Is it a bird, is it a plane, or is it a ... gully monster?

The Pilbara is full of mythical stories, from monsters preying on pub-goers to UFO’s in the night sky.

Whether you believe them or not, thePilbara News put on its investigative thongs to go deep into the tales of mystery and intrigue in the region.

The gully monsterIf you have ever walked home from a night out, you will probably have had to run the gauntlet of walking through the home of a truly terrifying creature that preys on red-eyed Pilbarians.

Much like the bunyip, big foot or the Loch Ness monster, there are no confirmed sightings of the gully monster, however, plenty of tired Pilbara residents heading home after a big night have reported encounters with the mythical creature, tipping them over on the path to home.

Most reports have come from those who spent the night at one of the region’s fine watering holes.

Michelle Joyce said she was attacked by an opportunist monster lurking around the Leisureplex after the Fluid Festival in May this year.

“It was around 12.30am in the morning after everything had closed down and I just wasn’t expecting it when it snuck up behind me,” she said.

“I took cover in the bushes and waited for my red-haired heroine, who came to save me.

“This was my first Pilbara encounter but I have heard reports in Ireland as well, where they like to come out on the weekend and wait until you’re vulnerable.”

Ms Joyce said the gully monster left a few scratches on her, but like many others she could not get a good look at the beast.

City of Karratha Deputy Mayor John Lally said a big part of creating footbridges over gullies was for people, in particular residents with mobility issues and parents with prams, to avoid the “dreaded” gully monster.

“We can’t have a bridge over every gully however, so we encourage people to put safety first and walk on the footpaths rather than taking shortcuts and doing battle with the gully monsters,” he said.

Mr Lally said more than $1 million would be allocated to building and maintaining [|construction and maintenance of more] footpaths in the 2015-16 budget.

The Karratha and Hedland domesThere are several popular theories as to why the Bureau of Meteorology radars regularly show perfect circles of rain around Karratha and Hedland.

In Karratha, some residents claim the Woodside flame is to blame for creating a dome-like effect over Karratha, while others say the hills block the rain from the coastal strip.

Residents from both towns also claim radio interference from the weather stations themselves cause rain to not show up on the radar.

BOM forecaster David Farr said the phenomenon was probably the result of anomalous propagation, which happens when strong temperature inversions are present.

“Sometimes the refractive index of the air is such that the radar beam becomes ‘bent’ and reflects the ground or ocean surface some distance away from the radar,” he said.

“Electronic processing of the returned signal usually detects the steadier reflections from ground clutter, but reflections from the waves on water are more likely to appear like true rain echoes.”

Mr Farr said “with certainty” the Woodside flame and radio interference were not contributing factors.

Guiding lightsResidents and travellers who head out beyond the black stump in the Pilbara occasionally report seeing strange lights in the distance moving around, changing in direction, speed and brightness.

Local tour guide Clinton Walker said the Minmin lights were spiritual beings frequently seen in places such as Balla Balla, Cherratta Station and sometimes even between Karratha and Roebourne.

“Balla Balla is a well-known place for sightings because it is a highly spiritual place,” he said.

“They usually come towards you when you camp — we have had a fair few come towards us out there.

“From a distance they look like cars but when they get closer the light gets dimmer, like a person holding a torchlight.”

Mr Walker said yellow and white Minmin lights were harmless, but red lights could mean danger.

The Dampier ghostThe Pilbara News caused a stir after Guy Fawkes Night last year when Fiona Guest sent in a photograph that appeared to show a ghost sitting on the Dampier foreshore during the fireworks display.

The sighting is far from the first mention of paranormal activity in the coastal town, with rumours of a resident ghost stretching [|right] back to the early 1970s.

Hampton Harbour Yacht Club commodore John Lally said he believed the Dampier ghost was the early explorer William Dampier himself.

“He had such a good time here when he first arrived I think he comes back to see how much the place has changed,” he said.

“If you’re in Dampier, you get good vibes and a lot of that is to do with the fact he is around.

“Sightings are pretty rare; he keeps private, so sightings are pretty special.”

Mr Lally said the ghost of Dampier was a good guy who looked after seafarers out among the islands.

Haunted HedlandMore ghost stories still come out of Port Hedland, where many residents are rumoured to have had very close encounters with one of two well-known entities. [|popular tales.]

Hedland resident Niki White said while she did not have solid evidence, the legend of the lady in red waiting by the turf club had credibility.

“I have had people tell me of other people who have encountered this lady, who stops cars for a lift to the top pub in Hedland,” she said.

“People get quite convinced about this, but I have personally never seen her.”

A more well-known story comes out of the ambulance subcentre, where for 15 years reports of poltergeist activity from the ghost of a young man who committed suicide in the building were abundant.

“They will come back after a shift and furniture will have been moved, shoelaces will have been done up, things like that,” she said.

“I spoke to one lady who was packing stuff up in the afternoon and she just knew he was right behind her.

“There are reports of things moving in there all the time.”

Ms White said workers and volunteers at the substation heard and felt unusual things all the time.

Other strange sightingsThe UFO stories are so popular in Paraburdoo they are even mentioned on the Shire of Ashburton’s website under the town’s introduction to visitors.

First reported in 1973, there have been several other cases, the most recent of which was photographed in 2006 but dismissed by news outlets in Perth at the time as a joke.

Nearby, Tom Price also has its fair share of UFO encounters, including one instance in 1994 when a series of low-flying orange lights reportedly passed over as half the town watched on.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of fishermen’s tales of mermaids sighted off the coast and swimming up the pristine and [|very] isolated creeks at Balla Balla.

Cossack is the kind of place you would expect ghost tales, and sure enough there is no shortage. [|of that there are no shortages.]

Legend has it the ghost of a murdered station owner still walks among the ruins.

The credibility of these tales, and many more like them, is always up for debate, but one thing for sure is when a fresh report of something otherworldly comes in, it always sets tongues wagging [|right] across the region.