Definitions for "Bunyip"
An animal of the dreamtime, who could haunt various locations by day or night. For example waterholes and caves. It traditionally is a very ugly and fearsome beast. The United States Army Air Force's 49th Fighter Group - 8th Squadron, used an Aboriginal Bunyip head as it's official logo. This logo is still incidentally still in use with this unit today! In the official 49th Fighter Group book " Protect and Avenge" and the Squadron Signal book " The 49th FG at War" they refer to the bunyip as a 'bunyap'. It is not stated exactly when and why the unit adopted the bunyip as its logo, but the squadron did participate in the defence of Darwin from early to mid 1942. It is also known as "the screaming demon" to the Americans. (I have a model of a P40E Kittyhawk flown by Capt.Bill Hennon, the commander of this squadron during their battles over Australia in 1942, his aircraft features the bunyip in a prominent position on the tail). The Bunyip or "Screaming Demon" of the 8th Squadron of the USAAF 49th Fighter Group.
a creature which lives in fresh or brackish waterways (rivers, billabongs, swamps, but not the ocean)
a legendary spirit or creature of the Australian Aborigine