ENORMOUS ALLIGATOR.

Shannon News, 30 August 1927, Page 2

ENORMOUS ALLIGATOR.

A CYCLIST’S ADVENTURE. THRILLS IN THE WILDS. SYDNEY, August 4. After some exciting experiences in other parts of the world, Mr Talbot Sewell, who returned to Australia recently, decided to find out what Australia had to offer him in the way of thrills. He chose Northern Queensland, and mounted on a bicycle, set out to find tliat adventure begins at home. The alligators of the northern rivers gave him even more thrills than he liargained for.

Mr Sewell returned to Sydney 'a few days ago, and told the story of his wanderings. He majnaged to crowd 1000 miles on his bicy.de into little over a month. He started out early in June, and picked up his lugger, the Seadream, south of Rockhampton. With two half-caste- aborigines as the crew of his little 38ft craft he sailed up the Queensland coast for over a fortnight. Dodging in and ort of the Great Barrier Reef, he sheltered in lagoons from several nasty blows, and divided his time between shooting, 'fishing, and turtle-hunting.

Mr Sewell then landed a little south of Cairns, mounted his trusty bicycle, and commenced the second stage of his tour. From Cairns he worked, along to Chilk'.goe, right up the peninsula, and then south of Cooktown again. Along the Atherton tableland, through the beautiful lake country, he then crossed ov : er to the Mitchell River and Hell’s Gate, the old mining district, coming back to Cairns by the Atherton tableland and Cooktown.

Hunting was Mr Sewell’s main diversion, although often enough he played the role of the hunted. He brought back with him several fine kangaroo skins, but often when seeking alligators and wild boars he found himself in a nasty position.

‘‘ I was out duck shooting one day, ’ ’ he related, “when I heard a noise behind me. I looked around and saw an enormous alligator rushing stiaight at me. For a second I was petrified, but when the creature was only a few yards away I raised my gun and fired both barrels. The alligator swerved and disappeared in the mangroves. ’ ’ Mr Sewell said lie had reason to contradict the popular idea of the alligator as a sluggish, slow-moving animal. On the contrary, he said, it could move like a Hash of lightning.

On the Mitchell River he met again “Jack,” an aborigine who, thiee years ago, saved His life when he was lost and out of water. There he found also a baby kangaroo, which he fed on a bottle fitted with a bicycle valve. He brought it back to Sydney with him. He intends making a present of it to the Zoo.

Mr Sewell described the sc.Pncry of the country he traversed as beyond comparison. “I have seen all the beauty spots of Europe,” he said, “but for grandeur and beauty Northern Queensland has no equal.”