crocodilians

Who were Australia's original crocodile hunters? By Bridget Judd Updated 17 Jul 2018, 12:54pm Crocodile hunting in the Top End was first pioneered by Indigenous Australians, but it's the beer-swilling, knife-wielding macho men of the Northern Territory whose presence has been etched into popular culture. So just who were these daredevils that would come to typify outback Australia? And what happened to them? "I've never been to the NT, but being a keen hunter and experienced bushman, I loved Keith Willey's book Crocodile Hunt from the moment I rescued it from the library throw-out bin," says Curious Darwin questioner Anthony Story. The book tells the tale of the old-school Top End crocodile hunters, documented in the swamp plains of the South Alligator River, bordering Arnhem Land. Willey teamed up with Bill Dean, a professional crocodile shooter, and together, they explore what life was really like on the buffalo plains. The croc-hunting industry really rose to notoriety in the 1950s and 60s, around the time Willey's book was written and published when scores of hunters made their way to the Top End in search of a quick buck. A group of men pull aboard two crocodiles in the Daly River in 1934. PHOTO: Hunters haul in crocodiles along the Daly River. (Supplied: Territory Stories) Tracking down these old timers poses its challenges. Many safari hunting camps went bust when crocodile hunting was outlawed in the NT in 1971, after the animals were hunted almost to extinction, and most — if not all — of the old-school hunters have since passed away. Source: www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1UEAD_en-gbAU966AU966&sxs....

It's funny... as an Aussie, I've never really thought of crocodiles as predators! That makes no sense, obviously... I mean, LOOK AT IT!

Big Ben laid at a truly frightening 22 feet and 6 inches (6.8 meters) and ruled Alligator Creek in Yaamba nearly 150 years ago.

While his age is unknown, he was a figure of legend amongst the area's indigenous people who claimed he was a man-eater.

Big Ben was more than a normal crocodile, described at the time as the last of his species, notable for having a different, more vicious jaw structure than a normal croc.

His front teeth in the lower jaw fitted into holes in his upper jaw creating an unescapable lock for whatever poor creature he bit.

In 1872, a hunter named Goldino Columbo shot Big Ben in the head while out on the river but was unable to finish the job or capture him.

The monstrous reptile's body was later found washed up on the shore by none other than John William Wilson.

Rocky locals will know Wilson as the architect responsible for designing 200 buildings in the region including the Heritage Hotel and the Queensland National Hotel in Mount Morgan.

Big Ben's appearance was so frightful Wilson didn't dare get close, and only returned several days later to find him truly dead.

When he was brought back to town and had his guts opened they found 101 kilograms of quartz, a collection of human bones, and two other smaller crocodiles.

Big Ben's body was stuffed and paraded around Queensland and New South Wales with a collection of other, albeit smaller, crocodiles, also killed by Columbo a few months later.

It's clear that CQ has never had a shortage of overgrown reptiles, not 100 years ago, and not today.

Source:
www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/rockhampton/meet-b...

I supplied that information to the Morning Bulletin Rockhampton, which i uncovered 16 yrs ago...i have alot more info on Big Ben..including a photo on the taxidermy table with the skull & bones of two humans beside him...the backbone of a bulloch, and numerous large stones, all removed from his belly.

www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/rockhampton/the-de...

Dulice Campbell, with two crocodiles at Sunday Gully, North Queensland, c1950. While crocodile hunting was widely perceived as adventurous, dangerous, and macho some women participated. The crocodiles shown here are of the freshwater variety. Source: www.qhatlas.com.au/photograph/dulcie-campbell-crocodile-h...