Mary Valley Monster

Journey monsters are what humans might describe being, 'as old as the hills', or 'old souls'. 

Long ago, when the first trees were still saplings, we and they awakened in consciousness together. 

The then small plants whispered to my kind the secrets of the earth that their strong, new roots revealed, and we whispered back the knowledge that we gathered on the regular journeys we have always felt compelled to take.

Journey Monsters and trees still whisper to one another today. 

There are journey monsters all over Australia, and the world, and we come in countless different shapes, colours, personalities, and sizes. As a species we have evolved these physical differences and adaptations to optimise for peak performance and perfect balance within our varied environments.

There are commonalities between all Journey Monsters worldwide; our language is one, our pouch is another. Traditionally Journey Monsters have used their pouches for conveniently carrying everything from wildflowers, mushrooms, to injured baby wallabies. I use mine to carry my phone and gold nuggets that I find.

When a Journey Monster has suddenly turned invisible in front of a human it has often been perceived as 'magic' when it is simply a basic physiological function all Journey Monsters possess and not at all 'supernatural'. Our offering protection to travellers is however. A shy disposition, curious nature, stealth, and friendship with all of nature are other shared traits of all Journey Monsters worldwide. 

All Journey Monsters have a solitary home base of some description like a burrow or nest. A yearning to wander our home turf is endemic of Journey Monsters. All of this roaming has moulded us into being flexible problem solvers. An affinity with travellers see's Journey Monsters offering protection to those that they encounter, and sometimes hitching a ride unseen and invisible if the travellers are headed in a desirable direction. Sometimes Mary Valley Journey Monsters leave behind a few fragments of gold in gratitude. I feel that being a Travel Guide to humans is the natural next step for us in travel related helpfulness, no one knows their habitat better than a Journey Monster.  

Our kind is Independent but friendly, and social around those we trust. All Journey Monsters within a region look the same with only minor differences making each regions monsters distinguishable to and from one another. It is rare for Journey Monsters to travel far beyond their own range preferring to keep within a few days walking distance of their home. These days many Journey Monsters like myself explore the wider world beyond their habitat online, anonymously. I am the first Journey Monster in the world to go online as my real self. It is a little scary.

We Journey Monsters of the Mary Valley make our solitary homes in hidden, cosy, burrows often decorated with gold. Typically we favour locations within close reach of water. In the hot Queensland summers we often sleep in the fork of a tree in order to catch a breeze and cool down, I myself have a favourite tree on the shores of The Yabba Creek in Imbil. Journey Monsters from the Mary Valley look almost exactly like me. We have excellent camouflage which is handy for hiding from humans and we have evolved to be accomplished swimmers, hikers, and climbers due to the many creeks, rivers, lakes, mountainous terrain, and the thick forests and rainforests of our habitat. Local Journey Monsters have a sweet-tooth with marshmallows, berries, and honey among our favourite foods.

In recent decades the popularity of camping within the region has seen the Journey Monsters of the Mary Valley acquire the ability to pinpoint the sound of a marshmallow bag being ripped open from just over one-kilometre away. The smoky scent of a campfire is a strong, attractant lure to both our curiosity and hopes of a dropped morsel or two, drawing us in. At times there may be up to four or five of us quietly watching a campsite together. Sometimes the humans tell scary ghost stories around the campfire. It does get awkward when the ghost story is about us.  

When not engaging in peaceful pursuits like helping bees forage and chatting with the Mary Valley lungfish local journey Monsters like to do fun things like climb the fire tower at Conondale, visit farmers markets, go gold-panning, and hike through Amamoor State Forest, As always, and ever, the Journey Monsters of the Mary Valley, myself included, enjoy ranging and roaming throughout the countryside as our favourite thing to do.