Crocodile spotted unusually far south near Bundaberg, locals urged to stay ‘vigilant’

Swimmers have been urged to remain vigilant after a crocodile was spotted at a popular Queensland beach in Wide Bay.

The crocodile was captured on camera entering the water at Coonarr beach in Bundaberg on Thursday afternoon.

Bundaberg resident Jasmine Van Den Bos was walking her dog along the beach when she saw the unusual sight.

“I had a moment of shock,” she said.

“I had a bit of adrenaline as I ran the other way.”

Van Den Bos said she swam most afternoons at Coonarr Beach, and seeing the crocodile had left her shaken.

“It was just a surreal moment, looking at it and realising that this is actually a crocodile chilling on the beach.”

Crocodiles found south of the Boyne River, a few hundred kilometres north of where this croc was seen, are classed as being in an atypical crocodile habitat, according to the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI).

“Any crocodile in this area needs to be targeted for removal,” DESI wildlife officer Alexander Peters said.

“The crocodile could still be in the area, and we request that members of the public still be vigilant, we’re going to make all the efforts that we can to determine where this crocodile has gone.”

James Cook University Associate Professor Conrad Hoskin said warmer sea temperatures could make sightings in atypical zones more common.

“It’s just something that needs to be on everyone’s radar,” Hoskin said.

“Anywhere along the Queensland coast, it pays to be croc-wise.”

On Friday, a 3.5m crocodile was captured and removed from Townsville’s Bohle River near a popular fishing spot, to be relocated elsewhere.

Nearly 1400 sightings have been reported to DESI in the last 12 months, which resulted in the removal and relocation of 93 crocodiles.