Imagine a monster living on the borders of the upper north shore. An aquatic beast which lurks in the depths of the Hawkesbury River (New South Wales, Australia). A creature related to the Loch Ness monster.
For cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy, the fledgling legend of the Hawkesbury River Monster is real and he’s determined to prove it.
Since 1965, he and his wife Heather have been gathering information on a creature he believed still lives in our major waterway, or once did.
After years of ``patience, field trips and stake-outs’’ along the shores of the river, Mr Gilroy, who is also known for his research on the Blue Mountains Panther, hopes to finally obtain photographic evidence.
``Sooner or later, I’m hoping to get the shot of shots,’’ Mr Gilroy told the Advocate.
The Gilroys say they have compiled hundreds of sightings reports.
``They tend to be seen around (Mooney Mooney and Long Island),’’ Mr Gilroy said.
``There are stories of houseboats being lifted up at one end when something underneath tried to surface over at Jerusalem Bay.
``A lot of the inlets here have stories.’’
The most recent sighting was by fishermen near Wisemen’s Ferry, in March.
``(One of them) momentarily saw a serpentine head and about 2m of long neck rise above the water before submerging,’’ Mr Gilroy said.
He also referred to a sighting by Rosemary Turner in 1975, who reported a monster swimming upstream from a lookout at Muogamarra Nature Reserve.
Robert Jones, a palaeontologist from the Australian Museum, said that as far as science is concerned, the existence of the Hawkesbury River Monster has never been proven.
``It’s impossible for them to live in the Hawkesbury River; they just don’t exist,’’ he said.
But according to Mr Gilroy, the monster is part of Aboriginal folklore, with stories of women and children being attacked by the ``moolyewonk’’ or ``mirreeular’’ both indigenous names. They also feature in ancient rock art on the banks of the river.
``There’s got to be something to it,’’ Mr Gilroy said.
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Searching For The Hawkesbury River Monster 
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