Giant underwater beast may explain Kidd Bridge croc sighting

Southside grazier thinks he may have solved "river monster” mystery

MYSTERY: One Southside grazier thinks he may have solved the mystery of the Mary River crocodile. Picture: Frances Klein

THE Southside grazier saw a monster when recent heavy rain swelled the Mary River at Gympie.

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It was big enough to be a crocodile and he suggests it might just be what people have been seeing when they report a croc sighting.

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Croc sighting at Gympie

Although crocodiles have been verifiably seen as far upstream as Tiaro and Gundiah, other sightings of crocs closer to Gympie were not able to be independently supported - which does not mean the reports are not genuine.

Gympie croc watch: 'I have seen it too'

It only means no-one took a photograph and no other person was present to back up the report.

But one Gympie man believes it may well be a case of mistaken identity, with one giant scaly monster looking pretty much like any other when seen only briefly.

The man, who did not wish to be identified directly, said he was happy to tell his story, but did not need to be in the news.

"It was huge,” he said. "It was there with a smaller one, eating worms from the river bank.”

It was about then that he realised it was probably not a crocodile, crocs not being usually regarded as worm eaters.

The leasee of riverside pasture land near the Normanby Bridge, he was tending his sheep on a wet day when he noticed the monster.

"It was the biggest lungfish I have ever seen,” he said.

He reported the two fish, the giant and a smaller one, were taking advantage of the river's high level to browse fresh territory higher up the banks than they could normally reach.

He said he was convinced this was one likely source of some reported near-Gympie crocodile sightings.