Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Crocodile found in the Mary River at Owanyilla 1964

There has been a lot of talk about crocodiles in the Mary River lately. Did you know on the 10th of June, in 1964 an 11 foot 1 inch (about 3.4m) crocodile was shot by James Greenfill and Albert Reinikka at a property called Sandeheyes. The crocodile had been eating calves and the men thought it might be smaller. The crocodile was paraded around on the back of their truck until it began to rot. The Bauple Museum has the top half of the crocodile skin displayed.
Crocodile found at Owanyilla in 1964

An article detailing this crocodile shooting can be found in the Maryborough Chronicle date June 11, 1964. The Maryborough Chronicle can be viewed on microfilm at the Maryborough Library local history room or at the Hervey Bay Family History Association in the Hervey Bay Library. This is the only way to access from 1955 to 2013 Chronicle articles.

If you search Crocodiles in the Mary River  on Trove's digitised newspapers lots of articles can be found about sightings before this date. Some of the most interesting include:

Large Croc in Mary River

Crocodile found in the Mary River 

A fisherman has shot a Mary River croc

Have you ever found a crocodile in the Mary River or heard any stories?

Tags #crocodile #maryriver #bauplemuseum #bauple

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