1998

JANUARY>>

Redbank, January 1 1998, 10.00pm
Two witnesses observed two golden orange lights moving quickly from east to west for 2 to 3 minutes. They followed the lights across the sky, using binoculars at times. No sound was heard.

Ipswich, January 10 1998
Three witnesses observed a flashing orange light which seemed to be positioned on the edge of a dark oval shadow. The object was below the clouds and seemed close. It was stationary when first seen and then moved west at aircraft speed. No noise was heard, and the incident lasted about three minutes.

Slacks Creek, January 21 1998, 10.15pm
Three boys aged 10 and 11 saw a torpedo shaped object with its front lit up and little lights on its back, and a whitish yellow spotlight shining down, for about two minutes. The spotlight lit up the ground and moved about as if searching. The object had no wings, did not look like a plane, and produced a loud noise.

FEBRUARY>>

Forest Hill [near Gatton], February 2 1998
A witness observed a bright flashing light to the West at about 45 degrees elevation for 20 to 30 minutes. At first the light looked like the headlight of an aircraft, and stars around it looked dull. While under observation the light moved north, flashed big bright orange, and blue red and green at other times. No associated sound was heard.

MARCH>>

Nil reports received March 1998.

APRIL>>

Leichhardt, April  17 1998, 2.15pm
A man observed a silvery chrome disk shaped object moving west, skipping through clouds. The object was seen for 2 to 3 seconds, moving fast, and seeming to dart from cloud cover. Its apparent size was that of a thumb nail at arm's length, and there was a lot of cloud in the sky. The object seemed to be inside the air space of Amberley Air Base.

Pittsworth, April 17 1998, 8.40pm
Three witnesses, one a pilot observed an object emitting white flashes and moving in an erratic path to the northwest. It was observed for about 10 minutes at an estimated altitude of 30,000 feet. No noise was heard, and the object appeared round and banana shaped at various times.

Morningside, April 19 1998, 7.00-8.00pm
On a Saturday night two witnesses saw an object to the south with a red light on its bottom. It did not seem to be very far away, and moved very slowly. The object had what looked like windows and was observed for about an hour.

Scarborough April 22 1998 6.26pm
The son of a committee member observed a white object, looking like a pea, move east to west, for about 2 seconds. As he watched, the object seemed to break up into a number of coloured lights. Other witnesses reported similar sightings at that time.

East Ipswich, April 22 1998, 6.30pm
A committee member of our Ipswich Division was alerted by a flash of light and saw a green/blue object with a bright yellow tail to the North at an elevation of about 45 degrees. It was seen for about 1.5 seconds and had a distinctly downward curving trajectory. It moved across about 6 degrees of sky while under observation, and its tail subtended about 5 degrees, becoming a series of dots as it ended. The general path of the object was along a steep incline. [Reporter's Note: If this were a meteorite seen at a distance of some tens of km, moving at a speed of say 5 km/s, the effect of gravity could not produce a noticeable curvature of its trajectory. Its effect is at least hundred times smaller than what was observed.]

Wyvenhoe Dam, April 24 1998, 5.40pm
A man saw a silver object towards the northwest for about a minute. As he watched it took on the appearance of a plane on fire, and seemed to crash near the dam wall. No noise was heard.

MAY>>

Miami, May 5 1998, 9.10pm
A man with a military background observed what looked like a moving star, and then saw three bright lights move up towards the first light in formation, to an elevation of 15 to 20 degrees. The lights then moved south, and were lost to sight to the southwest. The incident lasted about 15 seconds, no noise was heard, and the apparent size of the formation was about 100 mm at arm's length.

Redcliffe Wednesday May 6 1998, 9pm
Two witnesses saw a long object with two flashing red lights moving very fast to the northeast at an elevation of about 50 degrees. It was seen for about one minute, but no associated noise was heard. Its apparent size when closest was about 40 mm at arm's length, and it disappeared into clouds.

Darra, Saturday May 9 1998, 1.05pm
A witness saw a shiny diamond shaped dot very high up, moving southeast. It looked like a jet without wings.

Logan, Saturday May 16 1998, 7.30pm
Two witnesses were in a car driving along the Gold Coast Highway between Beenleigh and the Logan Hyperdome, towards Brisbane [generally north]. They saw a round blue object coming down fast at an angle. The object had no tail, and its apparent size was that of a 5c coin at arm's length. It was seen for about 5 seconds.

Southeast Queensland, Monday May 18 1998, 7.20am
Radio and TV stations as well as newspapers were inundated with reports of sightings. Some were made at around 7.20 am, and were reported from a wide area around Brisbane as well as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. These reports suggested that an object at an altitude of tens of km, possibly a bright meteorite was responsible for these reports, and this was in fact one explanation put out by the media. However, a number of reports which came to us did not fit this explanation. One witness at the Sunshine Coast reported an object with a very white magnesium flare head and a blue tail moving east at very high speed, seen from Coolum to Caloundra for about 10 seconds at 7.20 am. At Coolum it passed almost overhead, and seemed to arc over the sky. Another witness was driving south from Rockhampton at about this time. She saw a bright object with a tail descend at an angle of about 45 degrees. It was seen for about 4 seconds, during which it moved through an angle of view of about 45 degrees. The head of the object was round with a silver white glow and an apparent size of a 5c coin at arm's length. It seemed to be close by and would have impacted a km away, except that no sign of an impact was noted. [Reporter's Note: If this object was the same one as was seen some hundreds of km to the south, passing over Coolum, its apparent size would make it some kilometres in size. Also, it was seen first at an angle of elevation of about 45 degrees - too high to match the Coolum sighting.]

Albion, Tuesday May 19 1998, 7.12am
A man reported seeing an elongated object moving west to east about 35 meters off the ground to the south. It was seen for 2 to 3 seconds, and descended fast. It was an estimated 5 to 6 meters long and half a meter across. Its apparent size was about 300 mm at arm's length. The front of the object was an iridescent blue, its centre was bright yellow, and it had a big blue tail. It moved in a straight line, and its brightness was constant along its length.

Redcliffe, Tuesday May 19 1998, 11.10pm
A barmaid reported a yellow light flashing from an object behind clouds which looked bigger than the full moon, and oval in shape. The object was at about 50 degrees elevation, and stationary. It was observed for about 20 minutes.

Westlake, Thursday May 21 1998, 1pm
A woman driving to local shops saw a silvery metallic cylindrical shape without wings moving slowly to the west. At times the object tilted and displayed a disk shape. It did not move in a straight line and it glittered in the sunlight at times. It seemed to be smaller than a plane.

Rochedale, Monday May 25 1998, 5.45pm
A man driving on Arterial Road observed a bright orange light to the east at an angle of elevation of about 30 degrees, moving like an aircraft. As he watched, pieces seemed to fall down. It seemed to be moving south and was bright glowing red at the front. It maintained straight, and constant horizontal motion and was seen for 15 to 20 seconds. Its apparent size was between a 5c and a 10c coin at arm's length.

Camoweal, May 26 1998, 12.15am
A man driving from Camoweal to Mt Isa was followed for four hours from about 12.15 am to daybreak, by unusual lights in the sky. The lights were part of an object with a defined shape, and seemed to be enveloped in a misty haze. It was visible for the entire duration, stayed to the right of the man's vehicle even when he negotiated bends, and came really close at times. The object was 50 to 100 m long and came within 200 meters. It had a big light on its bottom. He was not inclined to stop his car until he pulled into a service station outside Mt Isa. At the service station the attendant told him that "it happens all the time".

Moreton Bay, Thursday May 28 1998, 9.30pm
A man with a naval background was fishing off Redcliffe when he saw a box shaped object to the east. It was shaped like a matchbox on its side with a white light above and a yellow light below. It was seen at intervals throughout the night at various angles of elevation around 60 degrees but in the same general direction and at a similar distance. In apparent size it was bigger than a 20 cent coin and had the general proportions of a matchbox. It was white with a thick dark strip running front to back on its side. Near the back, what looked like a small square window could be seen at times. The witness works in the airline industry, and checks on air traffic and radar sightings failed to disclose any likely explanation.

Deception Bay, Saturday May 30 1998, 7.55pm
Three members of a family observed a green light looking like a star low in the western sky. It moved around while other nearby stars remained stationary. With binoculars the light assumed both size and shape, displaying four lines of lights. It was observed for about twenty minutes as it circled about and hovered at intervals.

Camp Hill, Sunday May 31 1998, 12.15am
A man returning home looked up and saw a small orange light moving steadily in the sky, speed up and make a right angle turn. It was seen for 2 to 3 seconds and then vanished. It was large and bright when compared to nearby stars.

JUNE>>

Ashmore, Tuesday June 2 1998, 6.03pm
A woman observed from her backyard a bright light descend slowly, brighten and enlarge suddenly and then dim to the brightness of a star and move off, changing direction. She was looking to the southeast at a high angle of elevation. The colour of the light was white at first and then orange as it brightened. The entire episode lasted about 6 seconds. It brightened after about 2 seconds, and disappeared in 2 seconds going upwards.

Gold Coast, Friday June 5 1998, 10.00pm
A couple were out walking along a street at Burleigh Waters when they noticed a red light jumping over nearby houses. It came closer, circled the female member two or three times within arm's reach, and then landed on her chest. It rested there for 4 to 5 seconds and moved off again. She felt no contact, and was not frightened. The light then moved off, bounced over nearby houses, moved upwards and disappeared. The husband saw the light circle his wife and land on her. They heard no associated sound, and there was no smell. The object was ball shaped, its size being between a golf ball and a tennis ball. The entire episode lasted about two minutes.

Nerang, Sunday June 7 1998, 7.20pm
A couple saw an unusual bright noiseless light moving west to east at an apparent height of 8000 feet and a speed of 180 to 200 knots. It gave off an intense orange glow, was round in shape with an apparent size of a pea at arm's length. It was observed for 5 to 10 minutes from a location about 5 km north of Nerang. There were no strobe lights and it did not look like a searchlight. The man has some contacts with air traffic, and noted that helicopter pilots had also reported strange sightings of late.

Gold Coast Hinterland, Monday June 8 1998
A man riding through Rainforest on a mountain bike came across a circular ring of flattened browning grass about 5 m in diameter. The canopy was open enough to allow an object of that size to descend. A branch which would have extended over the circle was broken in a manner consistent with an object descending vertically. Investigations are proceeding.

Algester, June 9 1997, 6.30pm
A man was in his back yard and saw a perfectly circular bright orange object. When his wife came out with a camera, it darted off, but not before he managed to get one snap of it. It was only tens of meters away, and made no noise.

Thornlands, June 26 1998
A man obtained video footage of a cluster of about forty bright red lights which seemed to part of one object observed for about 20 minutes.

Kingston, mid 1998, 10.30am
A witness observing from his back yard saw a circular white object in the sky that seemed to be stationary above clouds. Its apparent size was about 3 mm at arm's length, and he also observed it with a telescope. He observed it for about half an hour during which aircraft seemed to fly by below the object. A large cloud came by and blocked the observer's view, and as the cloud passed out of his line of sight the object was gone, as though it had departed upwards while the cloud was obstructing the observer's view, or had gone with the cloud.

JULY>>

Sunshine Coast, July 1 1998, 5-7.00pm
Two witnesses proceeding along Bruce Highway on the Sunshine Coast saw something like a star moving to the east, and later saw two more. They noted how a single star seemed to split into two, separate and then fuse together. They stopped their vehicle several times to look and saw the light flashing blue red and green colours.

Dutton Park, July 4 1998, 7.00pm
A witness reported a huge oblong object that appeared to be transparent with portholes. It seemed to be lit up with white light from the inside.

Moreton Bay, July 7 1998, 3.15pm
A man was fishing on Moreton Bay east of Green Island. It was an overcast day. He saw what looked like a plume of black smoke rise about 50 meters out of the sea, from a position between Cleveland and Peel Island. There was a flash at the top of the cloud like a bomb going off, leaving the cloud as a black ring in the sky. The witness had served in the Air Force during WW2.

Bunya Downs, July 11 1998, 3.00pm
A couple inside their home heard a strange noise in the atmosphere like a boomerang, moving fast. The husband just caught a glimpse of something heading north at a low altitude. The entire episode lasted a second or less.

Deception Bay July 12 1998, 8.00pm
Seven people saw orange lights much brighter than a street light moving northeast. The lights did not hold formation and one of them moved up higher and came back down again. As they moved away they seemed to cluster together. They were observed for about 20 minutes and all of them disappeared in a space of 20 seconds.

Deception Bay July 13 1998, 9.00pm
A witness who would not give her name reported seeing three big orange lights in a boomerang formation. She was frightened and woke her neighbours who also saw them.

Deception Bay, July 16 1998, 8.15pm
Five witnesses observed three bright red lights, two in formation close together and one following after, moving slowly westwards without sound, and passing over the neighbour's house. They were also observed with binoculars. The lights were elongated, the apparent length being about the size of the full moon. Thirty years ago, one of the witnesses saw an unusual object shoot off from near the ground in Woollongong.

Lawnton, July 18 1998, 6.20pm
A man reported a bright orange light moving north to south at a constant speed. It had a constant brightness with no flashing lights and moved beneath the clouds like a small plane. It was eventually lost amongst trees after 3 to 5 minutes observation. No associated sound was heard.

Deception Bay, July 18 1998, 8.15pm
Seven witnesses saw three orange lights moving in line with an apparent separation of about three inches at arm's length. The lights rose quickly almost vertically and then changed direction abruptly to the left, moving horizontally southwards and disappearing. No associated sound was heard, and the incident lasted about four minutes.

AUGUST>>

Ipswich, August 9 1998, 11.15pm
A man observing from Yamanto saw two groups of two pulsating orange lights. The lights came from the north, the general direction of the Amberley Air Base. Each group of lights was observed for about 5 minutes, heading east until they got too small to see. They were an estimated 500 to 1000 metres away, rising at an angle of 10 to 15 degrees, and moving at the apparent speed of a small plane. No noise was heard. The lights had a constant brightness and the pulsation period was about 2 seconds. The man drove to the Air Base gate but saw no sign of activity there.

Shailer Park, August 10 1998, 6.30am
A woman saw a yellow coloured cigar shaped object observing from Plantation Road. It was larger than a plane and low on the horizon to the south.

Near Bundaberg, August 10 1998, 3.30pm
A man observed three dark objects from Berajondo, north of Bundaberg. He was looking to the northwest, and first saw the objects at an angle of elevation of about 33 degrees. They were heading West and descending at an angle of about 45 degrees. The objects maintained a triangle formation, were visible for about 1.5 seconds and about 10 seconds later the witness heard a pop. The apparent size of the objects was about one mm at arm's length, and the separation of the objects about 100 mm. The witness had served in the Air Force.

Calamvale, August 10 .1998, 7.30pm
Three sets of witnesses observed orange lights from Calamvale, some taking photographs. The descriptions given could be interpreted as illegal hot air balloons launched in their vicinity, and publication of the details of these sightings will be deferred pending further investigation.

Redcliffe, August 11 1998, 8.00pm
A man saw a bright orange light moving east to west to the north. He called his father to observe it also and about 5 minutes later they saw a second very bright light, which they observed for about 10 minutes. The light seemed to be very high up, and looked like a fire. While they were observing, a plane passed within an estimated one mile of the light. They contacted Redcliffe police.

Redcliffe Peninsula, August 11 1998, 8.15pm
A man observed two very bright orange lights in succession. Each light was first seen due east well out to sea, at an elevation of about 30 degrees, proceeding North, and going down to the horizon before disappearing after about five minutes.

Yatala, August 11 1998, 8.25pm
A man observed an object in the sky that looked as though it was on fire. While he watched, something shot out of the object towards the ground, leaving a streak, and descending in about one second. No noise was heard, and the object just vanished.

Yatala, August 11 1998, 8.25pm
A witness observed a white light looking east over the ocean, "bigger and brighter than Venus". It zigzagged about at very high speed and then blinked out. It was seen at a high angle of elevation.

Robertson, August 12 1998, 2.30pm
A security Officer saw an oblong shaped object in a clear sky to the southwest. It was mother of pearl in colour and crossed the horizon in less than a minute without making any noise, appearing to move faster than an F111. Immediately after this, a jet, then an army helicopter and another plane followed the object.

Moggill, August 13 1998, 8.37pm
A woman was driving from Moggill to Brisbane. Towards Brisbane [east] she saw three white and five reddish lights in the sky. She returned home frightened and reported her sighting to us.

Middle Park, August 13 1998
A witness observed first three then two more intense bright lights to the North for about 3.5 minutes. The brightness of the lights was constant. They appeared to be stationary at first, and then they moved downwards, disappearing behind trees. The Mt. Coot-tha lights seemed much smaller by comparison. [These lights are on the TV towers about 8 km distant].

Sunshine Coast, August 14 1998, 10.05pm
A witness who lives on a hill and can see land from Maroochydore to the Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, a distance of about 50 km, reported seeing two huge circular patches of light .5 to 1 km in diameter, on the ground near Burpengary. One light was orange and the other white. Towards the end of the observation the white light began to pulse, 2 seconds on and 5 seconds off. He had never seen anything like this before, and felt that "something" was going on.

Kingston August 15 1998 5.15pm
Six observers saw a dark doughnut shaped object, smaller than a plane passing overhead and to the north, for about 2 minutes. It moved just below cloud height, and left no trail.

Gateway Bridge, August 15 1998, evening
A pilot observed a number of lights moving from near the Bridge to the Northern end of Brisbane Airport. At first he thought they were helicopters. He estimated them to be 200 to 500 feet high and observed them for 5 to 10 minutes. The lights moved independently of each other and were about 10 times brighter than Venus. They dimmed and went out.

St George, August 16 1998, 11.00pm
A woman observed a red/orange pulsating ball of light in the sky the size of a soccer ball, to the west. As she watched it, the object flashed to the east. No noise was heard throughout the 10 minute observation.

Dayboro, August 18 1998
A man observed a bright white object to the south, moving to the northwest on a straight path at a similar speed as an aircraft, but without making any noise, disappear suddenly.

Moreton Bay, August 20 1998
A witness on a barge between Scarborough and Moreton Island observed a bright green light in the sky that looked like a flame. It seemed to move around erratically, coming closer, moving away and "ducking" behind clouds. Eventually it brightened and shot up out of sight.

Keperra, August 21 1998, 7.55pm
A witness, looking towards the Samford Valley [northwest] saw a big white light like the full moon flashing on and off. He could also see what looked like sheet lightning around the light, and the lights of cars moving below it on the ground. He heard no associated noise and the sighting lasted for about 30 seconds. Others saw the light also.

Deception Bay, August 22 1998, 10.30pm
Six witnesses observed three round orange lights moving north to south. They moved faster than a plane and made no noise. Two of the lights were seen together, and the third appeared a minute later. Two other reports were received from independent witnesses in the same neighbourhood in Deception Bay, reporting orange lights at that time and date. The descriptions given were such that illegal hot air balloons could not immediately be eliminated as a possible explanation. They are held over, pending more detailed investigation.

Toowoomba, August 22 1998, evening
Three witnesses at an engagement party observed a total of five orange lights moving north to south in formation. The lights were seen over a 5 to 10 minute period and did not seem to be moving "fast".

Jimboomba, August 31 1998, night
A witness reported a large number of green, red and yellow lights moving as though attached to a rotating circular object, to the northwest in the sky. It seemed to come closer and to move fast.

SEPTEMBER>>

Kedron, September 4 1998, 7.30pm
A witness observed a white dot brighter than a star to the east at about 45 degrees elevation. It was observed for about half an hour during which it moved almost to an overhead position. The object seemed to be elongated, and no associated noise was heard.

Waterside, September 18 1998, 6.45pm
A member of our Association observed a pale orange light in the eastern sky moving East a little faster than a plane. It passed overhead without making any perceptible noise and in about 2 minutes it was lost in the slight haze which prevailed at the time. Throughout the observation, it looked like a point of light.

Ipswich, September 19 1998, 10.30pm
Thirty witnesses attending a party observed six orange lights coming from the east one after the other at intervals of 1 to 2 minutes. They stopped in a half circle and then took up a formation of three pairs. held position for a while and then faded out. The episode lasted about 10 minutes, no sound was heard, and the lights appeared round. As they faded, their apparent size diminished to that of stars and they "went out". Video images were obtained while the lights were approaching and when they were "paired off".

Flinders View, September 19 1998, 10.45pm
Two observers saw three orange lights in a stationary triangle formation at an elevation of about 35 degrees to the northeast. They then commenced moving to the southwest with the apparent speed of an aircraft. One of the lights seemed to descend and the other two moved away into the distance. No associated sound was heard, and the objects were seen for 5 to 10 minutes. The sighting was made close to Amberley Air Base, and one of the observers works with aircraft.

Ipswich, September 19 1998, 10.40pm
Ten witnesses observed 6 burning orange lights flying in zigzag formation faster than the apparent speed of a plane. Five of the lights flew off, and one remained stationary. The event lasted 10 minutes. [Compare this with another Ipswich sighting of the same date above.]