‘The Galactic Empire is on its way’: Has the hairy hulk Chewbacca paid a visit to Florence Falls, or is it a Top End Yowie?

Tales of Bigfoot, Yowies, the Hairy Man, everyone’s heard them. But have you ever heard of one taking a dip at Buley Rockhole? TAKE OUR POLL.

Wookiee-like noises have been heard around Litchfield, perhaps Chewbacca is taking a stroll around the park. Picture: NT News

Litchfield National Park is a far cry from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, and yet reports of noises from popular Star Wars character Chewbacca’s own species have been reported in the Top End.

A redditor by the username Intelligent-Eye4694 took to the social media platform to ask if anyone else had heard Wookiee-like noises while metal detecting around Litchfield.

The redditor also said to have “heard of a few reports of dogs coming back terrified and a couple of metal detecting people witnessing horrific screams while out there”.

Ray Doherty from the Australian Yowie Project said the noises described in the reports could in fact be a Yowie, which would not only match the audio description but wouldn’t look too dissimilar to the apelike humanoid physique of a Wookiee.

A Yowie is Australia’s take on Bigfoot, often called the Hairy Man, and there are stories from across the nation of Yowies, varying in size, that “go back to the [19]20s and 30s”, Mr Doherty said.

Wookiee-like noises have been heard around Litchfield, perhaps Chewbacca is taking a stroll around the park. Picture: NT News

“I’ve spoken with plenty of people over the years who have had encounters themselves in the Northern Territory,” he said.

“NT has always had reports of little ones, it seems to follow very much what we hear out of Western Australia, they tend to be smaller, more human looking ones.

“There’s probably five or six, maybe seven different types, scattered around the whole country.

“We can see the more humanoid looking ones down the left to the west, while the east has more ape looking ones.”

Mr Doherty said there had been stories of the Hairy Man coming out of places like West Jabiru that stretch back more than 50 years, but he’d not heard reports of any in or around Litchfield — though that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

“We’ve heard sounds from the long, big Wookiee type sounds where people encounter them, but we also hear the meek sounds and baby chirpy sounds too,” he said.

“When you hear it, there’s no mistaking what it is.

“One thing, they’re never far from freshwater, especially further north.

“In the summer months they’d be very close to a water source at night, and looking at photos of Litchfield there are waterfalls, and they like to be around waterfalls.

“To them it’s their waterfall.”

While some people may shrug off reports as nothing more than rumours or other animals being mistaken for something more, Mr Doherty said reports of Yowies around the country did occur, and regularly.

“If anything’s going to survive from a long time ago, it’s going to be here in Australia,” he said.

“People aren’t ready for the uncomfortable truth that they are out there.

“It’s more than just possible, it happens a great deal.”

Hunter Graham Eames said he’d not heard of anything like this coming out of Litchfield before, but a big fan of the Star Wars franchise himself, he said something scarier could be on its way to planet Earth.

“George Lucas has been telling us since the 1970s that the Galactic Empire is on its way, and that’s what I think has happened, there could just be a Wookiee,” he said.

Wookiee-like noises have been heard around Litchfield, perhaps Chewbacca is taking a stroll around the park. Picture: NT News

“We’re on the outer rim of the galaxy and maybe, just maybe, Darth Vader is on the way.

“Watch out for the Death Star coming over the horizon.”

While Mr Eames mostly said so in jest, he said that there could be any number of animals from pigs to birds that could be mistaken for a Wookiee in and around Litchfield, though likely not the same ones that were pieced together to make the iconic Wookiee growling.

“It’s actually interesting because in the Star Wars movies, the [Wookiee] sounds were made up of bears, lions, and walruses, maybe even badgers,” he said.

“And I don’t think you’ve got anything like that in Litchfield.

“If it was anywhere else in Australia I’d say what you might have is a koala, because koalas actually sound like [Wookiees] when they’re in breeding season, but there’s no koalas in the NT.”

The department that represents Parks and Wildlife NT said if there was an interesting sound heard while exploring Litchfield, be sure to record it as it could prove “valuable”.

“Litchfield National Park is home to a diverse range of native animals, each contributing unique sounds to the natural symphony of the park,” a spokeswoman said.

“Next time you’re in the park and hear a mysterious sound, don’t hesitate to grab your phone and record it.

“Our rangers are always keen to help identify the source of these sounds.

“Your recording could provide a valuable piece of the puzzle.”