1978 - The Daily Take
"Now on to the world of science. There is a current mystery occurring in the waters off the south eastern coast of Australia, near to Tasmania. Scientist have observed the local ocean wildlife, from sea lions to sea turtles to sharks, have begun acting strangely. These animals have begun engaging in circling behavior over a certain stretch of the sea. This is not wholly unseen in nature and usually animals engage in such behavior as a mean of feeding or, it has been theorized, to be able to use the magnetic bands around the earth to navigate the vast ocean. What makes this behavior strange is how these animals are seemingly going against their usual behavior to engage in this circling. There have been accounts of animals usually found at lower depths circling at the water's surface and even nocturnal hunters out circling during the day.
Scientist have theorized that it maybe due to the tectonic activity at the bottom of the oceanic trench which is causing such strange behaviors. Yet again we are reminded that the ocean is a mysterious and unyielding place."
1982 - Tomorrow, Today
"Here is a strange story for ya, I think everyone has been out to the beach and you got some fries and there are just seagulls everywhere, right? You wouldn't be surprised by sea birds being near the ocean but recently off the south eastern coast of Australia that is what has been happening. There has been huge colonies of sea birds that are usually found around the coastline far from it simply bobbing on the ocean waves out there. There have been hundreds of sea birds observed there at any one time, being of different species and different regions.
It is not unheard of sea birds to congregate in such a fashion for seasonal fish migrations, like sardines, but there is no evidence that there is such a migration happening here. Scientist have begun to flock to this region to see for themselves and create theorize but right now a bird in the hand is worth a hundred in the sea..."
1985 - Our Strange World
"There was a strange occurrence aboard a cruise liner off of the south eastern coast of Sydney that has had the boat forced into quarantined for the time being as a safety precaution by the Australian government. The occurrence was the simultaneous headache of all on board. The severity of these headaches was felt differently by the various passengers and staff on board. The captain was left unable to fulfill his role due to these headaches and was required to be helped to his quarters. There are many suggested theories as to why this happened, ranging from a simple case of food poisoning and the warmth of the day in question to a release of volcanic fumes from bellow the ocean. It is true that the area that the ship was traveling over does have notable concentration of undersea volcanic activity. Scientist have been quick to dismiss this. It was stated that it would require a sizeable release to affect those on the surface and there was no tectonic activity reported on that day or prior.
Those on the cruise have begun being released after medical checks are being provided to see if there are any lingering health affects. Thus far it appears as if there were no lingering affects but still many have lingering thoughts regarding what happened on the cruise ship..."
1989 - What's the Buzz? [Australian Edition]
"On to the stranger side of things, there is quite the buzz around the small fishing town of Armilla's Bend. This is all due to the strange catch the was brought in on a commercial fishing barge's net and photographed by one of the fisherman on board. The body of a large creature was caught in one of the large trawling nets. When it was pulled up to the surface the crew was stunned and thought that they had caught some sort of large ray. Once pulled out of the water they became certain it was not a ray, that was when Carlos Johanna snapped the photo. The body was soon tossed back overboard because the crew grew worried about becoming sick due to the strange odor emanating from the body.
But we want to hear your thoughts, head on over to our site where you can see the picture and discuss about what your theories are. 5 of the best will be featured next week and the top commenter will be provided a free meal at Sparky's Surf and Turf..."
1998 - Wayne and The Brain's Radio Show
"So, scientists have been tracking this whale for science stuff. Ya know, seeing where it eats and breeds and shits or whatever. Recently just off the south eastern coast of Australia they were tracking this thing and suddenly it disappears. Like I know that the ocean is a big place and stuff but like how do you lose a whole whale? This wasn't one of those small porpoises or whatever either, this was like a humpback or something. One of the big ones. So already people are throwing out theories. Some people are saying that it got caught by Japanese whaling boats or got blown up by some old world war two mine.
"Maybe it got eaten?"
"You think that there is something big enough out there that is just chomping on whales and stuff? Ya think godzilla is just having a humpback snack?"
"Nah, but it would be crazy if it did get eaten. Ya know, people have been talking about megalodon and stuff. I mean, couldn't it have gotten got by some giant squid or something don't they fight in the deep ocean or whatever?"
"I think that is just sperm whales but there is definitely no ancient shark swimming around the ocean. The squid idea actually makes more sense because there is one of those big underwater trenches there so like... I guess that makes sense"
2000 - Armilla Today
“On to some local news. There has been an unusually high rate of dead dolphins washing up on the beaches of Armilla’s Bend. Both the number and peculiar nature of their deaths have scientist baffled. Many of the dolphins have no clear signs of death and it was not until Dr. Harriet Barringston performed an autopsy that they found the culprit. Based on the rupturing of the creature’s ear drums and lungs Dr. Barringston theorizes that the creatures were dying due to the immense pressures of the deep ocean. She has found no clear evidence as to why these dolphins would dive to such a depth, however. The current theory is increased use of shipping lanes in the area are throwing off these dolphins' sonar and causing them to become disoriented...”
2005 - Today to You
"Australian beaches are known for their beauty and have brought people from across the globe to them. Whether it is for surfing, snorkeling, volleyball, or just to lay down and catch some rays the beaches provide an opportunity for people to wind down and enjoy themself. For Mindy Feliciana the enjoyment turned into a nightmare. An avid diver Mindy went out on August 15th with a local diving group to get a look under the waves. They wanted to do some deep diving off the southern coast, their intent was to swim around the oceanic trench with the hope of seeing the unique wildlife which lived around such extreme underwater geography. The start of the dive went fine, all of the diving apparatus was working as intended and everyone was excited for this dive. As they approached the edge of the trench something changed. There were strict rules about not diving above or down into the trench. This was advice that Mindy did not follow. The head diver of the expedition wished to remain nameless but had this to say:
"We were all wired up so we could communicate with one another. By the time I saw her it was like she just started staring out into it, like she was hypnotized or something. Then she started to swim down into it. By the time I got there she got a good ways down but I don't know what happened..."
When Mindy was brought up to the surface the damage had already been done. She was still breathing but had become entirely unresponsive. She was quickly brought to shore and hospitalized. The doctors proceeded to run a variety of tests regarding the usual causes of injury or other medical issues while diving. It had quickly become apparent that she did not get deep enough to sustain any injuries regarding the oceanic pressures and was brought up to the surface in stages to avoid the bends, otherwise known as decompression sickness. The strangest finding which comes from these tests is her brain activity seemingly having entirely changed. Considering that Mindy had no prior medical conditions doctors are baffled but still hopeful that one day Mindy might dive bellow the waves yet again."
2015 - Strange Australia
"Now, the mystery disappearance of a single engine plane is made all the more mysterious. 3 months ago, the retired air force pilot, Ben Teale, along with two tourists, whose family wishes they remain nameless, were taking a sight seeing flight around Tasmania. They were observed to be in good spirits and took off in the mid-afternoon. Later in the day one of the air traffic control towers in Southern New Zealand would get a distress signal from Ben Teale. Purely based on where the signal was received it would appear that the plane had gone greatly off course and had been flying for far longer than would be expected for a sight seeing tour. The most distressing of all were the words that Ben Teale reportedly said during this message. After being asked if he could see some landmark:
"All I can see is red...the ocean is red."
Air force and local investigators have theorized that this was due to the sun setting around the time creating visibility issues or during the flight Ben Teale experience a medical emergency, possibly due to a change of pressure in the cabin. Still, the mystery of what drew the seasoned pilot that far off course during a clear day during a routine trip has many left scratching their head..."
2018 - Top of Morning Top 10s
"Coming in at number 3: you've heard about the Bermuda triangle but there might be some other part of the ocean that is ber-ewing up some mystery. Now there is this part of the ocean off the south eastern coast of Australia, kinda near Tasmanai, that locals have been taken to calling "The Swell" and there is loads of weird stuff that has happened there. They call it "The Swell" because there tends to be bad weather in the area and the ocean floor of the area kind of swells up from this deep sea trench. If you are an avid listener you should know that deep sea trenches have all loads of weird stuff in them and science doesn't really know too much of what goes on down there. So in "The Swell" there have been weird activity with animals, people get headaches, and even a plane just disappeared after sending a distress signal. Well it seems like "The Swell" has struck again.
Just recently some people that were going deep sea fishing happened to stumble on a cargo ship that was just drifting out there. They called the coast guard and told them the location. Once the coast guard got on board things took a turn for the weird. They searched the ship and nobody was on board. It was like they all just vanished doing what they were doing. They contacted the shipping company that they were associated with, Talbot Industries, and it turns out that they had been 2 weeks late and had presumed to have been attacked by pirates. At this point the running theory is a rogue wave washed some of the crew overboard. The rest, not being able to man the ship without those extra hands, opted to drop anchor and try to reach land in lifeboats. It seems like a stretch but nothing really fits well when trying to explain this. People have said that the volcanic vents at the ocean floor could have released toxic fumes that killed the crew, but then where did the bodies go? Some people have suggested alien abduction or even that they were captured by the Chinese government for suspected espionage. At this point, you guess is good as mine...
Now on to number 2: could this South American goblin be real?..."