UFO Research Australia Jan 1988 Mundrabilla

Magazine Overview

This document is a report from UFO Research Australia detailing an incident that occurred on January 20th, 1988, on the Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia. The report, compiled on January 26th, 1988, focuses on an event involving the Knowles family and four other vehicles.

The Mundrabilla Incident

The report begins by stating that in the early hours of Wednesday, January 20th, 1988, occupants of several vehicles travelling on the main highway between Perth and Adelaide were involved in an incident. The report was compiled from personal interviews with the main percipients, the Knowles family, and extensive media coverage, including taped video interviews.

It notes the intense media interest, with investigator Ray Brooke fielding nearly one hundred queries in the forty-eight hours following the breaking of the story. The report aims to cover as much detail as possible about what was becoming known as the Mundrabilla incident.

The investigation team included Keith Basterfield, Ray Brooke, Steve Bolton, Vladimir Godic, and Pony Godic.

Location

The incident occurred on a stretch of the bitumen highway between Perth and Adelaide, specifically between the localities of Madura and Eucla in Western Australia. The area is locally known as The Basin.

The Event

Five vehicles were involved: three travelling East towards Eucla and two West towards Perth, spread over a 10-15 kilometre distance.

• Vehicle One: A caravan and car, occupied by an unknown person. The driver reportedly took evasive action to avoid a close encounter with the object, swerving to avoid the Knowles' car. This individual was not identified and seemed to be overlooked by the media.
• Vehicle Two: A truck driven by an unknown person who was the first to advise police at Eucla (W.A.) of the incident. This person made a statement to Eucla police, who then contacted Ceduna (S.A.) police. The Ceduna police stopped the Knowles' car and interviewed them.
• Vehicle Three: A truck driven by Mr Graham Henley, 57, a transport operator from Forest Hill, Victoria. He was driving through The Basin, about 10-15 kilometres ahead of the Knowles' car. Mr Henley reported seeing a bright white light hovering over the car's headlights, flickering in and out between trees, on a sweeping stretch of road. He continued to the Mundrabilla Motor Hotel.
• Vehicle Four: A 1984 blue Ford Telstar car containing the Knowles family from Perth.
• Vehicle Five: A truck driven by a transport operator, believed to be John De Jonge, an unknown distance behind the Knowles car. This vehicle did not stop, despite seeing the Knowles' stationary vehicle on the side of the road.

The Main Percipients: The Knowles Family

Mrs Faye Knowles, 43, and her sons Sean (21), Patrick (24), and Wayne (18) were travelling from Perth to Melbourne for a holiday.

Sean, the driver, reported seeing what he initially thought was a truck's light approaching from the East. It disappeared after 'jumping about a bit', then reappeared, looking like a 'spaceship', becoming brighter and bigger. They continued driving towards it, and it disappeared again.

Suddenly, the object was behind them, and Sean accelerated to get away. It reappeared in front of them. At one point, Sean performed a U-turn and travelled West, then another U-turn to resume Eastward travel, possibly to elude or follow the light. Sean also commented that the light was seen close to their vehicle, causing them to swerve and nearly hit an oncoming car and caravan.

• The sequence of events became confused and included:
• The rear right tyre blowing out while travelling at speed, causing Sean to brake to a halt.
• Mrs Knowles feeling a 'spongy substance' on the car's roof. She described feeling warmth on the back of her hand after touching it.
• A 'greyish-black mist' entering the car when the windows were wound down.
• The sound of their voices changing pitch and appearing to slow down.
• The family believing the object had landed on the roof.
• A humming sound was heard.
• Sean blacking out for a period.
• The family becoming hysterical, shouting, and crying, with Mrs Knowles believing they were going to die.
• The family believing the car was lifted off the road, though they did not look out the windows to confirm.
• The vehicle being dropped to the ground, causing the tyre burst.
• Their two dogs going 'crazy'.
• A smell like 'dead bodies' in the air.

After some time, Sean stopped the car, and the family hid in adjacent scrub. They reported the light/object remained in the vicinity before departing. About fifteen minutes later, they returned to the car, changed the tyre, and drove to the Mundrabilla Motor Hotel.

Investigation by UFO Research Australia (UFORSA)

The story broke to UFORSA around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 20th, about ten hours after the incident. The Ceduna police telephoned Ray Brooke while the Knowles family were at the station. Arrangements were made for the family to proceed to Adelaide for interviews and vehicle inspection.

The Ceduna police had secured written statements and a sample of the 'soot' for analysis.

The story leaked to the media, and the family were intercepted by Channel 7, leading to a 'cheque book' journalism situation.

On January 21st, UFORSA investigators spent three hours at the Adelaide Channel 7 studios, talking informally to the family between interviews. They confirmed the basic story but noted the family was distressed and tired, wanting an end to the interviews. UFORSA found them to be down-to-earth people trying to cope with a traumatic episode, with minimal indications of a hoax.

The Physical Evidence

A sample of the 'soot/ash' was collected by a South Australian police forensic squad officer ten hours after the event. The sample was sent to Adelaide for analysis, with results still awaited. UFORSA was unable to secure an independent sample due to police procedures and the Channel 7 network's actions.

The car was reportedly held by the television station at Wudinna (S.A.). Video pictures showed four indentations on the roof, near the corners. However, the report notes that these marks might be related to two lost suitcases strapped to the roof, rather than the UFO.

The burst tyre was not available for inspection.

Channel 7 reported on January 25th that experts said the 'black material' was mostly iron oxide, consistent with worn brake linings. They suggested the cut on the tyre was likely caused by running on the rim for a considerable distance, explaining the shaking and smoke. This hypothesis could also explain Mrs Knowles' sensation on the roof, potentially from hot rubber.

UFORSA emphasizes that the physical evidence is not as strong as reported by the media and urges caution until technical reports are available.

Conclusion

At the date of the report, UFORSA concluded that the entire incident was still open to a number of interpretations.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine's stance appears to be one of serious investigation into UFO phenomena, presenting witness testimony and physical evidence for analysis. There is a clear emphasis on gathering information and corroborating accounts, while also acknowledging the limitations of the evidence and the potential for alternative explanations. The report highlights the challenges posed by media sensationalism and the difficulty in obtaining independent verification of physical evidence. The editorial tone is cautious but open to the possibility of genuine anomalous events, urging readers to await technical reports before forming definitive conclusions.