Crock on Fraser Is. Photo

[serene_lady]

This photo is in the local paper today showing a crock on the beach near Indian Head. The story goes that a group on a bus tour came across the crock just as it came out of the water and the bus drove around it to give people a closer view. The insert photo shows another angle looking across the top of a 4wd. This is the second report in a week of crocks in the Hervey Bay, Fraser Is area the first was that a fisherman saw what he thought was a crock under the Urangan pier last friday. Around easter this year another was reported in a creek near Stewart Is in Sandy Straits . This one was seen by a couple of guys while prawning. Also my sister in law said she saw one swimming just off the beach at Toogoom near Burum Heads, this was about 3 years ago. I have always had doubts about some of these reports but now that photos are being taken of them it makes you think. If this crock is cruising along the surf beach it would be seen easy during the day, but what about just on dark or at night. I am not trying to scare anyone but maybe it is best to be aware that they could be around. Bob.

[RML]

The headlines on the News just mentioned this and reported the photo as a fake??

[Fafnir]

Wonder what this will do to tourism in the Great Sandy Strait? I have often seen holiday makers kayaking around Kingfisher Bay Resort. And I have in the past swam there a couple of times. That was before I came across a shark fishing website that showed photos of big Bull Sharks and Whalers that were caught just down from the resort. Now crocs as well! Don't think I would like to be swimming or Kayaking anywhere in the Straits after seeing this.

I know this was taken on the surf side, but I think it's safe to assume that the crocs would be on the inside as well. I definitely think my next boat needs to be bigger!

[serene_lady]

Rml. I hope you are right just for the peace of mind. And if it is a fake I cant see how the local papers are doing the tourism industry any favours if they did not reserch this story before printing it. With the dingo problem and now maybe crocs a lot of people with kids would have second thoughts. Bob.

[JEWIENEWIE]

Anything to keep the backpackers at bay ;D ;D
Jewie

[ssbayguide]

Hi All

There are Crocodiles in the Fraser Coast Region and they have been regularly been seen in the Mary and Susan Rivers.

Bully for them - I have no problem with their presence and to me, it just adds another dimension to the ecological and economic importance of the whole region.


Peter R

[JewseeTHAT]

The things you see when you forgot to pack the crock-pot.

[Bris_Vegas]

No surprises.
We have been getting stacks of threadfin salmon in the Brisbane River.
And the other day in the cast net a stack of juvenile Queen Fish.

Why would the Crocs not be coming further south of their typical range.

Angus

[imported_admin]

Crocs use to be as far south as Brisbane but about 200 years ago it all started to change. Use to have Barra down here as well.

If it is a fake the newspaper will have some explaining to do. If it isn't fake I hope they leave it alone in its natural environment. It was here first.

[ssbayguide]

Agreed

Peter R

[jollyman]

Bob, what is the name of the local paper where the photo was shown?

Thanks
Joel

[boatboy50]

Hey Guys,

I was up at Fraser last week.

I am sure this is a fake. I saw it as I was cruising along the beach on the way to Indian. I didn't stop (saw it late) but guys were fishing around it with no problems at all, leading me to believe it was a fake stuffed joke by some of the fisherman. It certainly caught my eye, as it is life size (about 3m long?), and looks real.

Please prove me otherwise.

Regards

Darren

[serene_lady]

Joel. The report is in the Fraser coast Chronicle 4/10/06 Bob. It has just been mentioned on chanell7news as I am doing thiis post. Got to go. Bob.

[Jim_Byrne]

Theres no doubt they have been here!

I have friends who live at Carbrook who know the history of the area quite well. They have a genuine picture of a croc at least 15ft in length on the banks of the Logan, from memory it was taken around 1920 odd.

As for the croc on Fraser, not to sure what to make of it after the reports of crocs in the noosa over the last few years...... but am thinking that not many crocs would be sunning themselves happily on a beach with vehicles regularly passing by. All the crocs I have seen have not been overly fond of noisy vehicles/vessells, and get out of the road pronto.

Real or not real, I'm sure it will throw a real scare through the Campers there over the school holidays!

Cheers

Jim

[Reef_fisher]

fake or not crocs are defineatly on the move down the coast both east an west. wasn't all that long ago you had to go to broome on the west coast to see crocs. i lived in port hedland during the late 1990's and they were becoming a common sight in port hedland and areas further south. the croc farm here in innisfail was flooded during the cyclone in 1986(winifred) and a lot of hatchlings got out. they reckon these are the ones that they are catching now at 3m or more.

[Heath]

I was reading some history on the Goldcoast a few months back & there was a number of crocodiles present in both Currumbin & Tallebudgera creeks, when settlers first come to the Goldcoast.
Killed them off quick apparently. Also heard an unconfirmed report of a Barra pulled out of the upper reaches of currumbin creek a few years back as well.

[shelbie]

Hey Dad,
I am trying to get a hold of you. I need to discuss your new reel. Please give me a call tonight. ( ps I reckon your new emblem pro 5500A would give that crock a run for his money ) ;)

[DICER]

This is what happens when Steve Irwin goes on permanent holidays on cloud nine.

[serene_lady]

The photo here shows Jim Greensill from Maryborough standing behind a 3.4 mt croc that he shot just below Tiaro in 1964. The Mary river at Tiaro is fresh but before the barage was built you had axcess downstream to salt. I was 19 at the time and the wife and I went to the car yard where it was on display. They were charging sixpence (5cents) for kids and a shilling for adults to have a look at it . It was on display for 2 days. Later it was skined and the hide is now on display at the Bauple Museum . Another was shot in the late 40s at Dundathu rocks. This one was 3.6mt and was shot by Merv Goldenstein. He got 4 rounds into it before it slid into the river, they waited for it to surface but it did not show. A day or two later a man by the name of Yates recoverd the body and towed it up to Maryborough and it was on display at the Royal Hotel in the main street. Bob.

[serene_lady]

After yesterdays story where I and a lot of other people got conned I thought that I would go to the local paper office and reserch the 1964 story but the Fraser Coast Chronicle had the story in todays paper and beat me to it. I also new of the Goldenstein story so i rang a relative of his and got a few more facts. I have fished this area, crawled through mangroves with a crab hook, hauled and cast for prawns in all the creeks for over 50 years and have never seen one or even any sign of one so I dont think there is to much to worry about. But with the population of crocs building in the north and the weather getting warmer it might pay to take care. Bob.

[ssbayguide]

Hi All

The report of a crocodile in the Noosa River a while back turned out to be a large goanna going for a paddle.

Cheers



Peter R

[Louis]

A crocodile was once shot and killed in the Logan River many years ago. I don't know the full details but it certainly is an interesting piece of trivia nevertheless.

I have also been told that their were also crocs living in the Brisbane River at the time of first settlement. I don't know how true this is but Barramundi were certainly there, so it’s not totally improbable.



Louis

[barrafever]

not too sure bout the croc on fraser but on a trip to burrum heads about a year or so ago wtih my old man and pop, we saw a croc in the shallows alongside a sandbar which would have gone nearly the length of our tinnie. this was sighted after we had been swimming so after that we stayed pretty dry. as for the barra, few of the locals would know that they still are found getting round in the mary river. will never forget the day we saw one launch itself out of the water not 2 metres from where we were angle, landed on an over hanging branch, then flicked itself off into the water and swam away. wouldave gone 1m +. gobsmacked. agree that it seems a bit odd the croc would be laying about in a heavily trafficked part of the beach but stranger things have happened. they are definately in the area

[ssbayguide]

Hi Barra Fever

I have caught a number of Barra in the Mary over the years (1990-2002) from the Heads up to Tiaro. Best was about 85cms but there are certainly bigger ones around the traps!

Peter R

[robersl]

tour operater would not by any chance of arranged for the tourists to see a croc on there trip know would they mmm
;D ;D ;D

[5cougarsthanx]

Sounds like a whole lot of CROCK to me if ya know what i mean

[Grand_Marlin]

I dont doubt there could be crocs down south, but according to my friends that were on fraser ... this one was plastic ;D

Cheers

Pete

[Tropicaltrout]

The odd one that does show up might be one that got put there??????????

just a thought????? :-X

They just seem to few and far between to be genuine southern travellers.
TT

[TonyM]

The odd one that does show up might be one that got put there??????????

just a thought????? :-X

They just seem to few and far between to be genuine southern travellers.
TT

I guess it's always a possibility that the genuine ones were put there (wouldn't be a first). However I wouldn't rule out migration just because they're not sighted often. Last time I came near a croc i didn;t know it until later (not a good thing) ;D I was in two-bobs boat checking the crab pots in a creek near BobJ's place, took a while to find one of the pots as a croc had taken a dislike to one of the floats and had attacked it. I think two-bob kept the float as a souvenier. Didn't stand around in the water too long at the boat ramp after that :D

First time I ever saw a croc in the wild was in the Mary at Maryborough in 1982. However they get here they certainly do get here ;) I used to see them at the bundy zoo all the time as a kid and this one wasn't a goanna :o

Thanks for the info from the archives Bob - fascinating stuff (I was born in Maryborough)

And Steve, see what you mean - not hard to work out what has happened in the last 200 yrs to make these scary yet magnificent animals dissapear (for a while) from the south east.

I wonder if the Fraser Island hoax was someones idea of freeing up more camping spots for some mates coming over during the busy holiday season? ;D

[el_carpo]

;) ;D You never know where they'll show up! Not even our front lawns are safe! ;D ;D ;D

[DUNDEETHECROC]

They call us fishermen because we've been going to Fraser Island for the last 20 years and have not caught a fish yet...Maybe one year we will take a fishing rod!

Robert the croc went on holidays with us this year as a camp mascot. He had a wonderful time up there as he had 1200 photos taken with tourists and fishing families. They all knew he was fake. He visited eli creek and lake Mckenzie.

He is back home now doing his job keeping the ducks out of our pool.....

We won't take him next year because now he's camera shy. We might leave the 4m tiger shark at home too.....???????????

[seajay39]

Great work [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

I reckon you could make a fair bit of money off Ebay.
If you sold the Famous Fraser Is croc :D

[rando]

Dont worry about the news paper doing adequate research,,, their main purpose is more sales, anything that sells more papers is good copy...

[GAFYM]

Remember seeing photos on the wall in the Waterford Hotel years ago of the Crocs they used to catch in the Logan and Albert rivers.
They were BIG mothers but whether they are still there i dont know (photos that is) :o :o

[lock]

A bloke I play rugby with just came back to Ireland from backpacking up the east coast of oz and when he went to fraiser he seen the rubber croc and he and his mates took a mob of photos . They thought it was a great laugh.