QWildlife croc-safe app soars to top of charts to delight of Townsville developers

A unique app created by a group of Townsville techies is being snapped up by boaties, campers and fishers who share North Queensland waterways with crocodiles.

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A UNIQUE app created by a group of Townsville techies is being snapped up by boaties, campers and fishers who share North Queensland waterways with crocodiles.

The QWildlife app, created by GP One Consulting to help people stay safe from crocodile attacks, rose to third spot in the navigation apps on Google Play and sit within the top 100 educational apps on Apple.

Founder and director Gareck Packer said the app was perfect for anyone who worked in, or visited croc country.

“I suppose the results aren’t really that surprising, but it has been exciting for us to watch it rise through the rankings and know it is being downloaded and used and that people are talking about it,” he said.

Chris Hardie and Gareck Packer meet Boss the croc at Billabong Sanctuary.

The app also invites members of the public to log a croc sighting, which will then pop up on an interactive map after being verified.

Mr Packer said the app gives people more information about the crocodiles they see, the work the rangers do to protect them, and even locations of tracks and nests, but warned people not to use the app as a croc-finder.

“I think it’s important to get a message out that is about public safety and wildlife protection. We want people to be safe, but we also want to look after these crocs. We’re essentially the ones doing the encroaching on their territory.”

Download the app for free on IOS or Android.

Originally published as QWildlife croc-safe app soars to top of charts to delight of Townsville developers