House-sized' meteorite hits Australia

Freakish things and people are plentiful--all over the world.

House-sized' meteorite hits Australia

From news.com.au staff and AAP
June 17, 2004
A METEORITE reportedly the size of a house fell on the NSW south coast overnight, exploding in a bright flash, police have said.

A driver on the Hume Highway shortly after 9pm (AEST) near Menangle reported an object the size of a house falling from the sky.

The object fell east of the Hume Highway, possibly in an escarpment near the top of a hill at Bulli, police were told.

The meteorite was described as glowing silver in colour and similar to an artillery shell when it exploded with a bright flash on impact.

Workers at the Sydney Airport Tower said they saw a meteorite about 9pm, police said.

No other reports were received by police and extensive police patrols of the area for more than an hour did not turn up the space debris.

"We went out to check if it was something bad, like a plane," said a police spokesman.

"However we didn't find anything - there was no bloody great rock sitting in the middle of the highway, anyway".

Police intend on talking to the original witness again later today in an effort to pinpoint the impact site, but admit that unless someone literally stumbles over the meteorite, the chances of finding it are slim.