Within Port Augusta
Did Lock confirm the Port Augusta sighting?
The later Lock account may echo the Port Augusta sighting, but its differences in time, direction and shape make it difficult evidence.
On this page
- What F. W. Flavel reported from Eyre Peninsula
- The similarities that suggest a wider South Australian event
- The differences that weaken direct corroboration
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Introduction
Did the Lock report confirm the Port Augusta sighting? The short answer is: not conclusively. A second South Australian report did emerge from the Eyre Peninsula on the same morning as the Port Augusta incident, and it also described five unusual objects in the sky. That coincidence has attracted attention because independent reports from different locations can strengthen the case that witnesses were observing a real regional event rather than a purely local misunderstanding. However, the Lock account differs from the Port Augusta report in important ways, including the reported time, direction of travel and appearance of the objects. As a result, it functions more as a possible corroborating sighting than as firm confirmation. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
Within South Australia’s early flying-saucer history, the Lock report is significant because it provides a rare second testimony from roughly the same period and region. Yet the differences between the two accounts are substantial enough that historians and UFO researchers generally treat the connection as suggestive rather than proven. [Trove+2UFOs Scientific Research]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
What F. W. Flavel reported from Eyre Peninsula
The Lock witness was identified as F. W. Flavel, a resident of the Eyre Peninsula township of Lock. His account appeared in a letter published after newspapers had already reported the Port Augusta sighting. According to Flavel, he and his wife observed five unusual objects between 7 and 8 a.m. on 5 February 1947 while he was returning to his house after feeding pigs. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
Flavel described the objects as: [americanalchemymagazine.substack.com]americanalchemymagazine.substack.comthe australian ufo sighting thatW. Flavel of Lock on the Eyre Peninsula described seeing five similar objects in the sky between 7 and 8 a.m….Read more…
- Five objects travelling together. [everand.com]everand.comA farmer on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula reported seeing five strange oblong-shaped objects…Read more…
- Oblong in shape, with narrow points.
- Surrounded by a smoky grey appearance.
- Moving from north-west towards south-east.
- Appearing to rise from the direction of the sea.
- Casting or causing a shadow. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
He stressed that he saw the objects clearly and that his wife also observed them. He later wrote that he had never seen anything similar before and only decided to report the sighting after reading of the Port Augusta incident in the newspapers. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
Geographically, Lock lies on the eastern Eyre Peninsula, roughly 225 kilometres from Port Augusta. That separation is important because it means the report did not come from the same workplace, town or witness group. If both accounts referred to the same phenomenon, it would imply an event extending across a large area of South Australia. [UFOs Scientific Research]ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.comUFOs Scientific Research Cold caseUFOs Scientific ResearchCold case - Port Augusta - 5 February 194729 Jan 2011 — "Writing in the Advertiser, Mr F W Flavel of Lock, Eyre P…
The similarities that suggest a wider South Australian event
The strongest argument for treating the Lock sighting as corroboration is the number of unusual similarities between the two reports.
Most notably, both accounts involved five objects observed on the same morning. The Port Augusta witnesses reported five white or pale pink egg-shaped objects travelling in formation, while Flavel described five oblong objects moving together. Reports involving exactly five objects are not especially common, making the coincidence noteworthy. [Trove+2Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
A second similarity concerns the apparent physicality of the objects. In both cases, witnesses referred to shadows. The Port Augusta railway workers stated that the objects appeared to cast shadows, while Flavel also remarked that the objects caused a shadow. Although neither report provides enough detail to evaluate this claim rigorously, the parallel wording has often been highlighted by later commentators. [Trove+2Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
The timing is also broadly compatible. Flavel’s observation occurred between 7 and 8 a.m., whereas the Port Augusta sighting was reported at about 9 a.m. If a genuine aerial phenomenon had crossed a large part of South Australia, a difference of roughly an hour would not automatically rule out a connection. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
For these reasons, some later writers have presented the Lock report as evidence that the Port Augusta witnesses were not alone and that an unusual aerial event may have been observed across a wider region of the state. [Everand]everand.comA farmer on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula reported seeing five strange oblong-shaped objects…Read more…
The differences that weaken direct corroboration
The problem is that the two reports do not match closely enough to establish that both groups saw the same thing.
The clearest discrepancy concerns direction of travel. At Port Augusta, the objects were reported moving from north to south. Flavel, by contrast, described objects travelling from north-west to south-east. These are not identical flight paths, and without more precise bearings it is difficult to reconcile them confidently. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
The reported appearance also differs. The Port Augusta witnesses described white or light pink egg-shaped objects. Flavel’s objects were oblong, pointed at the ends and surrounded by a smoky grey colouring. While these descriptions are not completely incompatible, they are not close matches either. [Trove+2Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
Another issue is the apparent motion. The Port Augusta objects reportedly crossed the sky rapidly and disappeared within seconds. Flavel’s description suggests a slower, floating movement that allowed him time to observe the objects, call his wife and continue watching. Such differences may reflect perspective effects, but they also raise the possibility that the witnesses were describing different phenomena. [Trove+2Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
There is also the problem of chronology. Flavel’s account was published only after newspaper coverage of the Port Augusta sighting had appeared. That does not make his report false, but it means historians cannot treat it as a completely independent contemporary record in the same way as two reports submitted before either became publicly known. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
How much weight should the Lock report carry?
The Lock report occupies an intermediate position in the evidence surrounding South Australia’s early 1947 sightings. It is stronger than a later rumour because it came from a named witness, was published in a contemporary newspaper, and included a second observer in the form of Flavel’s wife. [Trove]trove.nla.gov.au17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo…
At the same time, it does not provide the kind of close correspondence that investigators usually seek when using multiple reports to establish a single event. The matching number of objects and the same-date timing are intriguing, but the differences in direction, shape and behaviour prevent the case from serving as decisive confirmation of the Port Augusta sighting. [Trove+2Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
Viewed within South Australia’s UFO history, the Lock account is best understood as regional corroboration of a limited kind. It suggests that more than one group of people reported unusual objects in the state’s skies on 5 February 1947. What it does not do is prove that both groups witnessed the same phenomenon. The report therefore strengthens the historical interest of the Port Augusta case while leaving its ultimate explanation unresolved. [Everand+3Trove+3Trove]trove.nla.gov.au· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg…Read more…
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Did Lock confirm the Port Augusta sighting?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Focuses on evaluating sighting reports and corroborative evidence, matching a page assessing whether two sightings confirm each other.
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Provides historical context on early flying-saucer reports and how investigators weighed witness testimony.
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Examines multiple-witness cases and the value of independent corroboration in UFO investigations.
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Endnotes
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Source: trove.nla.gov.au
Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/30512759Source snippet
17 Feb 1947 - Strange Objects In Sky - TroveSir—I saw objects in the sky between 7 and 8 o clock the same day ps you received a repo...
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Source: ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com
Title: UFOs Scientific Research Cold case
Link: https://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com/2011/01/cold-case-port-augusta-5-february-1947.htmlSource snippet
UFOs Scientific ResearchCold case - Port Augusta - 5 February 194729 Jan 2011 — "Writing in the Advertiser, Mr F W Flavel of Lock, Eyre P...
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Source: everand.com
Link: https://www.everand.com/book/585244406/In-Plain-Sight-A-fascinating-investigation-into-UFOs-and-alien-encounters-from-an-award-winning-journalist-fully-updated-and-revised-new-edition-forSource snippet
A farmer on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula reported seeing five strange oblong-shaped objects...Read more...
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Source: trove.nla.gov.au
Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/30511159Source snippet
· The objects were white or light · pink, and were shaped like an egg...Read more...
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Peninsula, South Australia: a bibliographyEyre Peninsula rural chronicle [newspaper], Peninsula Publishers Pty Ltd, Port Lincoln, 1987-19...
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history.sa.gov.auAuthor: digitalbarn - South Australian History NetworkThe South Australian History Network is a directory of community r...
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Source: ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com
Title: newly discovered australian report from
Link: https://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com/2017/01/newly-discovered-australian-report-from.htmlSource snippet
I was walking in a north-westerly...Read more...
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Source: guides.slsa.sa.gov.au
Link: https://guides.slsa.sa.gov.au/c.php?g=410317&p=2796444Source snippet
Newspapers: West Coast/ Eyre Peninsula18 May 2026 — David Drysdale of the Port Augusta Dispatch established this Port Lincoln newspaper i...
Published: May 2026
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nationalarchives.gov.uk[http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100208...No](http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100208...No) information is available for this page...
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Source: mylibrary.brimbank.vic.gov.au
Link: https://mylibrary.brimbank.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=379471
Additional References
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Source: rssa.org.au
Link: https://www.rssa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/nhkangarooisland.pdfSource snippet
Natural History of Kangaroo IslandWell Completion Report, Stansbury Basin, Kangaroo Island. Department of Mines and Energy, South Austral...
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Source: 201squadronassociation.com
Link: https://www.201squadronassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/On-The-Step-Searchable-OCR.pdfSource snippet
ON THE STEPIn addition to the chronological narrative, there are two other elements to the book: a reference section in the appendices wh...
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Title: Victoria Daily Times (1916 07 15) (IA victoriadailytimes19160715)
Link: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Victoria_Daily_Times_%281916-07-15%29_%28IA_victoriadailytimes19160715%29.pdfSource snippet
wikimedia.orgUiftoritt—German forces made a determined effort yesterday to force back the Russian troops in the region of Barano- wichi...
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Source: abc.net.au
Title: curious adelaide ufo sightings across australia
Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-23/curious-adelaide-ufo-sightings-across-australia/9466950Source snippet
South Australia's X-Files: Curious Adelaide cracks open...22 Feb 2018 — From flying saucers to balls of light rocketing through the sky...
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Title: The 5 Strangest U.F.O. ENCOUNTERS in Australia | Australian Aliens
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Australia UFO files documentary Australia’s Biggest UFO Cover-Up | The Westall Incident (1966) Project Unknown: Field Files...
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Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/838955243/Ufos-and-IntelligenceSource snippet
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Source: academia.edu
Title: UF Os and Intelligence: A Timeline
Link: https://www.academia.edu/43868466/UFOs_and_Intelligence_A_Timeline_By_George_M_EberhartSource snippet
By George M. EberhartThis timeline covers the full spectrum of UFO history, from contactee experiences to misidentifications of mundane p...
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Source: americanalchemymagazine.substack.com
Title: the australian ufo sighting that
Link: https://americanalchemymagazine.substack.com/p/the-australian-ufo-sighting-thatSource snippet
W. Flavel of Lock on the Eyre Peninsula described seeing five similar objects in the sky between 7 and 8 a.m....Read more...
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Source: espace.library.uq.edu.au
Title: Pughs Almanac 1866
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Alman-Dir Queensland 1866by Q BRISBANE — TIM _Q5en4er is tl}e only paper which contains all the Ac -ertise nts published in Brisbane it i...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Schoolyard witnesses in mass UFO sighting demand answers | Australian Story
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhKyQkhOfoMSource snippet
Australia’s Biggest UFO Cover-Up | The Westall Incident (1966)...
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