Are there any crocodiles in Mooloolaba, Queensland?

Mooloolaba is not in Queensland’s Croc Country, so the chances of encountering a crocodile in Mooloolaba are tiny, if not totally impossible.

Mooloolaba in Queensland is one of the most popular stops along Australia’s east coast. Many travellers will spend a night or two here on the drive from Brisbane to Cairns.

Things to do in Mooloolaba include diving around the HMAS Brisbane wreck, getting beers and a feed at the Mooloolaba Surf Club and taking a somewhat comical ride on the Sunshine Coast Aquaduck.

More activity options in Mooloolaba include whale-watching cruises, high speed adventure rafting and a submarine tour.

However, many visitors will be unsure about whether it’s safe to go swimming in Mooloolaba. After all, Queensland has a large crocodile population, and many aren’t quite sure how far south crocodiles come.

What to pre-book in Mooloolaba

A sunset cruise along the palm-lined waterways
The Aquaduck tour – it’s a bus tour, and then it’s a cruise, all in the same amphibious vehicle.
A canal cruise – on a historic wooden ferry.
Sealife aquarium tickets – visit the biggest aquarium on the Sunshine Coast.
In season, a whale-watching cruise – get close to the migrating humpbacks.
Your accommodation.

Crocodiles in Mooloolaba

For reassurance, take a look at the Queensland Government’s Crocwise initiative. This draws a map of where Queensland’s Croc Country is. Crucially for anyone visiting Mooloolaba, the town is not within the typical crocodile habitat region.

The dividing line of Croc Country is the Boyne River near Gladstone. Anywhere south of the Boyne River, you are highly unlikely to encounter saltwater crocodiles.

Mooloolaba is south of the Boyne River – although not by a massive margin. It is extremely unlikely that you’ll encounter a crocodile in Mooloolaba.

12 fantastic Sunshine Coast experiences to book now

Taste coffee and ginger, do rainforest walks, and visit the best lookouts on a highlight-packed hinterland tour.
Take a serene Noosa Everglades cruise along the mirror-like waterways – or canoe through the Everglades.
Learn to surf at a Sunshine Coast surf school – or try paddleboarding instead.
Combine sight-seeing and thrills on a fast boat tour.
Go e-mountain biking on the downhill trails of Tewantin National Park.
Kayak with dolphins as part of a beach 4WD tour.
Explore the Sunshine Coast from above on a seaplane flight.
Take an indigenous cultural tour – with bush tucker tasting.
Visit the region’s best craft breweries and distilleries on a drinks tasting tour.
Go jetskiing through the gorgeous Pumicestone Passage.
Taste wines, cheeses and chocolates on a hinterland food tour.
Watch migrating humpbacks on a whale-watching cruise.

What happens if a crocodile is seen in Mooloolaba?

That is not, however, to say that it is impossible to encounter a crocodile in Mooloolaba. Crocs have occasionally ventured south of the Boyne River before, although this is a very rare occurrence.

Crocs have gone south of the Boyne River before, though. In January 2023, for example, there were reports of one spotted off North Stradbroke Island, 500km south of Croc Country.

Under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan, Mooloolaba is in Zone F – the atypical habitat zone.

Any crocodiles found in Zone F are immediately targeted for capture and removal. So, in the unlikely event a crocodile is seen in Mooloolaba, it’ll be got rid of pretty quickly.