Lidsdale attracts visitors for annual panther hunt

Last weekend more than 70 gallant souls set off on their annual quest, almost half of that number children, to see what their bows could pierce in the forest of Lidsdale...

Of all of Lithgow’s wacky events, from Ironfest to Halloween, the annual Panther Hunt, held at Maranatha Campsite over three days, has got to be the most immersive if not the most imaginative.

It all started with a local medieval re-enactment group’s thirst for adventure. 

“I think it was just a result of a conversation one day,” Lithgow resident and Dismal Fogs member Stephen Grantham said. 

“We were thinking of having some sort of quest, and we were like ‘what’s a quest we can do’?

“And we thought let’s go hunt the infamous Lithgow panther that’s always being spotted every now and then.”

The Dismal Fogs group, a mainstay of Lithgow’s Ironfest displays, came up with the idea of a family-focused weekend in the greenery of Lidsdale that combines archery with other medieval activities like sword fighting, feasting and generally making merry. 

“It’s mainly an archery event,” Stephen said. 

“We mingled the modern myth with the medieval madness so to speak.”

While donning medieval garb for the weekend is part of the fun, Stephen volunteers to dress as the black panther, who is ‘hunted’ during a moving-target archery event on Saturday. 

“Three or fighters with armour get dressed up and put on a costume for a particular animal that often gets hunted,” Stephen said. 

“In the years I’ve been doing it, I’ve been a wild boar, a rabbit, a dragon a panther. One year a fellow put on a costume as a drop bear.

“Then anybody with a bow stands all along one line and they shoot away towards the people with the armour. And we run around and dodge and sometimes get hit.”

Stephen equates the level of pain of getting shot as similar to a paintball. 

“We have strict standards for the armour. The arrows have a rubber blunt on them. It’s pretty safe.”

Stephen’s two sons, who attend every year, love the opportunity to practice their archery skills on Dad. 

“It’s a great family event. I think there’s usually a kid for every adult.”

Nimue, the event’s bookings officer, said Dismal Fogs’ Panther Hunt held last weekend between May 25-27 attracted families from all over the state. 

“This year we had 75 people, 27 who were children. Some of the visitors from more further afield were from Canberra, and others came up from the Eurobodalla way down the south coast,” she said. 

Apart from archery, she said the event provides plenty of opportunities for the guests (most of whom are members of the international medieval group the Society of Creative Anachronism) to trade skills in areas like costume-making, medieval arts and crafts, music and cooking. 

“This year the feast was German-themed and all the recipes we used were out of the cookbook believed to be written by Albrecht Durer’s [a Renaissance artist] wife.

“We had roast pork, chicken, hot pies and delicious soups,” she said. 

Stephen said he joined the Shire of Dismal Fogs (the Blue Mountains branch of the SCA) when he moved to the area 13 years ago. 

“It was a way to get to know people. I had medieval interests, I liked calligraphy and old music and tales of knights and fantasy novels and that sort of thing.

“We haven’t wanted to give up having fun so we’ve just incorporated our families into it.”

The Dismal Fogs members meet up twice a month; the Panther Hunt is their major annual event. 

“I love it because most of the events the SCA holds are either in Sydney or Canberra,” Stephen said.

“It’s nice to have something local that’s become a really good tradition.” 

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