General News
23 August, 2025
BARRY'S CORNER: Unexplained night noises
There was a loud bang that was sharp, unlike a shotgun, but caught my attention enough to go outside for a looksee.
There was nothing obvious, and nobody made their presence known, so I put it down to unidentified night noise.
The sound did not continue or be repeated again during the night.
I had been messing about cleaning up the kitchen when the explosion happened.
I checked around the next morning and still nothing.
That day, there was talk of a meteor smashing down somewhere in the region from outer space, and could we all keep an eye out.
Well, that is a big ask.
My experience of meteors is limited, never having found one. Needle in a hay shed comes to mind.
Most of these meteors are only as big as a tea cup and yet the sound they make is unequal to its size.
It got me thinking about other new noises that we often hear and cannot be sourced from a bird or animal.
Most wildlife sit quietly on any night. Some owls have a horrendous screech that can lift you out of your swag.
The curlew can have a similar effect in the dead of a dark night.
Then a koala and a brush-tailed possum will give a fright out of proportion to the untrained ear.
Even an echidna snuffling and searching for ants can sound like a heavy-footed cow just when you are trying to sleep in your swag.
Kangaroos fighting can sound unusual in the dark.
Most noises can be explained by someone familiar, and while the imagination plays tricks with our brains.
It is fortunate that we do not have animals that can cause damage, such as lions and tigers.
These can really make night noises and be a bit scary as well.
There is not much to give us grief in this country.
Birds such as corellas can squawk a lot on some hot summer nights, and even a willy wagtail can chatter away in the night.
There are noises that rattle our imagination and those that give fright, but we should not be too worried.
Having a few dingos serenade the camp provides some light entertainment.
Night sounds are part of our life, and dangerous meteors that break the sound barrier are so random and infrequent.