Roper River Croc Shooters – SOLD
Detail photos for this Artwork
Story-telling and preserving bush history in paint are some the most important and defining features of Sawrey’s work. Sawrey’s painting “Roper River Croc Shooters” records his encounters at a time when enterprising adventurers and indigenous hunters worked along the Roper River to hunt large saltwater crocodiles for their skins. Crocodile hunting was dangerous work, but money could be made from their skins for those game enough to do it!
The Roper River, the second largest river in the Northern Territory, is known for its population of large saltwater crocodiles. The rivers flows east from near Mataranka for about 400 km before reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Australian commercial crocodile hunting dates back to the 1930s, initially providing employment to indigenous hunters who used traditional methods. After World War II, crocodile hunting expanded due to the ready availability of .303 rifles. Political unrest in Africa cut off the usual international supply of crocodile skins, increasing the price and Cairns then evolved into a centre for skin dealers who acted as middlemen between the hunters and overseas buyers.
The expansion of crocodile hunting as an industry in northern Australia from the mid-1940’s and into the 1960’s, impacted saltwater crocodile populations. Eventually government legislation in the 1970’s was implemented to protect crocodiles and a ban was introduced to end commercial crocodile hunting in Queensland. Now the industry relies on skins produced from crocodile farms.
Crocodile hunting has now become a cultural phenomenon as a symbol of rugged Australian characters and wild outback adventures with the advent of Paul Hogan’s “Crocodile Dundee” movies, and Steve Irwin’s television programmes highlighting to the world the power and danger of the ancient saltwater crocodile species.
