Crocodile sighted at Anglers Parade entrance at Blacks Beach

Coastal homeowners are taking things into their own hands after a crocodile was sighted near a popular beach entrance in Mackay. But wildlife officers ask residents to report all possible sightings

Beachside residents are taking it upon themselves to warn the public of crocodiles after one was reportedly sighted “disturbingly close to homes”.

An A4 yellow and black poster was tacked onto the popular Anglers Parade entrance to Blacks Beach in the Mackay region, stating “Caution: Crocodile Spotted 27/12/2022”.

The entrance is metres from dozens of homes near what is known as Blacks Beach Spit.

The sighting at the popular northern beach has not yet been logged with the Department of Environment and Science via its QWildlife app.

But wildlife officers are warning estuarine crocodiles become more active over summer with males searching for a mate and likely to compete with other males as females fiercely defended nests.

A sign at the Anglers Parade beach entrance at Blacks Beach about a crocodile sighting on December 27, 2022. Picture: Facebook

This unconfirmed sighting follows another possible sighting two months earlier in the area.

Northern Beaches resident Rae Wilson, who regularly walks her Jack Russell along Blacks Beach spit, was convinced she saw a crocodile in early October.

Ms Wilson said she saw something move in her peripheral vision to her right as she walked towards the Slade Point end of the spit but when she took a photograph, she could not be certain.

“Others suggested it was a log left from a 6m tide and that might be true but I wanted my puppy to reach his second birthday,” she said.

Northern Beaches resident Rae Wilson saw this 'logodile' while walking on Blacks Beach Spit with her pooch on October 8, 2022. She concedes it could be a log left behind from a 6m tide but she only noticed it because she thought she saw it move in her peripheral vision. Picture: Rae Wilson

“I use the Anglers Parade entrance almost daily to walk my dog and have jokingly referred to it as ‘snake alley’ because of all the snakes I’ve spotted walking along there but a crocodile is next level.

“I‘ll be giving that end of Blacks Beach a wide berth for a while.

“I hope the department will look into it.

“That entrance is disturbingly close to homes.”

In a Facebook post in a Blacks Beach group, Shane Leisa suggested maybe turtle season was to blame for the crocodiles venturing further from McCready’s Creek where they are often seen.

Beth Cooper commented: “He just swims from creek to creek for a rinse. Same croc, many years so far no trouble although I wouldn’t tempt him.”

It is much more common to see crocodile sightings at Sandy Creek to the south or Constant Creek to the north.

A DES spokesman said an officer investigated all unconfirmed crocodile sightings reported via QWildlife.

From January 1 this year, there have been more than 40 unconfirmed sightings of the reptiles across the Mackay Whitsunday region including one found dead in a log at Proserpine River plus a baby crocodile off Dolphin Heads in Mackay’s Northern beaches.

Daily Mercury front page on Wednesday April 4, 2012.

The largest sighting was at Belmunda near Seaforth, estimated to be between 4-5m long.

The Seaforth area is a known crocodile hotspot, particularly at Constant Creek, where a crocodile was reportedly spotted on Wednesday.

There have been plenty of “monster” crocodile sightings in the area.

Slightly further north at Laguna Quays, between Proserpine and Mackay, a large crocodile was given the boot after it was found wandering onto a resort golf course.

And as a stark visual reminder crocodiles are never far from the shore, a crocodile was spectacularly photographed munching on a turtle just off Little Green Island, which you can walk to at low tide from Shoal Point in Mackay.

Daily Mercury crocodile front pages.

In January, a Bucasia dad and his two teenage children had a close encounter on a quick trip to the local supermarket.

Clinton Barker, his son Dayne 14, and his daughter Casey, 16, were just ducking to the nearby IGA on a 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.”

The trio 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 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”.

Daily Mercury front page - Friday February 23, 2018.

In March, two fishing buddies were searching for a spot to drop a line when they clocked a monster crocodile ‘sunbaking’ on a rocky outcrop near Midge Point boat ramp.

Nathan Seeman, 20, and Shanelle Cunningham, 20, said they had been fishing for an hour and had not had many bites so they were looking for a new place to fish when they spotted the reptile they estimated was more than 4m long.

“We didn’t really see it at the start; we were just cruising over to anchor up next to a rocky beach,” he said.

“We just looked up on a little mount and it was sitting there sunbaking.

“We said ‘well shit, that’s a big croc’.”

Daily Mercury front page on Friday May 24, 2013.

The DES is urging all residents and tourists in Croc Country – considered to be anywhere in Queensland from about Gladstone north – to be Crocwise over summer as estuarine crocodiles become more active.

Southern Wildlife Operations acting manager Dayna Adams said males were searching for a mate and would compete with other males as females fiercely defended nests.

“Also, over the summer holidays, there is an increase in the number of people participating in outdoor activities on or near the water, such as fishing, boating or camping,” Ms Adams said.

“For these reasons, DES often sees a spike in the number crocodile sighting reports received at this time of year.”

Ms Adams said no waterway in Croc Country could ever be thought of as crocodile-free.

“With summer also being our typical wet season, it’s important to remember that crocs can turn up in unusual places during or after flooding,” she said.

“They can move further upstream and into new areas, and might even move into areas where they haven’t been seen before.

“If you do see a crocodile over the holidays, report it to DES immediately through the QWildlife app or by phoning the department on 1300 130 372.”