Dragged From the Sand: Croc Attack on Green Island 1996

Dragged From the Sand: Buck's Green Hill Island Crocodile Attack

In July 1996, a marine turtle survey on Green Hill Island was carried out by Parks NT. Conducted from Black Point Ranger Station in Cobourg Peninsula, the surveys saw staff spend their nights walking remote beaches as turtles came ashore to nest, recording numbers, weighing animals and taking measurements.

The surveys were organised by ranger Rick Hope, based at Black Point Ranger Station. Kakadu National Park rangers were invited to assist, as Kakadu conducted similar turtle surveys on Field Island.

Buck was part of the survey team that year. At the time he was employed as a weeds officer, searching for infestations of Mimosa pigra across northern floodplains. Much of that work took place in crocodile habitat, making encounters with crocodiles a normal part of the job. Kakadu crocodile ranger Garry Lindner also joined the Green Hill Island survey.

Image: Buck and the crocodile

A Full Moon and a Quiet Beach

As the team arrived by boat, Buck remembers noticing a crocodile about nine feet long floating offshore.

Garry Lindner looked over and casually remarked, "Cheeky bugger."

Later that evening Buck completed the first patrol of the beach with fellow survey member Wendy Gains, who he remembers had a broken toe.

Once their section was finished, the pair sat above the high tide line to wait for more turtles. It was a clear night under a full moon, bright enough to comfortably see along the beach.

Buck rested his head on a Dolphin torch and briefly drifted off.

He suddenly felt something dragging him across the sand.

The Attack

The crocodile had initially grabbed Buck by the foot, but his boot came off.

As he turned in the moonlight, he realised it was a crocodile. He tried to back away, but the animal came forward again and grabbed him.

The crocodile twisted violently, throwing sand into the air as Buck struggled to stay clear of its jaws.

After a brief struggle the crocodile suddenly stopped. Buck seized the opportunity to wrap one arm around its head and felt its grip begin to loosen.

He held on until he was able to get back onto his feet. The moment he felt stable he let go and ran.

The rest of the survey team rushed towards the noise.

From the moment the crocodile struck until Buck escaped, the encounter lasted about a minute.

A Lucky Escape

Buck escaped with relatively minor injuries.

He suffered grazes, bruising and a single tooth puncture. After returning to Jabiru he attended the local clinic when the wound became infected but never required hospital treatment.

Finding the Crocodile

The following night rangers shot the crocodile believed to have been responsible for the attack.

The animal measured approximately 2.8 metres and weighed around 92 kilograms. Examination revealed very little in its stomach apart from fragments of turtle shell, suggesting it had been feeding around the nesting beaches.

The following day the team examined the scene more closely. Tracks showed the crocodile had walked approximately 27 metres from the water before reaching the point where Buck had been resting.

Looking Back

Image: Benbunger Croc Skull 

Buck recalls other trips into remote country alongside Garry Lindner, Andrew Wellings, Andrew Skeet, Freddy Hunter and Calvin Murakami. He also recalls finding part of one of the largest crocodile skulls he had ever seen at Benbunga, half buried in the mud beside a spring.

Some of his favourite memories involve his youngest daughter, Lucille. Buck recalls on one occasion she accompanied him through the bush, riding on the quad bike. They came across a buffalo, which Buck shot.

Lucy, only about three years old at the time, announced she was hungry. Carrying her own pocketknife, she cut a small piece of fresh buffalo meat from the carcass and happily ate it raw before the pair returned home.

Years later Lucy followed a similar line of work to her father. Buck laughs that the bush upbringing carried through to the next generation, recalling the day she handed her own daughter a pocketknife.

Now retired, Buck still thinks about those years almost every day.

Account documented in person by Wild Creek Graphics during an interview with Buck Sallau in 2025 at Humpty Doo, Northern Territory.