Swimmers brave crocodile waters in Queensland

For most swimmers, that would be enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, anxiety ping in every direction, and Jaws-style music play relentlessly in your head.

But for a team of Shepparton swimmers who signed up for the annual Magnetic Island to Townsville Swim, organised by the Townsville Open Water Swimming Association, those fears were a long way from their minds — even when news came of a crocodile sighting the day before the race.

Determined, focused, a little bit fearless, and maybe slightly crazy, they were ready to tackle one of Queensland’s most iconic open-water races that has been running since 1954.

Known as the Goulburn Valley Crocs, the team is part of a Masters swimming club based in Shepparton, affiliated with Masters Swimming Victoria and Masters Swimming Australia.

The club gives adults the chance to train for fitness, wellbeing and competition.

I’m not sure what advice is given regarding potential shark or crocodile encounters, but one thing is certain, all seven of these incredible swimmers returned home unharmed, with an inspirational story of courage, teamwork and adventure.

Among the seven brave swimmers were Wendy Kingma (64), Ingrid Fraser (38), Liliana Angeles (39), Alison Christopher (59), Steven Orr (62), Glenn Gibson (60), and Margreet Stegeman (64), each bringing their own grit and determination to the 8km challenge held on Saturday, July 26 this year.

Wendy Kingma, who has been swimming for around 30 years, mostly in the pool until about 10 years ago, when she began taking on open-water events, said the swim was more than just a race in the ocean.

It was a big team effort of support and encouragement for everyone involved.

She added that even though there had been a crocodile sighting the day before, the group was assured they would be safe.

“It was such an incredible experience for us all, and we all trained hard and supported each other the whole way,” Wendy said.

“The event organisers told us that crocodiles are territorial and that they do multiple drone searches in the days beforehand.

“When you’re swimming, to be honest, you don’t even think about it. You just swim.”

Ingrid Fraser added she had been told egg-laying season is when crocodiles are more active, which, fortunately, was not the time of year the race takes place.

“You just hope they are on another island lying around,” Ingrid said.

“You are guided by God,” Alison Christopher added with a laugh.

To take part in the event, each of the seven swimmers needed to complete a 4km swim in under one hour 35 minutes to qualify.

On race day, they also had to finish the full 8km course in under three hours 15 minutes. As solo swimmers, they were accompanied by a support paddler for safety.

“They are there to push the sharks and crocs out of the way,” Alison added with another laugh.

“All jokes aside, it was one of the hardest swims of my life. I thought I was going to give up many times, but once I got to halfway, I pushed myself to keep going.

“I didn’t care about placing. I was just happy to finish, even if it was behind everyone.”

Out of the 150 participants in the race, each divided into age groups, Liliana Angeles came first in her group, while Ingrid Fraser finished third in hers.

After months of relentless training three times a week, and countless chats over coffee after sessions, the hard work paid off.

All seven swimmers completed the race, sharing plenty of good-natured banter along the way.

They also enjoyed a little holiday in the sunny northern state, staying close as a group and soaking up some semi-relaxation alongside the challenge of competing.

“When I finished, I was seriously exhausted and just wanted to collapse, and I looked up the beach and here was Ingrid playing with her kids in the sand,” Liliana said.

“I don’t know how she had the energy to do that.

“The ongoing banter kept things real and motivated everyone to do their best. It was an incredible experience for us all.”

For each swimmer, the challenges were personal, whether it was pushing through pool training or maintaining the right balance of nutrition to fuel the body.

Yet, the compassion and friendships they shared kept them on the same path — a path to the finish line, supported by a team who trained and encouraged each other, ultimately becoming one group of friends.

“I think it's because we see each other in our bathers, in our goggles, in our caps, ultimately at times exhausted. There is no room for vanity,” Ingrid said with a smile.

Alison added, “And with algae on our face sometimes.”

Everyone laughed.

For these swimmers, the journey was about more than just completing an iconic open-water race.

It was about teamwork, friendship, and pushing personal limits together.

To learn more about this journey, the Goulburn Valley Crocs, and how to get involved, visit https://gvcrocs.org/

And by the way, it doesn’t all involve crocodile or shark-filled waters, despite what the group’s name might suggest.

If you prefer to stick to the pool, there are plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy, making it a welcoming club for swimmers.