-like creature’ discovered at Mossman Gorge
AMAZING FIND
LOCAL adventurer Nick Vasicek believes he may have found proof of the existence of Kuku Yalanji people in the Mossman Gorge ‘pre-Captain Cook’.
The experienced explorer has discovered a meeting place and rock carving high up in the Gorge that could date back thousands of years.
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Vasicek believes the find is significant given the stories of the Yalanji’s existence in the spiritual Mossman Gorge was slowly ‘dying out’ due to an ageing population in the area.
“They claim they have been there all the time, but they have no proof before the 1900s,” he said.
“But I have found a story place, a meeting place, and it could even be dated back pre-Captain Cook.
“Obviously it will need to be analysed by a team of experts, but it’s there.”
On an expedition backed by traditional owners, Vasicek discovered a huge carving of a ‘crocodile-like creature’, and he remains the only person to see it.
“The totem of these people is the crocodile,” he explains.
“This place is the cornerstone of their totem and it’s where aboriginal man would have met, talked and then gone hunting.
“It shows that Yalanji people have always been in the Gorge, it’s their land, and it should never be subdivided and sold off.”
It took two days of hiking through thick rainforest to discover the chiseled depiction of a large creature, along with drawings of old weapons.
“You can see by the shape of the weapons that it’s been done long before the 1900s,” he said.
“One thing I have learned is an indigenous carver or artist only paints or carves what he sees. It could be a crocodile swimming, but why it’s so far up the Gorge I don’t know.
“I’ve shown it to all the elders and none of them know where it is, but they are stoked to know there is proof of their people.”
The explorer will now seek a forensic examination of the site to prove its authenticity.
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