Crocodile spotted near Bundaberg, 150km south of croc country

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Crocodile spotted near Bundaberg, 150km south of croc country

A crocodile has been filmed 150km south of the animal’s traditional area on the Queensland coast.

People strolling along the shoreline near Bundaberg on Thursday filmed the reptile trying to get back to sea against small, choppy white caps.

A 26-second clip has been circulating online, purportedly filmed on Thursday, at Coonarr Beach near the Elliott River mouth outside Bundaberg.

Camera IconThe footage was reportedly taken on Thursday. Supplied / Jasmine Van Den Bos Credit: Supplied

That would put the crocodile about 150km south of the traditional southern border for ‘croc country’, which falls at the Boyne River near Gladstone.

John Lever runs the Koorana Crocodile Farm at Coowonga, north of Gladstone, and said crocodiles seen or captured south of croc country typically had been dumped in foreign waterways and deliberately fed.

Snake catchers based in Bundaberg told NewsWire a croc sighting was highly unusual, but old lore says “where there’s barra, there’s crocs”.

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Camera IconOn the left, is crocodile sightings in the past 30 days. Marked on the right map is Coonarr Beach, outside Bundaberg, which is about 150km south of croc country. Credit: Supplied, Qld Government /

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The crocodile filmed this week measured between 150 and 180cm, witnesses reckon.

In November, a member of the public reported seeing a 3m crocodile in the Burnett River, barely five kilometres downstream from the Bundaberg city centre. A four-day, 14km search failed to find that animal.

Jasmine Van Den Bos posted this latest footage online.

“I just couldn’t believe my eyes … (it) was just a bit of a shock,” she told the ABC.

“I was freaking out.” The area is a popular camping and fishing spot.

Speculation online has been rife.

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Camera IconSaltwater crocodiles are a reality of life further north, like this one which was seen swimming in Townsville Harbour.

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Credit: Supplied

“Heard a few have seen this fella in recent times, always travelling and hard to see. Typical croc,” one man commented. Many people claim to have seen crocodiles in the Mary River basin, which is further south again.

Rangers are now contacting other witnesses to this latest Bundaberg incident, after installing warning signs along the beach

“As part of our investigation, wildlife officers will conduct site assessments, including vessel-based searches and spotlight assessments of the area,” wildlife officer Alexander Peters said in a statement.

“While the investigation is underway, people in the Wide Bay region should be vigilant around the water, which means keeping children close and keeping dogs away from the water’s edge.”

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#Crocodile #spotted #Bundaberg #150km #south #croc #country

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