Tourism Minister says ‘whole list’ of places in Qld to croc spot and Straddie isn’t one of them

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says he believes reports of a tourism guide that he spotted a croc on North Stradbroke Island but there’s a “whole list” of other places to go looking.

THERE is a “whole list” of places in Queensland to croc spot rather than North Stradbroke Island the state’s tourism minister has said, as the search for a suspected 3m saltie entered its fourth day.

Wildlife officers were sent in by the Department of Environment and Science after traditional owner and Straddie Adventures boss Mark Jones reported sighting a crocodile – hundreds of kilometres outside of its usual habitat – at Myora Springs on Wednesday.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service searching for a Crocodile spotted at North Stradbroke Island on Saturday.

It comes as Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers were out boating around Stradbroke Island again on Saturday, reporting that “no evidence of the presence of a crocodile has been found.”

A department spokesman said the search had been meticulous and thorough, which was normal practice for every reported croc-sighting.

If weather permits, a helicopter would be sent up to look for the croc later on Saturday afternoon. If the Saltie isn’t found, the search will continue on Sunday.

On Friday a video purporting to show what was believed to be a crocodile breaking the surge of the water near One Mile Jetty emerged.

But park rangers later confirmed the new crocodile sighting was indeed a dugong.

Excitement around the croc sighting had caused people to flock to the island, known in its traditional name as Minjerribah, prompting the Department of Environment and Science to remind visitors to keep well away from the investigation and to stop flying drones over island waters.

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe. Picture: David Clark

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe, asked about the croc hubbub on Saturday, said he believed what Mr Jones reported to have seen.

“(Mr Jones) is a great leader in the Minjerribah tourism industry, so I don’t think it’s in his interest to be announcing that there’s crocs in the area,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“I believe what he saw, I believe what he thinks, but certainly it’s been good to hear that further analysis and searches undertaken by Parks and Wildlife have not found any monsters wanting to disrupt anyone’s holidays.”

Mr Hinchliffe said croc spotting would never be a “mainstay advertisement for a holiday” at North Stradbroke Island.

He said those hoping to see the animal would be better placed heading elsewhere in the state, pointing to tourism spots where crocodiles can be seen in captivity.