Tully: Saucer rises from lagoon
Banana grower George Pedley saw a grey saucer-shaped object rise from a lagoon near Tully, Australia, leaving a large circular nest in the reeds. Military investigators found multiple similar markings with uprooted plants.
Background
Sighting
On January 19, 1966 at around 9 in the morning, George Pedley was driving a tractor about half a mile from a homestead in Tully, Queensland. He heard a hissing sound above the engine noise and saw an object hovering some 23 metres away at about 9 metres altitude. It rose vertically, had the shape of two plates placed together, was light grey and matt, and measured about 8 metres long and 2.5 metres thick. The object rotated constantly; the hissing eased as it reached 18 metres, then it accelerated away to the southwest at a 45-degree angle. The whole observation lasted only 5–6 seconds.
Landing Traces
Pedley found a clear, almost circular depression in the swamp grass of a water-filled lagoon, about 10 metres long and 8 metres wide. The grass on the water's surface was flattened clockwise. Royal Australian Air Force officers found several circles from 2.5 to 9 metres across; in each, plant roots had been torn entirely out of the ground, as if a strong rotational force had acted on them.
Significance
This case, known as the Tully Saucer Nest, led to investigations by both the military and civilians but remained unexplained. It is regarded as a classic case with physical traces.