Bunyip escapes!
Exclusive: Murray Bridge’s Bertha the bunyip has escaped her enclosure at Sturt Reserve … Well, okay, she’s off to get repaired.
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Iconic tourist attraction Bertha the bunyip is at large this week after escaping her enclosure at Murray Bridge’s Sturt Reserve.
The animatronic horror saw her chance and took it on Monday morning, leaping out of her cave and onto the back of a nearby truck.
She was assisted by four accomplices, who used chains and a large crane to help her make her getaway.
Well, that’s what it looked like to this eyewitness, anyway.
Council CEO Heather Barclay leapt to Bertha’s defence in response to questions from this publication.
“This time last year, Bertha had a rest because of the floods,” she said.
“This year she’s taking a rest again while we deal with some hydraulic issues.
“She’s so popular that every day she goes up and down 110 times, and it’s caused her knees to become quite sore; they need a bit of oil.
“So she’s decided to head off and have another spa.”
Her makeover at the Murray Bridge council depot will no doubt restore her normally vibrant green skin, blue tongue and red lips, as shown in the video above.
Her cave will be tidied up for her, too.
After all, housework is difficult when you have giant claws for hands.
A QR code will be mounted on the bunyip’s enclosure so visitors can see and hear an augmented-reality Bertha until her return.
The virtual display was created as part of this year’s Murray River Glows festival.
Bertha had only returned from a period of hibernation, brought on by last summer’s River Murray floods, eight months ago.
She was last taken away for repairs in 2018.
