Short answer
If you’re close to a crocodile in Australia, you should be very worried indeed. If you act sensibly within crocodile territory, there’s no need to fret.
Long answer
Saltwater crocodiles are both deadly and prevalent around the northern coast of Australia. You absolutely do not want to be up close with them, as they are finely-tuned apex predators, and will eat you if they fancy their chances of getting you without expending too much effort.
The biggest crocs are over five metres in length and weigh more than 1,000kg. They’re the biggest reptiles on earth, and were around when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
If you’re afraid of saltwater crocodiles, then good, you should be. However, you’re far better off admiring them from a safe distance.
Crocodile deaths in Australia
On average, one or two people a year are killed by crocodiles in Australia. The important thing to remember is that these deaths are rarely unfortunates who just happen to be walking along a tropical beach.
Most of the time, croc attack victims in Australia are fishermen who stand too close to the bank in the middle of nowhere, or idiots who decide to jump in a Croc Country river for a swim.
Where is Croc Country in Australia?
Croc Country is generally accepted as running from roughly the Boyne River south of Gladstone in Queensland to around Onslow in Western Australia – although the occasional adventurer has been spotted further south.
There are management plans to remove crocodiles when spotted around Australia’s tropical cities and major tourist areas. That still doesn’t make going for a swim off one of Cairns’ beaches or jumping in Darwin Harbour smart, however.
Hotel pools and big public pools like the Airlie Beach Lagoon are fine, as are natural pools at higher elevations that the crocs can’t reach.
But as a general rule in the wild within tropical Australia, look for the signs and only get in the water if they say it is safe to do so. Some natural pools are either out of crocodile territory or are carefully monitored and designated as safe swimming spots – sometimes only in the dry season.
If there are no signs, don’t even think about it.
That said, you don’t necessarily need to be in the water for a croc to get you – just close enough to it.
The Queensland Government’s Crocwise advice says that you should stay at least five metres from the water’s edge. It also recommends keeping a large, sturdy object – such as a big rock or tree stump – between you and the water.
Understanding crocodile behaviour
Knowing how crocodiles operate helps increase your safety around them. They are more dangerous at night and around dawn and dusk, because they’re harder to see and they move more during these periods.
Also, despite being big and powerful, they hunt via stealth. They want to be upon their prey before the victim knows anything about it. With distance and obstacles between you and the water, a crocodile is highly likely to be spotted before you’re in danger. Chasing people down over land is far too much like hard work, so they’re not going to do it.
The best way to see crocodiles in Australia
Saying a safe distance from crocodiles in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland is wise, but trying to avoid them altogether seems a shame. These are genuinely fascinating creatures. Watching them and learning about them is an absorbing experience, so I really recommend taking a crocodile-watching cruise while in Australia. Two of the best I’ve done are the Yellow Water cruise in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, and the Daintree River cruise near Cairns in northern Queensland.
