Who or what is the real Bunyip in Australian history...

So where have I gone in my quest? Back to ancient Australia and return. It has been most interesting learning a little about something I'd hardly heard of before. Bunyip was just a name that sprang up out of the ground when I was tossing names around of other legendary strange creatures of foreign folklore - the Yeti or Abominable Snowman from the Himalayas, a 'man bear', a large hairy apelike biped; and the Bigfoot or Sasquatch of North America, known by the Lakota Indians as "Chiye" (Big Elder brother) - a large hairy bipedal hominoid.

And what of the Australian Bunyips? I believe there have been two Bunyips, the ancient and the more modern version. So lets elaborate a little: The Bunyip is an Australian legendary monster that exists in aboriginal stories and art as well as in more modern reports. Descriptions vary wildly - aboriginals described it as having tusks,flippers and a tail like a horse. The aboriginal Bunyip lived in or around water such as creeks and pools in dried up riverbeds - known in Australia as billabongs.

It is supposed to come out at night to prey on animals, women and children. It is also supposed to give out a bellowing cry if approached - this kept the aboriginals away.

More recent accounts vary widely in descriptions, ranging from hairy, feathered, furry, having a longtail,long neck, a horse head, a bird's head etc.

Bunyips are common in Australian childrens stories, much like the Maori legends over in New Zealand. There were for some reasons many sightings during the depression years of the 1930's.

There are three main theories:

One is the Diprotodon, an ice-age hippo sized marsupial that co-existed with early aboriginals, before coming extinct 40,000-50,000 years ago.

Another theory is that they were seals that made their way inland and become isolated, or were crocodiles.

The third is that there were many tramps who took to the roads of rural Australia, or the "bush" during the depession days of the 1930's, and many lived near bodies of water and perpetuated the myth of the legendary Bunyip.

And this Kiwi writer's selection? The Diprotodon by a large nose!

A little historical description to finish up with:

According to Australian legend this hairy monster would hide in water holes, come out at night and terrify aboriginals. Descriptions vary, but it is generally described as having a hairy body, a horselike head and a ferocious roar. Some scientists believe the Bunyip might be a cultural memory of a marsupial called a diprotodon that inhabited Australia about 50,000 years ago, but because bones of butchered animals were unearthd at human settlements Bunyips, also known as yaa-loo and wowee-wowee, it suggests they and humans co-existed for many thousands of years.