Buzz
Certain regions of the Earth seem to be home to strange occurrences and inexplicable events, and the Bass Strait Triangle is one such place. This puzzling area stretches from the southern coast of Victoria, Australia, across the waters of the Bass Strait, and into the enigmatic lands of Tasmania.
While many of the bizarre stories associated with the Bass Strait Triangle focus on the waters themselves, some incidents have extended to the mainland. One of the most well-known cases is that of Fred Valentich. Though previously discussed, the first two incidents on this list are connected to this famous case, so let’s begin there.
10. The Mysterious 'Invisible Plane' Encounter of Jason Manifold
On October 21, 1978, the same day Fred Valentich vanished, Roy Manifold captured a photograph (shown above) of a peculiar object in the sky above the Bass Strait. Whether this object is linked to Valentich’s disappearance remains up for debate, but the image itself is widely regarded as authentic, with no evidence of manipulation.
Roy’s son, Jason, was with him that evening. While his father retreated into his shed after taking the picture, Jason stayed outside, gazing at the sky. Although he saw nothing unusual, he distinctly heard the sound of an airplane engine above. Instead of gradually fading, the engine’s roar abruptly ceased “as if someone had switched off a radio.” After that, complete silence followed.
Manifold believes the sound he heard was somehow tied to Valentich’s disappearance. What makes this seemingly insignificant detail all the more fascinating is that it resurfaces in the next strange occurrence, which, whether by coincidence or not, took place nearly 44 years to the day earlier.
9. The Enigmatic Miss Hobart Incident
In October of 1934, during ideal flying conditions, the airliner Miss Hobart mysteriously disappeared over the Bass Strait. Onboard were 11 people—nine passengers and two pilots—but neither the passengers nor any wreckage was ever found, despite extensive searches by military aircraft and ships.
Aviation experts, both then and now, have deemed the disappearance of the Miss Hobart a true mystery, particularly because the de Havilland DH86 aircraft (pictured above) was one of the most advanced of its time. Equipped with four independent engines, the possibility of all four engines failing simultaneously was nearly impossible. Even in such a case, the plane should have been capable of making an emergency landing.
The final transmission from the Miss Hobart eerily mirrors the account of Jason Manifold. The crew reportedly heard the sound of an aircraft nearby and even claimed to see an “aerial machine” approaching. They then reported that the humming noise had abruptly stopped. After that, all communication from the Miss Hobart ceased.
8. The Puzzling Loina Incident
Nearly a year after the Miss Hobart vanished, another aircraft, the Loina, disappeared while en route from Melbourne to Tasmania. Just before losing contact, the plane had radioed the Tasmania control tower, signaling its intention to land. Shortly after, the plane fell silent. Onboard were three passengers and two pilots.
Though none of the five people aboard the Loina were ever found, some wreckage was recovered from the waters. Three of the plane's seats were located, along with fragments of the petrol tank. Most fascinating, however, was a small piece of the plane's floor, which had a charred section only a few centimeters wide. Further examination suggested the area had been on fire, and traces indicated someone had attempted to stamp out the flames. The significance of this detail remains unclear, and whether it had any connection to the aircraft's disappearance is unknown.
7. The Disappearance of the SS Amelia J.
In 1920, the SS Amelia J. vanished without a trace shortly after entering the Bass Strait. The Australian military conducted a thorough search, but, strangely, two of the military aircraft involved in the operation also disappeared. Eyewitnesses also reported unusual lights in the sky over the Bass Strait during the search.
While this may be the first mysterious incident in the Bass Strait linked to possible UFO activity, two similar occurrences had taken place in the early 1900s. In 1901, the crew of the SS Federal, 22 people in total, vanished without a trace in the Bass Strait. Five years later, in 1906, the German cargo ship Ferdinand Fischer suffered a similar fate as it neared the coast of Tasmania.
6. The Westall UFO Incident
While not directly tied to the Bass Strait, this event occurred near the northern edge of the Bass Strait Triangle, and the descriptions of the object closely resemble other UFO sightings over the same region. For this reason, it would be remiss to exclude this incident (and the next one) from our list.
On April 6, 1966, a group of Melbourne schoolchildren and staff witnessed a large disc-shaped object appear in the sky, slowly moving over their heads and toward the trees next to the cricket field where they were playing. The children followed the object for several minutes before it disappeared behind the trees, out of view.
What makes this case even more intriguing are the reports from other witnesses, who claimed the larger craft was accompanied by five smaller vehicles, either chasing it or possibly guiding it. This remains one of Australia’s most infamous UFO sightings to date.
5. The Mysterious Bruny Island Disappearance
Fans of the Australian television show *The Kettering Incident* may recognize that many of its plotlines are inspired by real-life events, particularly those from Tasmania along the Bass Strait coast. The show’s co-creator, Vikki Madden, has shared that she encountered numerous strange occurrences while growing up in the area.
Unusual lights were frequently spotted rising from the Bass Strait or hovering above the treetops, sometimes even from one of the many islands scattered across the strait. Another unsettling phenomenon is the large number of people who mysteriously vanish, seemingly disappearing without a trace.
One of the most baffling cases involves a young woman who vanished from Bruny Island. After her sudden disappearance, investigators found that none of her belongings had been taken, and her room was left as if she were simply returning later. Her purse, still filled with money, was found intact. Everything suggested she hadn’t planned to leave.
As the investigation expanded, reports surfaced of strange lights seen in the area on the night she disappeared. Whether these lights are connected to the woman’s disappearance remains a topic of debate.
4. The 1978 UFO Wave Over Tasmania and Victoria
It remains uncertain whether there is a direct connection, but in the weeks surrounding Fred Valentich's encounter, a surge of strange sightings occurred along the coastlines of Tasmania and Victoria.
On October 9, for instance, a husband and wife witnessed a bright light that descended to their car’s level, matching their speed as they drove. Exactly one month later, in Hobart, a taxi driver was forced to brake suddenly when a strange green glow appeared in the middle of the road. His radio went silent at the same time. By the time he looked back at the road, the green light had vanished.
On November 25 in Sanford, a woman reported seeing a “doorway of light” materialize in front of her property. Even stranger, she could see through the doorway to her driveway on the other side. This eerie sight is strikingly similar to descriptions found in ancient texts and modern accounts of portals or gateways to other realms.
3. Accounts From Before the 20th Century
The Bass Strait has a long history of mysterious ship disappearances, with reports dating back to the 19th century. The earliest known incident occurred in 1797, when the ship Eliza vanished during a salvage operation for the wrecked Sydney Cove. The Eliza seemed to disappear without a trace during the rescue attempt, vanishing from the face of the Earth.
In 1858, the British vessel HMS Sappho met the same fate, disappearing as it navigated the dangerous waters of the Bass Strait. A similar tragedy unfolded 12 years later with the disappearance of the Harlech Castle, which took all 23 of its crew members with it.
There are likely hundreds of similar cases that remain unrecorded. If there is some unexplained phenomenon in the waters of the Bass Strait, it’s probably not a recent occurrence but something that has been happening for centuries. Until the reasons behind the vast number of ships, planes, and people that have mysteriously vanished in the Bass Strait Triangle are uncovered, it’s likely that these inexplicable incidents will continue for many more years to come.
2. Strange Events During World War II
As expected, numerous strange occurrences were reported in the Bass Strait during World War II. However, considering that there were no official reports of enemy aircraft entering the area, it’s odd that 17 military planes disappeared in the strait during the war years alone.
There were also other, less fatal incidents in the area.
In 1944, a mysterious “dark shadow” appeared seemingly out of nowhere, flying alongside a Bristol Beaufort bomber for nearly 20 minutes over the Bass Strait. Without warning, it shot upward at an extraordinary speed and disappeared.
Two years earlier, in 1942, an Australian fighter pilot was tasked with investigating reports from fishermen about strange lights in the Bass Strait. As he flew over the area, a massive bronze disc emerged from the clouds and hovered next to his plane for a few moments before vanishing just as suddenly as it had appeared.
1. The Vanishing of the Charleston
In December 1979, the yacht *Charleston*, along with its five crew members, mysteriously disappeared without a trace while sailing through the Bass Strait. The yacht was supposed to arrive in Sydney for New Year’s Eve, but after several days without contact or arrival, search planes were dispatched in a desperate attempt to locate the missing vessel.
No trace of the yacht or its crew was ever found. Despite this, there are numerous theories about what might have occurred.
One theory suggests that the ship might have been damaged by the wind that picked up around the time it disappeared, potentially causing harm to the mast. Alternatively, a loose container from one of the many ships passing through the area could have struck the rudder. If this were the case, the yacht might have drifted as far as the islands south of New Zealand. In an act of desperation, the families of the crew even consulted a clairvoyant, who claimed that the crew had stumbled upon an island south of their last known position.
The ultimate fate of the yacht, however, remains an unsolved mystery to this day.
