2005: Silver object seen near Bowen Bridge

THINK ABOUTIT SIGHTING REPORT

Date: April 27, 2005

Sighting Time: 5:20 am.

Day/Night:

Location: Near Bowen Bridge, Otago Bay, Australia

Urban or Rural: –

Entity Type:

Entity Description:

Hynek Classification: DD (Daylight Disc) Metallic or whitish object was seen in the day.

Duration:

No. of Object(s):  Single

Size of Object(s):

Distance to Object(s):

Shape of Object(s): sphere

Color of Object(s): silver

Number of Witnesses: Single

Special Features/Characteristics: 

Source: Tasmanian UFO Research Investigation Centre (TUFOIC), Australia (Credit: UFO Research (NSW)) Original Source

Reported:

Summary/Description: Witness viewed “an object apparently some 100m away and looking to be just a meter above the roadside house. The pear shaped object had a flashing blue light on the right bottom side. The body of the object seemed to have metallic patterns or symbols on it, whilst above there were two black areas, possibly windows. The object which was still moving very slowly left looked to be a bit bigger than a car.”

Full Report

A sketch of the UFO was sent by the witness.

Initial witness statement/report:

“Just over a week ago on the 27 April 2005 I was on my way to work it was 5:20am. I was driving on a road that is not used much that time of the morning, anyway I came around a corner and saw a blue light flashing, at first I though it was a police car but where I saw the light there is no road and it was going to slow. As I got closer it was near a street light I just happened to turn my head & saw an object flashing about 1 metre on the roof of a house as the blue light flashed again I saw what it was a UFO. It was a silver metallic coloured sphere with what looked like rivets on its surface. I just sped off because it freaked me out. Now I would not be writing to you if I was lying because I didn’t believe in them at all, I always thought it was just people wanting to get attention for something or they were on something strong. When I saw it I rang my husband & told him we even went back to where I saw it & there was nothing that could have made that light. I have now eaten my words & have told a few friends who believe me. I just thought you would like to know.”

A sketch of the UFO was subsequently sent by the witness.

The following report was subsequently provided by the Tasmanian UFO Research Investigation Centre (TUFOIC).

Report TA05067 27 April 2005 5.20 AM Otago Bay, Tasmania.

Sighting Report

The witness had just started a new job at a hospital in Hobart; this meant an early start for work at 6 AM. The route from Gagebrook to the city is via the East Derwent Highway and the Bowen Bridge, a route the witness has traveled often. Just north of the Bowen Bridge the highway drops down a hill then curves left towards a straight heading towards an underpass beneath the bridge. As the witness came onto the straight a slow flashing blue light caught her attention. The light was low and above or just left of the road. At first she thought it could have been a police or service vehicle. The light flashed every 3 to 4 seconds and was moving slowly to the left as she viewed through the front windscreen. By now the witness was approaching the location of the light which was to the left of the highway and visible out the passengers’ window. At this point for some five seconds she was able to view an object apparently some 100m away and looking to be just a meter above the roadside house. The pear shaped object had a flashing blue light on the right bottom side. The body of the object seemed to have metallic patterns or symbols on it, whilst above there were two black areas, possibly windows. The object which was still moving very slowly left looked to be a bit bigger than a car. The witness felt panic and shock at the sight of the object and sped off beneath the underpass and out onto the Bowen Bridge, she glanced back to the north of the bridge but did not see the blue light or object. She returned with her husband later that day but could not locate anything to explain the sighting.

Investigation

The sighting was reported to UFO Research (NSW) on the 7 May 2005, they in turn passed on the information to TUFOIC on 15 May. The witness was contacted by telephone at once and then completed a sighting form on the 22 May 2005. The sighting location was visited and photographs taken of the location. Nothing was visible to account for the sighting. A check was made for any Helicopter, Air Ambulance, and commercial aircraft flights but these all proved negative.

Conclusion

The reported low elevation of the sighting would seem to preclude an explanation by high flying aircraft, also the size and movement of the object rules out a normal astronomical explanation. The witness says that there was no other road traffic noticed at the time of the sighting. The witness has since the sighting traveled on the same road to go to work and has not seen any similar lights. The Bowen Bridge is not visible at the initial sighting point, whilst at the final viewing location the witness was looking towards the low spurs of Mt Direction, this would seem preclude an explanation from traffic movements. The only local lighting in the area is a street light adjacent to the sighting location. A service road also is next to the sighting location but well below the location of the object. None of the houses appeared to have any unusual construction or protuberances that could be misidentified.
On the information provided the case remains unexplained.