‘There goes swimming’: Crocodile spotted in floodwaters near Cairns, Queensland
A crocodile spotted in floodwaters outside Cairns has sparked fear.
The large reptile was filmed lurking in the waters at Kruckow Bridge near Babinda, about an hour south of Cairns, on Wednesday morning.
In the video uploaded to Facebook, he is seen crossing the bridge before diving into the river.
One Cairns resident said the sight was “one of the many reasons to stay out of floodwaters”.
“With flooding and heavy rains, the bowls cool down, so they move out of the main waterways and head to shallow backwaters where they can get some sun and rest,” they said.
“They will show up in very unexpected places.”
Another person joked: “We’ll be going swimming for the next six months.”
Locals were quick to point out that the crocodile was likely a local crocodile, a 4-foot crocodile known as Clyde.
One person joked: “Clyde is making sure everyone pays to cross the bridge this wet season.”
“Clyde was just checking the floods,” said another.
Another wasn’t so sure: “Every crocodile around Babinda is named Clyde.”
It comes after northern parts of Queensland were devastated by heavy rainfall of up to 750mm in recent days, causing flash flooding.
Premier David Crisafulli posted a photo on Facebook on Wednesday from Julia Creek in the state’s northwest, where cows must pass through flooded pastures.
“Hundreds of millimeters of rainfall fell on properties in the area and we believe there may have been significant livestock loss,” he said.
“We are ready to provide feed and support to our main industries.”
