When Trent Bastian’s fuel truck broke down in the deepest, darkest part of a logging forest way out west of Gympie, Queensland, about a year ago, it changed his life forever.

Whether it changed his life for the better still largely remains to be seen but what’s very clear is the incident that followed the baffling breakdown certainly rocked the very foundation of who he ‘was’ and has had him questioning metaphysics, his belief systems, and even his sanity.

“I started off the walk in the forest by myself. I don't think I finished it by myself,” Trent muses. “And yeah, that's scared the crap out me!”

Following extensive research and first hand accounts from people who’ve had similar experiences, the former Tackle World CEO and corporate high flier now firmly believes he was stalked by a yowie – bang smack in what is arguably one of the country’s hottest spots for yowie sightings (so much so that one of the nearby towns has a large yowie statue in its park).

“Something happened that night that I couldn't explain and the problem I had was, most of the city people who I told just said ‘you're crazy’,” Trent recalls. “And yet when I speak to people from out in this region, particularly some cockies and some hunters that I know, they will fundamentally look you straight in the eye and say: Yep, yowies are a real thing!

“It's just too common and their stories are too consistent, I think, up here in this high country in South-East Queensland for something not to be going on.”

Turns out, thousands of people across Australia - from doctors to dairy farmers, truckies to teachers - have reported yowie sightings – and even well beyond colonial times. Australian Aborigines have at least 40 different names for the creature and have also passed down numerous stories of the “hairy men” dating back about 7000 years.

What’s more, every continent on this planet, has its own version.

Cousin to North America’s Bigfoot or Sasquatch, Nepal’s Yeti, China’s Yeren, Brazil’s Mapinguari, and Indonesia's Orang Pendek, the jury is out on whether these “hairy people” or yowies are man or beast, or something in between. There are also theories abound that they’re other-dimensional ‘beings’.

Either way, there’s considerable consensus on a number of things: whatever they are, yowies tend to be huge, shaggy, ape-like and wear the eau de toilette of rotting flesh. They also have reflective, glowing eyes (the stuff nightmares are made of!), plus the ability to snap trees like matchsticks. And, apparently, they delight in stalking people.

Before that ever-so fateful night, Trent didn’t even know what a yowie was. The self-described “normal-ish, straight down the line bloke” certainly didn’t subscribe to his wife’s keen interest in spirituality (“He used to scoff when I put crystals next to my bed at night,” Sandra laughs)- but this 10 X 30’ docu-series will see our loveable larrikin follow the tale-trail around the Gympie region to not only try and help unpack what happened to him in that forest but also find conclusive proof of one of Australia’s most legendary creatures.

With an almost investigative-like approach he’ll track down those every-day Aussies in the area who have their own “hairy” tales to tell, as well as speak to experts, researchers and scientists in a bid to help separate fact from fiction.

Its playful and suspenseful storyline, plus larger-than-life characters, will ensure that Trent’s yowie adventure will resonate with all ages and demographics across the globe, but The Y Files is sure to particularly attract male-skewing audiences and those who have a keen interest in tales of adventure, mystery and the unexplained.

What’s more, our cunning plan + long-term vision of having our not-so intrepid hero open future Y file investigations into UFOs, min-min lights, large cats and other ‘strange’ phenomena, means this ob-doc series has huge potential to be extremely returnable.

The Y Files will offer not only highly entertaining pure escapism from this COVID-crazy world but also thought-provoking fare, venturing into deeper and very zeitgeisty territory, exploring belief systems and modern mysteries.

Irrespective of your beliefs, one thing’s for sure, after watching The Y Files, you’ll never feel the same way about camping in the Australian bush again!

(Trent certainly isn’t too keen about the prospect of spending some more nights in THAT forest and neither are the Flickchicks crew!)

EMBRYOS