Crocodile Safety in Far North Queesnland

CAIRNS, Australia - March 27, 2015 - PRLog -- When I first started travelling up through Cape York I was worried that at every turn there would be saltwater crocodile just waiting to take a bite out of me, I was of the belief that even if I just thought about going near the water a crocodile would be waiting just under the surface of the water of the exact spot I chose to take a look ready to launch an ambush for a quick meal of fresh me. Now as delicious as that sounds to any crocodile setting up an ambush, I quite value my life and steered clear of the water for quite a while as the hyper-vigilant side of myself prevailed.

Many years later knowing what I know now, I look back with amusement at the misperceptions I had of the Cape York crocodile situation and the realities around the actual dangers; I have learnt what you can and cannot do, where you can go, where not to go in order to strike a balance between maximising your Cape York experience and keeping yourself free of being eaten by an ancient oversized lizard acting on pure instinct.

A defining moment for me early on in my experience working and travelling through Cape York was when one of the local Indigenous people I got to know quite closely invited me to to join him and his family at one of their favourite swimming spots. Reluctant to enter the water I obviously could not contain the terror that oozed from my very being as I thought that at any given moment one of these children would be swallowed whole as all three of them splashed around waist deep in the water where crocodiles had been known to frequent. There was nothing in me that wanted to go in the water until quite reassuringly my Indigenous friend said to me “Brotha, don’t be fearful, we know our crocodiles like you know the dogs in your neighbourhood back home, you know what yards you can enter to collect your footy without getting mauled, you also know what yards are a no go zone unless you were keen for a dog bite, well it is the same for us and our crocodiles. We know where we can go, we know what crocs are cheeky and we know where we can enter the water safely, we have been doing it for many many many years. We are connected to our neighbourhood also, the difference is our neighbourhoods are the landscapes and river systems of Cape York.” These words were enough to reassure me and I eventually went for a swim that day, it wasn’t the longest swim I ever had but I entrusted in the wisdom of the local knowledge and eye for country.

Now under the right circumstances with the right knowledge I was amazed what was being practiced, under the watchful eye of a local Indigenous friend I swam in the croc infested waters of Cape York and survived… But this is where it gets a little tricky. I have been fortunate enough to have forged great relationships with local Indigenous community members that reside within the communities of Cape York for a number of years now which lead to circumstances where swimming the waters of Cape York is made possible. These are very strict circumstances that are as unique as they are rare

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That very same day my Indigenous friend also told me that I was never to go in the water and swim unless I was with one of the local Indigenous, someone with the intrinsic knowledge of the country telling me that this was a safe place to swim at this particular moment. This advice has stuck with me to this very day, it is a simple rule but one that guarantees my safety and even when I have returned by myself to spots that I have swum before with local Indigenous community members I still never enter the water.

As a traveller visiting Cape York the advice is the same, unless you are with a local Indigenous community member who has okayed the area please do not enter the water. You will see crocodiles on your travels if you look hard enough, they are not lining the banks of every river in Cape York but they are there, and anytime they are there there is a risk to your safety.
CROCODILE AVOIDING TIPS

Croc Beware Signs, take notice of them. If someone has gone to the trouble of installing this sign it is for a pretty legitimate reason.

Be a little more vigilant from the months of September through to April as this is croc breeding time and they are a little more active and aggressive during these periods, night time is also a bit of a worry.
Be super anal about not leaving fish frames, bait and food scraps near your camp site, crocs will come and investigate this, not good.
If you see some croc slide marks don’t hang around near the edge of the water. Slides are evidence that a croc is in the area, also not good.
Avoid cleaning fish or getting rid of scraps near the edge of the water round campsites for boat ramps. Crocs are super good at flagging spots that are commonly used before staging a well timed ambush.
Get your camp site well and truly back form the waters edge, 50 metres where possible, crocs can navigate land.
If you are a mad keen fisherman like me just make sure you cast your line a few from a few metre back form the waters edge

Remember, it is not the croc you can see that is the worry, it is the croc you don’t that you should be most worried about.

​Jason Holt