Locals claim crocodile spotted at Noosa on Sunshine Coast

Authorities have revealed after extensive searches, there is no evidence of a crocodile having been in the Noosa River area, despite multiple reports of sightings.

Authorities have scoured waters surrounding a Sunshine Coast tourist hot spot after multiple reports of a crocodile being sighted.

Several days of searching have yet to yield any evidence, after a number of Noosa locals claimed to have seen one on Sunday.

A number of people took to social media on Sunday to tell residents they had seen a crocodile along the Noosa Spit.

Authorities conducted a land-based search on Sunday afternoon, followed by a land-based spotlight search on Monday night, but neither resulted in any sightings.

On Wednesday authorities provided an update, that after extensive searches conducted by Wildlife Rangers, no evidence of crocodiles in the Noosa River was found.

Wildlife Rangers conducted a vessel-based survey of the Noosa River during the day and evening on July 22.

The search took place along a 19km stretch of the Noosa River from the mouth of the river to Lake Cooroibah and as far south as the stretches of the river near Weyba Rd.

According to a Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation spokesman “no evidence of a crocodile was found during the investigation”.

Tail, snout … but is it a crocodile?

James Graham told The Courier-Mail he was fishing with his friend Kai Tapley on Sunday afternoon when he saw what looked like a crocodile on his Garmin fish finder.

“We went out fishing, like we always do but it was different to other days,” he said.

“We didn’t get a bite. We’re looking around thinking, what’s wrong? Why aren’t we catching anything?

“Then we saw what looked like a crocodile.”

Mr Graham said he was pretty confident it was a crocodile.

“And the reason I can say that is because Kai and I regularly go a few hundred kilometres north into croc waters, and use the Garmin fish finder to look around, and you’ll see an old car or a boot or something on the bottom, and then you’ll spot a croc,” he said.

“But down here in Noosa, to see exactly what we see many kilometres further north. That just says it’s a croc to me, tell me that’s not a croc.”

Mr Graham said he thought it could have been a dolphin or a shovelnose shark but quickly ruled both of them out.

“We looked at it and thought “bloody hell, there’s a croc” on my screen,” he said.

”When we zoomed in, it looks like a tail dragging along the sand with little claws out to the sides, walking and kind of a snout, much like a crocodile.

“Unless it’s a mermaid or something, I don’t really know what it what else it could be.”

Mr Graham said he had seen an earlier post from Ross Buckley on social media who said he had seen a “3.5 metre” crocodile on his 6.30am stroll but dismissed it.

“I just thought that’s one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard, as if there’d be a crocodile in Noosa, let alone in the middle of winter,” he said.

“It’s Noosa in the middle of winter. I mean, the water is 20 degrees when we were out there yesterday.

“If it was cold for me, it’d be cold for a croc, that’s for sure. So just to see that makes no sense at all, but to know what I’m seeing, because I’ve seen crocs on my sounder a lot further north, it says a lot, like crocodile to me.”

Mr Buckley on social media said he had in the area for 30 years and never seen anything like it.

Ross Buckley said he had been on his usual 6.30am stroll when saw a 3.5-metre crocodile a few metres off the shoreline.

“Just wanted to give a heads up to all the locals who walk their dogs here early and usually swim around this area, be careful and stay safe.”

Many people reacted with disbelief on socials to Mr Buckley’s post, asking for photographic proof.

“Seen by multiple people yet not one photo? Seems more like one Chinese whisper and it has spread like wildfire,” one person said.

“I thought it’s too cold this far south, especially in winter. I think there’s been some big goanna seen in the area in past years,” another person commented.

Fishermen James Graham and Kai Tapley have spoken about their shocking find. Picture: Sunrise

Fishing Warehouse’s expert lure angler David Hodge said the scanner might have picked up an indent in the sand, rather than a marine animal.

“I would say it is a coincidence that the shadow takes on the same shape or form of a crocodile,” Mr Hodge said.

“That (radar is) shooting from the centre of the boat out to the left hand side

“If that (sand bed) contour rises up and then goes down, it’s going to throw a shadow on the left hand side of it.

“It could be a shallow rock ridge on the bottom that the sand and mud has eroded around it and just left that little rock exposed.

“Or it could be harder sediment on the bottom where the flowing water has eroded the sediment around it and left that harder sediment above the bottom level.”

This “crocodile” was sighted at the Noosa spit which is known for opening the local river up to the ocean, letting in saltwater.

“It’s possible but you couldn’t definitely say that it is a croc,” he said.

Mr Hodge added that the tail mark on the Garmin fish finder increases the possibility of it being a crocodile.

“I’m still not sure it’s a croc but by God it does make it more believable,” Mr Hodge said.

“When they drift with the tide and current, their tail is like a semi anchor. It makes it look like a continuous tail mark.

“We often find those exact marks when the tide drops out of some of the creeks we fish.”

The department will continue to monitor for further reports.

Crocodile sightings can be reported to the Queensland Government by using the QWildlife app or by calling 1300 130 372.

Originally published as Locals claim crocodile spotted at Noosa on Sunshine Coast