1968
1968 MIDLANDS, TAS 1600hrs
Source: UFO Research Australia Newsletter
Second hand tale. Farming family returns home to see dark truck like object in paddock. When approached, the object takes off in cloud of dust, allegedly leaving marks. Name of witness unknown.

07.01.68 ADELAIDE (PROSPECT), SA 2100hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p149.
Object moved W to E at 45 degrees in a straight line.

13.01.68 WATTAMOLIA BEACH, NSW
Source: UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere by Michael Hervey
Campers noticed a silent erratic flying light which became larger and brighter. Rocks were lit up and then the object ‘switched off’ and hovered 400 metres away, 60 metres up, clearly visible as a disk with a dim red band along its rim. It is said to have responded to torch signals before moving slowly away.

24.01.68 ADELAIDE (HENLEY BEACH), SA 0300hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p150.
A glowing object was seen over the Adelaide Hils to the East. "A shaft of light, four inches wide and a lighter yellow colour than the object, shot intermittently down from the craft. Duration: 60 minutes.

08.02.68 KOORDA, WA 1000hrs
Source: UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere by Michael Hervey, p.163
A Mr Stephens was ploughing a paddock when his dog took off. He looked up and saw an orange/red object moving along 4 metres above the ground less than 600 metres away, at around 50 KPH. It didn’t appear to have any windows or lights. Finally it was lost to sight over a hill some 300 metres away to the SSW.

15.02.68 KOORDA, WA 1600hrs
Source: UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere by Michael Hervey
While working on his tractor a Mr H King noticed an object an estimated 3 kilometres away, taking off from a paddock, in a vertical direction. It banked towards him and was lost to view over Lake Moore.

23.02.68 ADELAIDE, SA 1945hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p150.
A round, red glow on top, with a blue trail travelled E to W, turned to the SW and remained stationary for some time. It ""then appeared to be joined with four other craft."

03.04.68 NARRABEEN LAKES, NSW 1315hrs
Source: The Sun, Sydney (05.04.68)
Mrs Mabel Marsh was driving with her nephew when they noticed a strange creature standing with its feet in shallow water. It was about a metre tall with dark grey, tough leathery skin, small front legs, and walked on its hind legs which were thick and round like an elephants. It ambled out of the lake and ran into the scrub.

08.04.68 ADELAIDE (MAGILL), SA Bet. 0900-1700hrs
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p150.
Children at a school reported objects on four occasions during the day.

20.04.68 WILLOUGHBY, NSW 2215hrs
Mr Fluke watched a well defined disc with a magnesium like luminosity, 100 metres in the air descend towards the horizon and disappear quickly.

22.04.68 RAAF WILLIAMSTOWN, NSW 2030hrs (NL)
Source: Pages 186-188 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 Part 9.
Air Traffic controllers report a bright light moving in direction of Newcastle. 15 degrees elevation. Speed similar to a medium speed piston aircraft. S to N in a straight line. Viewed with eyes and binoculars. Faded from sight North of Williamstown. AURA

22.04.68 RAAF WILLIAMSTOWN, NSW 2030hrs (NL)
Source: Pages 190-191 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 Part 9.
Call from Fl Lt Churches. Furlonger was on Approach Control radar at the time. Attempted to pick up on radar but found no target. Yellow light in the sky travelled S to N. Did not watch continuously. Duration: 5-10 minutes. AURA

24.04.68 HEYFIELD, VIC 0330hrs (NO)
Source: Pages 214-221 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 Part 9. [Astronomical]
While fixing a broken truck, saw a banana shaped object was on the ground. Appeared to rise into the air, then travel slowly E. Last seen 45-50 degrees elevation. Duration: 45 to 120 minutes. AURA

25.04.68 CAIRNS, QLD
A group of children discovered an oval shaped depression in sugar cane, size 21 metres by nine metres.

25.04.68 HEYFIELD, VIC 0430hrs (NO)
Source: Pages 214-221 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 Part 9. [Astronomical]
Banana shaped object seen in the sky. Duration: 2 hours. Witnesses: three. AURA

25.04.68 MATRAVILLE, NSW 2000hrs
Travelling south at 200 metres a shiny disc with a slight dome was seen. It changed direction erratically before fading out.

02.05.68 HEYFIELD, VIC 0440hrs
Source: Evening Post, Wellington, NZ, (02.05.68)
Two sanitary collectors Messrs Whelan and Lord were in a truck which broke down. They thought they were about to get a tow when a string of red lights approached. When they didn’t come any closer, the men climbed on top of their truck and could then see that it was in fact an object in a paddock, being a row of red lights with a dome on top. One man later went back and found that the grass had wilted as though sprayed with poison.

WINTER 1968 PERTH, WA
Source: 1800 Freecall National Hotline Number - Callin Code 1092
Her encounter was in Perth in 1968. One early winter evening, she was observing the skies for satellites. She noticed a particular satellite slowly gliding over the outer atmosphere, as they usually do. However, Mrs Dickson suddenly became puzzled when the "satellite" abruptly reversed it’s path and disappeared with unbelievable speed. When she raced in to tell her husband, he naturally didn’t believe her. So after 33 years she decided to tell someone else. Mrs Dickson found the 1800 number in the Take 5 magazine. Attila Kaldy UFOSWS

06.06.68 ADELAIDE (PARA HILLS WEST), SA 1840hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p151.
"..pear shaped light moving from NW to NE, darting up and down, before disappearing""

11.06.68 ADELAIDE (INGLE FARM), SA 2247hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p151.
""golden-orange UFO trailing sparks as it moved west to north-east." Halo round the edges.

QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND, JUNE; NORTHCOTE, VIC 0545hrs
While on a paper round in Northcote, two boys stopped at 5.45am to watch a satellite travelling towards the south-east. Then suddenly a white oval-shaped object went shooting across the sky from west to east. The boys, Kevin Steer, fifteen, and Paul Lazarus, ten, said the object had definite black lines on it and was travelling too fast for a plane.

NOTE: A week prior to this sighting a Northcote woman had also sighted a UFO in the same area.

15.06.68 ADELAIDE (BLAIR ATHOL), SA 0540hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p151.
Dark red object with trail, and a noise "..like tearing paper""

24.06.68 MURRAY BRIDGE & TAILEM BEND, SA 2025hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p151.
Moving in an undulating fashion, then hovering before speeding away, a solid object was described, which had ""several lights in a circle "" around it. Duration: 5 minutes.

AUGUST 1968 SMITHTON, TAS 0000hrs
TA 1968-003
A commercial pilot was driving when he noticed a bright light some 75 metres ahead and 30 metres up in the air. It had a bluish-white glow and he heard a swishing noise. The light paced him for 4 kilometers. He increased speed to 160 kph then dropped to 75 but the object still paced the car. Finally he turned a curve and the object was lost to view. TUFOIC

10.08.68 SYDNEY (STRATHFIELD), NSW 2208hrs
Source: UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere by Michael Hervey, p.59
Mrs Miller & Smith caught sight of a brilliant orange/red light descending from the sky towards them. From a distance of 150 metres the object seemed a perfect sphere. It passed behind some trees, rose, and suddenly vanished in mid air without a sound.

22.08.68 ZANTHUS, WA 1740hrs
(Source: Pages 218-223 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 10. [Not in RAAF summary])
Aircraft VHRTO was flying a charter run between Adelaide and Perth. Was at 8000 feet, 190-195 knots, tracking 270 degrees magnetic. Gardin saw a UFO and woke Smith. Ahead of the aircraft at the same level and 50 degrees to the right of Smith’s seat, Smith said "I saw, a formation of aircraft. In the middle was a large aircraft, and formatted to the right and left and above, were 4 or 5 smaller aircraft. "Kalgoorlie DCA advised them there was no traffic in the area. Then radio communications were lost. "Main ship split into two sections still maintaining the same level, and the smaller aircraft then flew out left and right"At this time there appeared to be about 6 smaller aircraft taking turns of going out and coming back and formatting in the two halves"Sometimes the two halves joined and split, and the whole cycle continued for 10 minutes"smaller craft had a constant cigar shape"At 0950 GMT the whole formation joined together as if at a single command. Then departed at a tremendous speed"departed in about 3 or 4 seconds, diminishing in size till out of sight." Weather was fine, no haze above 5000 feet, 2/8 alto stratus to the south. Immediately after the departure of the objects radio communications resumed. Duratoin: 10 minutes. AURA

SEPT-OCT 1968 DROUIN, VIC 0615hrs
Drouin South farmer, Mr George Willis, saw a strange object in the northern sky about thirty miles distant and is convinced it was a genuine UFO. At 6.15am, Mr Willis saw the object which he says had no lights but seemed to be surrounded by a yellow and bluish vapour. It was round and was the same size in the sky as a moon. Its speed was fantastic and it vanished in seconds. Mr Willis discounts the possibility that the UFO was a jet aircraft or his own imagination.

02.09.68 ADELAIDE (LOCKLEYS), SA 0540hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p151.
""a brilliant royal blue ball of fire with a whitish-yellow outer ring,"hover in the north-west for a while, then drop like a stone, veering to the left. There was no smoke trail, or sound."

09.09.68 RAAF LAVERTON, VIC 1628hrs (DO)
Source: Pages 20-23 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 Part 9. [Refraction of light in canopy]
RAAF pilot in a Sabre aircraft saw an object below and to his left. Thought it was a Mirage aircraft, which travelled rapidly and was lost into cloud. Seemed to be just above cloud tops which were at 5000 feet. Pilot checked Melbourne radar and Avalon airfield-there were no aircraft in the area. Duration: 1 minute. AURA

15.09.68 DALY WATERS, NT 1520hrs (DO)
While tracking a met. Balloon through a theodolite the witness saw three objects reflecting the Sun. 38.7 degrees elevation; 266.3 degrees azimuth. Duration: 5 minutes. AURA

18.10.68 DARWIN, NT 1417Z
Source: Pages 197-203, 205 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 10. [Unidentified aircraft]
A RAF Hercules aircraft no 9651 took off from Darwin. When at 1500 feet, heading 290 degrees, the crew made a visual observation of a light which they took to be another aircraft. This aircraft showed white lights "Presumed to be those from fuselage windows." But did not have any navigation or anti-collision beacons.

This aircraft crossed the path of the Hercules from right to left in front of the Hercules. The crew estimated its height to be 2500 feet. The radar on the Hercules indicated a target at 15 miles range, estimated speed 200 knots, travelling on a heading of 230-250 degrees magnetic. Its estimated size was at least that of the Hercules. No unauthorised aircraft were in the area.

A check revealed that ground radar was not operating at the time. No additional information was gained from DCA, Met, Navy, Customs or ASIO. No unscheduled aircraft landed at Broome, Derby, Port Headland or Wyndham.

In a memo dated 1 Nov 68 Penrith to Dept of Air ref 5/2/7/Air (86) & 5/15/1/Air (26). "The fact that the sighting was made by experienced RAF aircrew and detected by the aircraft’s radar leaves very little doubt that an aircraft was in the area. As the aircraft has not been identified, the possibility of the violation of our national airspace cannot be discounted." AURA

28.10.68 MURRAY BRIDGE, SA
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p152.
People in a car saw ""a cluster of five bright orange-coloured, oval shaped lights"and self luminous. It came from the south with its lights flickering. After circling for a while, it landed in the scrub some miles away. Two more lights were observed a few miles further east fifty minutes later."

11.11.68 ARDROSSAN BEACH, SA 1500hrs
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p152.
""three circular white objects"travelling in formation and at tremendous speed"they travelled in a southerly direction before disappearing in the distance. "

13.11.68 DARWIN, NT 1200hrs (RADAR)
Source: Pages 176-182 of digital copy of RAAF file 580/1/1 part 10. [Flock of birds]
A met. Officer at Darwin Airport detected an object on radar. "A fairly strong paint on PPI." "Appeared as a definite echo, observer first thought it to be a helicopter because of slow speed." Height 7000-7500 feet. Speed 17-25 knots. "Object appeared to come directly towards observer then reverse to SW." "Lost in permanent echoes." Two other people attempted a visual observation through binoculars. No sighting was made. Report includes weather details and radar tracking data. Duration: 53 minutes. AURA

17.11.68 GREY, SA 2110hrs (NL)
Source: South Eastern Times newspaper 18 Nov 68 copy from Darryl Tiggeman of Adelaide 2004
Driving home she saw a light in the western sky, but lost it behind trees. As she approached Rendelsham cutting it reappeared until she got to grey. At home with her husband she watched the light for 30mins. The light appeared a reddish/white colour attached to something. AURA

18.11.68 HILL RIVER, SA 1845hrs (CE1/TRACE)
Source: Pix-people Magazine, 1(4), 1972
SA 1968-001
Two children watched a sixty centimetres long by twenty five centimetres thick football shaped light, golden in colour pass within fifty metres of them and appear to land in a paddock. A spot was later found flattened in a one point five metre oval. It was "tangled in a corkscrew fashion as if a giant top had been spinning on the spot." Keith Basterfield UFORSA

25.11.68 MAITLAND, SA 2140hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p152.
A bright white light was noticed in the sky which appeared to pace their vehicle. At one point it approached them rapidly, changing colour to orange-red. As the vehicle took a bend, the object went straight on.

30.11.68 WOOMERA, SA AFTERNOON (DD)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p152-153.
""Miss Heather Potter, and a friend, watch for about 30 minutes two lights, one brighter than the other, about the size of peas, moving slowly acrioss the sky against the wind. One of the UFOs took the lead after a while, but the other one soon caught up with it. They then stopped and hovered for some time, after which the brighter of the two sped off to a new location. It again started to hover, whereupon a small black object left the parent craft and sped off at terrific speed. The smaller light faded, while the other moved slowly across the sky and finally disappeared. The matter was reported to the meteorological office at Woomera, but no explanation was forthcoming. Duration: 30 minutes.

DECEMBER 1968 MILLICENT, SA 2140hrs (PHOTO)
Source: The South Eastern Times newspaper 2 Dec 1968 copy from Darryl Tiggeman of Adelaide 2004
A light was seen at 35 deg NW from Millicent and 45 deg from Grey. It was stationary and white but its intensity varied. The police took a 10sec time exposure using a Polaroid instant camera. Duration of sighting 10 minutes. AURA

07.12.68 SOUTHEASTERN QUEENSLAND
Hundreds of reports stemmed from the sighting of a comet like object in the western sky, a second object was also reported. Both objects were slightly north of Venus about 7.50pm. Officials at Woomera rocket range denied knowledge of the space objects. Both objects were clearly visible for about ten minutes.

NOTE: Object No 1 was presumably the satellite Echo II - Object No 2 remains unidentified.

15.12.68 COORONG, SA 0000hrs (NL)
Source: Hervey, M. (1969.) "UFOs Over the Southern Hemisphere." Horwitz. Sydney. p152.
One of a number of objects sighted, came down towards the vehicle of a group of five young people out spotlighting. It approached several times before eventually leaving at speed, but then came back for another approach before vanishing.

28.12.68 GOULBURN, NSW (CE3)
Source: Sun Herald, Sydney (26.01.69)
A 45 year old carpenters story of contact with a man from mars was dismissed as a hoax.

1968-69; nr LOWANA, NSW
A married couple encountered a "transparent man" walking near a railway crossing around which UFO’s had previously been reported. The man looked "uncanny" and "unnatural" but apart from that looked like a "normal" man wearing a flannel shirt and dungarees. Bill Chalker

1968-69; WALCHA, NSW 1800-1900hrs
After the family dog started barking two children went to see what was the cause. They rushed in and said that they had seen a small man walking out the side gate. Their mother dismissed the story, but when the dog started barking again the whole family of nine went outside and saw a large, red, circular ball hovering over the front gate. After five minutes it moved slowly away and went over a nearby hill. Bill Chalker