Who has not heard, from the earliest settlement of the colony, the [Aboriginal people] speaking of some unearthly animal or inhuman creature … namely-the Yahoo-Devil Devil, or the Hairy Man of the Wood?’

Tohby Riddle uses this extract from the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate on 10 November 1870 to begin this fascinating book. He then follows it up with many extracts from other newspapers all along the Great Dividing Range, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, describing this wild hairy man. From the Bega Budget 19 November 1919, one resident said ‘it was covered with long reddish hair’ while another was quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald on 12 October 1877 describing the animal ‘as being 7 feet high, with a face like a man, and long shaggy hair, and makes a tremendous noise.’ And from the Lithgow Mercury 25 July 1905, ‘This yahoo has been haunting the district for years.’

Tohby Riddle also includes the words of Ngiyaampaa Elder Peter Williams, which are very important to the story, especially as he gives a different viewpoint from the old newspaper reports. He says the Aboriginal people call the big fella berai and tell us that they can be kind and gentle but sometimes bad and violent.

This hauntingly beautiful picture book with its soft blues and greys provides a perfect background for the mysterious, but sometimes menacing, hairy man.

But take care, reports of yahoos, or yowies as we now call them, are still out there.

Reviewed by Merle Morcom
Age Guide 10+