Local History, Published 5 July 2026
Forget the Loch Ness Monster - Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River had their own Sea Monsters!
If you were reading the Brisbane Courier at the turn of the century, you might have thought twice about dipping your toes in the water. Queensland’s archival newspapers were filled with "monsters" lurking just offshore.
Check out these bizarre, verified sightings:
The 60ft "Winged" Eel (1891)
In August 1891, the crew of the steamer Rotomahana reported a massive, 18-metre creature in the bay. Quartermaster Peter Nelson described it as having a black back, a white belly, and two 10-foot fins that looked like wings. They believed a recent earthquake had shaken it loose from the abyss!
The "Wallaby-Skin" River Monster (1898)
Locals near Lowood were terrified by a creature with an alligator’s body and the head of a Newfoundland dog. * The Plot Twist: It was a legendary local hoax! Two pranksters built the "monster" out of a box covered in wallaby hide and swansdown, using pulleys to make it swim. It fooled the entire town for days!
The Rugby Ball Beast (1901)
The serpent returned! In December 1901, a "dark object" was sighted in the bay. In true Queensland fashion, the witness described the creature's head as being "as big as a Rugby football."
The Lumpy Sea Serpent (1950s-60s)
The sightings didn't stop with the Victorians. In the late 50s, witnesses near Woody Point reported a 5-metre beast with "tough, lumpy skin like a toad." While some called it a "plated serpent," experts now suspect it was a very lost elephant seal or a giant oarfish.
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Editors often joked these "monsters" were either clever hoaxes or the result of people "indulging" too much at the local pub.
Today, we might see them as whales or even the work of pranksters - but back then, the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay were places of mystery, folklore and legend!
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