Latest news with #BlueMountainsPanther
The Age
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
A very good Friday spent in Parramatta
Today's note comes to you from the Herald's newly opened Parramatta bureau. At the desk behind me, bureau chief Anthony Segaert is finalising a project exploring an intensifying war about who gets to speak for western Sydney – particularly as the region's economic, cultural and political power skyrockets. Next to him, reporter Ellie Busby is writing a story about 14 amateur sleuths spending a huge amount of time trying to get to the bottom of one of Sydney's favourite urban legends: the Blue Mountains Panther. From the desk next to me, reporter Mostafa Rachwani recently published this great first look at the Parramatta Eels' new $70 million Centre of Excellence, the world's largest rugby league facility. Our fabulous little office here above the $3.5 billion Parramatta Square urban renewal project has a view that encapsulates why the Herald has established a dedicated reporting team in the geographic heart of Sydney. Loading As I type, I can see the new Powerhouse Parramatta (the largest cultural investment in Sydney since the Opera House) rising from the riverbank, and can look down into a huge hole in the ground which will eventually become one of the stations on the Metro West rail line. A little further along, I can see the terrific CommBank Stadium, a real boost for sport in the heart of Parramatta since its opening in 2019. And all around us are new apartment buildings, filled with families and young professionals who are part of a boom that will see the population of the City of Parramatta and its 22 surrounding suburbs climb from 516,000 to 892,000 by 2041. Anthony, who heads up the new Parramatta bureau, joined the Herald in 2022 and jumped at the chance to move from our North Sydney headquarters. Like Ellie and Mostafa, he's bursting with ideas and energy about how to make sure our coverage truly reflects everything going on in this exciting part of Sydney. I thought I'd ask him a few questions about Parramatta. Enjoy!
Sydney Morning Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
A very good Friday spent in Parramatta
Today's note comes to you from the Herald's newly opened Parramatta bureau. At the desk behind me, bureau chief Anthony Segaert is finalising a project exploring an intensifying war about who gets to speak for western Sydney – particularly as the region's economic, cultural and political power skyrockets. Next to him, reporter Ellie Busby is writing a story about 14 amateur sleuths spending a huge amount of time trying to get to the bottom of one of Sydney's favourite urban legends: the Blue Mountains Panther. From the desk next to me, reporter Mostafa Rachwani recently published this great first look at the Parramatta Eels' new $70 million Centre of Excellence, the world's largest rugby league facility. Our fabulous little office here above the $3.5 billion Parramatta Square urban renewal project has a view that encapsulates why the Herald has established a dedicated reporting team in the geographic heart of Sydney. Loading As I type, I can see the new Powerhouse Parramatta (the largest cultural investment in Sydney since the Opera House) rising from the riverbank, and can look down into a huge hole in the ground which will eventually become one of the stations on the Metro West rail line. A little further along, I can see the terrific CommBank Stadium, a real boost for sport in the heart of Parramatta since its opening in 2019. And all around us are new apartment buildings, filled with families and young professionals who are part of a boom that will see the population of the City of Parramatta and its 22 surrounding suburbs climb from 516,000 to 892,000 by 2041. Anthony, who heads up the new Parramatta bureau, joined the Herald in 2022 and jumped at the chance to move from our North Sydney headquarters. Like Ellie and Mostafa, he's bursting with ideas and energy about how to make sure our coverage truly reflects everything going on in this exciting part of Sydney. I thought I'd ask him a few questions about Parramatta. Enjoy!
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tradie's huge footprint find in back garden reignites 'black panther' theory
A startled tradie working on the fringes of Australia's biggest city is convinced he's uncovered fresh proof that the legendary "Australian panther" could really be more than just a myth. For decades, whispers of a large, shadowy, feline predator lurking in the Blue Mountains have fuelled Sydney's most mysterious urban legend. Locals claim to have caught fleeting glimpses of the sleek, black beast — always vanishing before anyone could properly confirm its identity. Despite multiple claimed sighting, no bodies, clear photographs or DNA proof have ever been found. But now, landscaper Dan believes he's stumbled upon evidence that will reignite the debate. While laying turf in Kenthurst on Sunday morning — just a stone's throw from the mountains — he spotted something eerie: A set of fresh, deep paw prints pressed into the compacted sand. Dan said the sand was "compacted enough" that he could "walk on it and not leave a mark" — yet somehow the animal in question was able to leave deep imprints. And that's not all, the Sydney tradesman believes the beast wasn't alone. "It's something that was quite big, and it definitely drew my attention," he told 9News, adding that there was "one bigger" and "one smaller" set of tracks. Related: Shock video shows 'black panther' bounding through farm Related: Footage of 'black panther' sighting on Aussie property A resident of the area, Dan said "there's been a few nights" out in the bush "where you hear things" and "it's not exactly right". Placing his size 11 sandal next to the imprint in the sand, the true size of the alleged paw can be seen. "The second video that I got [shows] the stride of the thing, where it's like, it's probably close to two metres in between each stride," he said. In the past, sightings of the mysterious panther have either been too fleeting to corroborate or have turned out to be a domestic or feral cat. America has Bigfoot, Scotland has the Loch Ness Monster and we have the Blue Mountains there's fresh evidence adding to the folklore of the big cat - or cats - roaming Sydney's outskirts. @DaltsWorld #9News — 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) February 5, 2025 In April, a Ballarat prospector who claims to have seen a panther-shaped "blackness in the paddock". convinced himself it was a "big cat of some sort". In June, footage purporting to show a "huge" black cat was shared by a property owner after she found it strolling calmly through long grass near Moree, in Northern NSW. Wildlife experts and government investigations have never found proof of big cats in Australia. Studies examining scat, footprints, and alleged sightings typically conclude that the animals in question were feral cats, dogs, or native species like swamp wallabies. Feral cats exist in plague proportions in Australia, and together with their domesticated cousins, are responsible for killing some 1.5 billion native mammals, birds, reptiles, and frogs each year. So while logic says these sightings are nothing more than oversized and overfed regular cats, try convincing the die-hard panther believers — because in the gullies and scrubs of the Blue Mountains, some mysteries apparently refuse to die. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
