8 replies to this topic

[Claw]

My wifes uncle down in Louisiana ,,called me today to tell me, he went down to the empty land I used to have a house on (until hurricane) which I still own,,because "nobody is stupid enough to buy it"!!!!
Hey,,it's "waterfront" property during storm season !!!! Anyway ,,he called to tell me he shot a "16ft. alligator"on my land. Nothing unusual there,,happens all the time,. Well it got me thinking about Jimbo here and how he kind of lives in what we would call " Crocodile Dundee" land. I was just wondering if my buddy Jim has any "croc" trophies laying around,, that he or someone he knows may have gotten????

[James (Jim) Hillier]

Hey Claw, haven't been ignoring this mate, been really busy...although this IS way off topic!!

We have two types of crocs here, the freshwater croc and the saltwater croc. The 'freshy' is a fair bit smaller than the 'salty', is nowhere near as aggressive (quite shy in fact) and considered pretty harmless. The 'salty' can grow to around 20' long, can weigh up to 2000 pounds, is extremely aggressive and very dangerous.

Fortunately, they are pretty much only found in far Northern regions where human population is sparse. I live just South of the 'danger zone'. However, some years back, some do-gooder idiot somewhere decided the salty was in danger of extinction and a ban on culling (and the sale of all by-products) was subsequently introduced. That decision has now come back and bitten the instigators on their collective bums, the salty population has exploded to the point where authorities are having difficulties confining them to usual boundaries/habitat. The upshot is that we now often see reports of saltwater crocs appearing further South in densely populated areas.

The most famous salty in our history resided in a creek in Arnhem Land, outback Australia - at a little place called Jim Jim Cooinda. He was said to be around 23ft long and delighted in biting the transoms (where the outboard motor is mounted) out of the back of aluminum boats. He never actually killed anyone but, in the interests of public safety, National Parks and Wildlife officers attempted to move him to a conservation park - unfortunately, he died in transit.

June and I actually visited Jim Jim Cooinda in 1976 but unfortunately didn't get to see the famous giant croc.

On a side note: Steve Irwin (the crocodile man) is (was) pretty much regarded as a joke here. His ridiculous antics and inane behavior were not appreciated by the majority of Ozzies. He has always been much more highly regarded overseas (particularly in the U.S.) than here at home.

As for me, I've never experienced any personal confrontation with these giant, man-eating reptiles - and I hope I never do!!!

[Claw]

Thanks very much Jim,,you just taught this old man something he never new.I guess you really are not too old to learn.
On a side note: "Crocodile Dundee1 and 2",,are two of my favorite movies,,to have a "knife" like that,,whooooo.   
;

[James (Jim) Hillier]

Well, unlike Steve Irwin, Paul Hogan is an absolute legend!! And yes, his Crocodile Dundee movies are the duck's nuts (that's a good thing ). I have both movies on DVD, they are among my all time favorites too.

I could tell you a lot about Paul Hogan, I actually met him once. But that is another story for another day.

Cheers mate...Jim

[marko]

WOW, there's a name I remember .. Paul Hogan Show !!

[Claw]

Thanks Jim,,those movies are great. Thank you Marko for the clips, I never knew that show existed !!!! I like the Off Topic section,,you see all day long I get questions like: I have $25.00,can you fix this?,or,Can you get a speeding ticket fixed?I won't),or, Do you know where my girlfriend goes at night?(ask her),or want to get rid of that,,it's just laying around?(so are you)!!!! Sometimes it's nice to hear something that's not a favor being asked. Thanks again.

[James (Jim) Hillier]

FACTS: Paul Hogan was originally a painter (industrial not artistic), his full time job was painting the Sydney Harbor Bridge (I kid you not). Apparently, by the time the gang finished painting the bridge it was time to go back to the other end and start all over again (borrrring!!).

Paul decided to chance his hand on a local TV talent show, something akin to America's Got Talent but nowhere near on that same scale. Anyway, his Ozzie humor and laconic style made him an almost instant hit, he was immediately hired to do a small spot on one of our popular current affairs TV shows - a lighthearted look at events. His popularity with the viewing public grew to the stage where he was eventually given his own show. He was extremely popular on the Club circuit too and later went on to make the Crocodile Dundee movies with Linda Kozlowski - whom he eventually married.

"Strop" from the TV show (the one in the surf hat) was actually Hogan's best mate in real life, his real name is John Cornell. And the good sort, Delvene Delaney, was John Cornell's real-life wife. John Cornell now owns a very famous pub in Byron Bay.

[marko]

The most memorable for me watching this guy growing up was his character "Leo W*****", but I didn't really think it would be kinda suitable to post a clip of that here - maybe we're being a little too politically correct though

[Claw]

Maybe more like "playing it safe than sorry" ,,Marko !!!!