‘They circled us’: Tourists rescued after boat gets bogged on bank of croc-filled Mary River

A group of tourists spent an anxious night surrounded by dozens of massive crocs before being rescued when their boat got bogged in the NT.

A GROUP of tourists from NSW spent an anxious night surrounded by massive crocs before being rescued when their boat got bogged along the banks of Mary River.

Coffs Harbour resident Marc Miller was holidaying in the Top End with his partner and a group of friends when they decided to rent a houseboat and spend the night on the Mary River.

But the group ended up stranded when their boat got bogged in the riverbank, ­forcing them to spend the night surrounded by six crocs, ranging between 3m-4.5m long.

The group got a little to close for comfort after their houseboat got bogged on the banks of Mary River. Picture: Lily O'Connor

The Mary River is said to be home to the highest concentration of crocodiles in the Top End.

Mr Miller said while some of the crocs were circling the boat, they were lucky none were visibly aggressive or tried to climb on board.

“A few of the group were too anxious to sleep that night,” he said.

Mr Miller said they had anchored the boat off the water lily line for the evening but the boat lost its mooring during the night and got bogged in the muddy bay.

Happy to be moving again after their boat was bogged. Picture: Lily O'Connor

“I went to bed assuming all was well and was woken by the scream ‘Struth look at those crocs!’ and commotion of the crew as the reality of our drift became apparent,” he said.

“The boat had lost its mooring, and the anchor had given way, and we were now in the muddy bank, surrounded by several fairly large crocs and reed grass up to the back rail of the houseboat.

“We tried to free the boat with the motor and the barge pole but to no avail — we then decided that it was best to sit it out and watch carefully until morning.

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“One particularly large 4.5m saltie spent the night about 3m from the back of the boat, his shining eyes glinting in the moonlight.”

The group was rescued by Corroboree Houseboats staff, who arrived the next day to help pull the boat free from the muddy bank.

“It was not until later we realised how lucky we were not to be boarded by one of the crocs, particularly in light of recent experiences,” Mr Miller said.

“All in all, though, our trip would be a lot less interesting had we not had this experience, so thanks Corroboree Houseboats. We’ll be back to take them on in a few years.”

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