Mackay teen films crocodile 100m from suburban street

As a Mackay family was ducking to their local shops they came across what they thought was a log in the middle of the road – until it ran off. WATCH THE VIDEO

It was a close encounter this Bucasia trio never expected on a quick trip to the local supermarket.

Clinton Barker and his two teen children were just ducking to the nearby IGA on Sunday night when they spotted something in the middle of Hennessy St near Bucasia Dump Rd.

“I thought it was a log,” the 38 year old said.

“(My son) was going to get out and actually move it, and it just ran off … into the grass.”

Dayne Barker, 14, filmed this croc on the side of Hennessy St/Bucasia Dump Rd as he and his family were returning from their local supermarket.

Mr Barker, Dayne and his daughter Casey, 16, continued on to IGA, but decided to see if the saltie – which they believed would have been less than two metres in length – was still around on their way home.

“That’s when we filmed it,” he said.

Dayne, 14, took the 12-second clip of the croc as it sat by the side of the road before it again scampered off into the bushes.

The teen said they had been heading to the shops to buy dog food when they spotted the croc “out of nowhere”.

Clinton Barker, pictured with his son Dayne, said there were concerns children often walked along Hennessy Street and Bucasia Dump Rd where they saw a crocodile. Picture: Rae Wilson

“It sat there for a little bit... and then it just started slowly wandering off,” Dayne said.

Mr Barker posted the clip on social media and said he had been inundated with messages from people with similar encounters.

He said he received a pic of a croc sitting on the same road a week ago and learned a car had struck a saltie in the same area about a year ago.

“I had a bit of a drive around today,” Mr Barker said.

The saltie scampered off after the teen shone a spotlight on it.

“Bucasia is really swampy.”

Mr Barker said, in the daylight, he could see a section of flattened grass leading to the road where he saw the crocodile and believes it regularly leaves the swamp area.

The encounter has also raised concern within the community, he said, given the proximity to residential homes about 100m away.

“That road goes to the school … there’s so many school kids walk up and down that road,” Mr Barker said.

“It’s probably more concerning there’s so many kids

“If there’s little ones there’s going to be bigger ones (crocs).”

Clint Barker and his son Dayne were on the way to the Bucasia IGA when they spotted a crocodile crossing the road. They watched it go back into the swamp land pictured behind them on Hennessy St at Bucasia. They believe the flattened grass is a regular path for the crocodile. Picture: Rae Wilson

Mr Barker said he had lived in the Northern Beaches of Mackay for years and this was the first time he had come across a croc roadside.

“It spun us out,” he said.

“It’s not something you stumble across everyday.”