A photo of a crocodile battling the waves at a beach hundreds of kilometres from where the reptiles are usually found has shocked locals and sparked an urgent search.
The crocodile was spotted up to five times at Coonarr Beach at the mouth of the Elliott River, near Bundaberg, in central Queensland on Thursday.
Jasmine Van Den Bos was stunned to spot the crocodile battling the ocean waves while taking her dog for a walk.
‘I just couldn’t believe my eyes … [it] was just a bit of a shock,’ she told the ABC.
‘I was freaking out.’
The croc was pictured roughly 200km south of the Boyne River, south of Gladstone, where known saltwater crocodile habitats start.
Queensland’s ‘Croc Country’ extends north to the Torres Strait and across to the Cape York Peninsula.
When crocodiles venture outside of Croc Country they are usually moving from one estuary to another, however sightings are rare.
Ms Van Den Bos, who has swum at the beach many times, said the crocodile’s presence means she might forgo swimming for a while.
The crocodile (pictured) was spotted up to five times at Coonarr Beach at the mouth of the Elliott River, near Bundaberg, in central Queensland on Thursday
The reports of the crocodile sightings at Coonarr Beach (pictured) is outside of the areas considered ‘Croc Country’ in Queensland
David Andreoli saw the crocodile’s head sticking out of the water while he was walking with his wife along the beach.
The reptile, which he said was between five to six feet in length, ‘spun around and went back into the ocean’ as they came closer.
The Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said in a statement they are investigating the reported crocodile sightings.
Wildlife officer Alexander Peters said officials are contacting locals who made reports and that signs warning of the sightings will be installed at the beach.
‘As part of our investigation, wildlife officers will conduct site assessments, including vessel-based searches and spotlight assessments of the area,’ he said.
‘While the investigation is underway, people in the Wide Bay region should be vigilant around the water, which means keeping children close and keeping dogs away from the water’s edge.’
The last known confirmed sightings of the reptile outside of Croc Country was when two large crocodiles were removed from the Mary River in 2013 and 2014.
