Within Cultural Legacy
How Tully Helped Inspire Britain's Crop Circles
Doug Bower and Dave Chorley adapted the idea of an Australian saucer nest into secret circles made in English cereal fields.
On this page
- What Bower and Chorley borrowed from Australia
- How the wetland nest became a field made hoax
- Why England transformed the idea into geometric art
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Introduction
The 1966 Tully “saucer nest” incident in Queensland did not create the entire crop-circle phenomenon, but it played a surprisingly important role in its modern history. More than a decade after banana farmer George Pedley reported seeing a disc-like object rise from Horseshoe Lagoon and discovering a circular area of flattened reeds, two English men—Doug Bower and Dave Chorley—adapted the basic idea into a series of deliberate hoaxes in southern England. Their work transformed a simple Australian wetland mystery into the famous crop circles that became a global media sensation.
This connection matters because it separates two distinct historical questions. The first is whether anything unusual happened at Tully in 1966. The second is how that widely reported story inspired later people to manufacture similar-looking traces. Bower and Chorley’s confession weakened claims that every mysterious circle indicated a UFO, but it did not prove that the original Queensland incident itself had been staged.[ABC News]abc.net.auABC News Tully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mysteryABC NewsTully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mystery - ABC NewsNovember 24, 2024…
What Bower and Chorley Borrowed from Australia
Doug Bower later explained that the idea came from reports he had read about the Australian “saucer nests” while living in Australia during the 1960s. Those reports described circular areas of flattened vegetation allegedly associated with UFO sightings, particularly the widely publicised Tully case. After returning to England, Bower suggested to his friend Dave Chorley that they recreate the appearance of a flying-saucer landing in an English field simply to see how people would react.[Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the HoaxSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
What they borrowed was remarkably modest:
- the concept of a circular landing trace rather than an elaborate symbol;
- the association between a physical ground mark and a reported flying saucer;
- confidence that newspapers would find such discoveries newsworthy because Tully had already demonstrated the public appeal of the idea.[Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the HoaxSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
This is an important distinction. Bower and Chorley did not claim that Australia already had geometric crop circles. Their inspiration came from the much simpler image of a circular landing mark left behind by an unidentified object.
How the Wetland Nest Became a Field-Made Hoax
The original Tully formation differed greatly from the circles that later appeared across southern England.
The Queensland case involved flattened reeds in a lagoon. The British hoaxes instead appeared in standing cereal crops such as wheat and barley. Bower and Chorley realised that cereal fields offered several practical advantages. The patterns were visible from surrounding roads and hills, easier to photograph from the air and more dramatic than disturbed reeds floating on water.[Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the HoaxSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
Using little more than wooden planks, rope and careful planning, they produced flattened circles that resembled what many people imagined a UFO landing site should look like. They worked mainly at night and relied on the assumption that observers would not expect such large formations to be created so quickly with simple tools. When challenged after their 1991 confession, they demonstrated their methods publicly, successfully reproducing convincing circles before journalists.[Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the HoaxSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
Their demonstrations exposed an important weakness in earlier claims about crop circles: impressive appearance alone was not reliable evidence of an extraordinary cause.
Why England Transformed the Idea into Geometric Art
The first circles made by Bower and Chorley were deliberately simple, closely reflecting the Australian saucer-nest concept. Over time, however, the phenomenon changed dramatically.
Several factors encouraged this evolution:
- Growing media attention. Newspapers increasingly rewarded larger and more visually striking formations.
- Competition among circle makers. Other groups began producing their own designs, often trying to surpass previous creations.
- Changing public expectations. Once simple circles became familiar, increasingly complex geometrical patterns attracted greater interest and publicity.[Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the HoaxSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
As a result, the English crop-circle phenomenon gradually became something quite different from the Queensland story that had inspired it. The focus shifted away from apparent landing marks towards intricate geometric artwork, mathematical motifs and increasingly elaborate pictographs.
Ironically, the success of the hoax encouraged many believers to argue that only some formations were human-made while others remained unexplained. Rather than ending debate, Bower and Chorley’s confession divided crop circles into competing categories of suspected hoaxes and purported genuine mysteries.[Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the HoaxSmithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
What This Means for the Tully Case
One of the most common misunderstandings is that the British confession somehow debunked the original Queensland incident. Historically, that is not what happened.
Bower and Chorley admitted that Australian reports inspired their English creations. They did not claim responsibility for the 1966 Tully formation, nor did they suggest George Pedley had fabricated his account. Their confession demonstrated that convincing circular traces could be manufactured by people, making later crop-circle claims far less persuasive as evidence for UFOs. It did not establish the cause of the Horseshoe Lagoon disturbance itself.[ABC News]abc.net.auABC News Tully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mysteryABC NewsTully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mystery - ABC NewsNovember 24, 2024…
The Queensland case therefore remains historically separate. Researchers continue to debate whether the flattened reeds resulted from an unusual weather event, natural environmental processes or some other explanation. While many sceptics regard natural causes as the most likely answer, the available evidence from 1966 is insufficient to identify one explanation conclusively.[ABC News]abc.net.auABC News Tully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mysteryABC NewsTully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mystery - ABC NewsNovember 24, 2024…
Why the Connection Still Matters in Queensland’s UFO History
The link between Tully and Britain’s crop-circle hoaxes illustrates how a local Queensland incident acquired an unexpected international legacy.
For Queensland’s UFO history, the significance lies less in proving or disproving extraterrestrial involvement than in showing how media stories can evolve. A relatively simple report of flattened reeds became the creative spark for one of the best-known paranormal hoaxes of the late twentieth century. The English crop circles eventually overshadowed their Australian inspiration, yet they also ensured that the Tully saucer nest remained part of international discussions about UFOs, folklore and public belief.
Seen in that light, Tully occupies two places in history at once. It remains an unresolved Australian sighting with competing explanations, and it also became the unlikely inspiration for Britain’s first modern crop-circle hoaxes—a transformation that permanently altered how later generations understood both crop circles and physical UFO traces.[abc.net.au]abc.net.auABC News Tully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mysteryABC NewsTully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mystery - ABC NewsNovember 24, 2024…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: ABC News Tully’s cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mystery
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-24/sugar-cane-farm-ufo-mystery-expanse-podcast-series-uncropped/104559256
Source snippet
ABC NewsTully's cane farm crop circles and an enduring 58yo UFO mystery - ABC NewsNovember 24, 2024...
Published: November 24, 2024
2.
Source: smithsonianmag.com
Title: Smithsonian Magazine Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
Link:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/crop-circles-the-art-of-the-hoax-2524283/?page=1
3.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: ABC News Reporting on the taboo topics of UFOs and crop circles
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-16/reporting-on-taboo-topics-of-ufos-and-crop-circles/104711618
Source snippet
ABC NewsReporting on the taboo topics of UFOs and crop circles - ABC News...
4.
Source: imnotlikeyouguys.com
Title: crop circles
Link:https://imnotlikeyouguys.com/g/crop-circles
Source snippet
& the Bower-Chorley Hoax (1978-1991) — Incident — I'm Not Like YouJune 14, 2026 — INCIDENT CROP CIRCLES & THE BOWER-CHORLEY HOAX (1978-19...
Published: June 14, 2026
5.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: the westall ufo mystery
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-06/the-westall-ufo-mystery-/106528518
Source snippet
ABC NewsApril 6, 2026 — VIDEO: THE WESTALL UFO MYSTERY Producer Rebecca Latham * Australian Story Mon 6 Apr 2026 at 8:05pmMon 6 Apr 2026...
Published: April 6, 2026
6.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: 03 Uncropped | The UFO files
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/expanse/the-ufo-files/104645758
7.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: 01 Uncropped | The sighting
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/expanse/the-sighting/104616620
8.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: How the crop circle phenomenon all started in a tiny Queensland town
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/how-the-crop-circle-phenomenon-all-started/104616088
9.
Source: abc.net.au
Title: 02 Uncropped | Who is visiting?
Link:https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/expanse/who-is-visiting/104616622
10.
Source: smithsonianmag.com
Title: Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
Link:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/crop-circles-the-art-of-the-hoax-2524283/
11.
Source: abcnews.go.com
Link:https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123864&page=1
Additional References
12.
Source: australiangeographic.com.au
Title: Australian Geographic Saucer hysteria: The case of the [Tully crop circle]({{ ‘cultural-legacy/’ | relative_url }})
Link:https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/tim-the-yowie-man/2020/09/saucer-hysteria-the-case-of-the-tully-crop-circle/
Source snippet
Australian GeographicSaucer hysteria: The case of the Tully crop circle - Australian Geographic...
13.
Source: scienceinsights.org
Title: The modern phenomenon traces
Link:https://scienceinsights.org/where-do-crop-circles-come-from-origin-and-mystery/
Source snippet
Where Do Crop Circles Come From: Origin and Mystery - ScienceInsightsMarch 14, 2026 — WHERE DO CROP CIRCLES COME FROM: ORIGIN AND MYSTERY...
Published: March 14, 2026
14.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YvaAlgokSs
Source snippet
The Tully Saucer Nest: Australia's 1966 UFO Landing Case...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: How are Crop Circles Made?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep_AxaWBVPs
Source snippet
This video directly explores how reports of the 1966 Tully "saucer nest" in Far [North Queensland]({{ '1961-reports/' | relative_url }}) inspired English pranksters Doug Bower a...
16.
Source: podscripts.co
Title: I Can’t Sleep
Link:https://podscripts.co/podcasts/i-cant-sleep/crop-circles-cant-sleep-learn-about-one-of-historys-strangest-mysteries
Source snippet
Learn About One of History’s Strangest Mysteries Transcript and DiscussionJune 26, 2026 — The most famous case is the 1966 Tully Saucer N...
Published: June 26, 2026
17.
Source: ebsco.com
Link:https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/crop-circle
18.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2f1WBkYphY
Source snippet
Yowie Bites - The Tully Saucer Nest...
19.
Source: scienceabc.com
Title: Science ABCAre Crop Circles Made By Aliens? » Science ABC
Link:https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/are-the-crop-circles-made-by-aliens
20.
Source: livescience.com
Title: Crop circles: Myth, mystery and history | Live Science
Link:https://www.livescience.com/26540-crop-circles.html
21.
Source: pbs.org
Title: 7 times that science explained aliens | PBS News
Link:https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/7-times-aliens-explained-science