Cape York children climb a tree after being stalked by a monster crocodile

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Eight children have been rescued after climbing a tree at Kowanyama on Cape York to escape from a massive crocodile.

The children, aged between 11 and 14, had been playing in Magnificent Creek on Saturday when one of them saw the crocodile approaching them.

It’s estimated the reptile was more than five metres in length.

Senior Constable Martin Shephard said all eight children climbed into the tree and began yelling for help.

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“Someone on the bank has actually heard and they’ve then called their local police to assist,” he said.

“Upon arrival, police have actually called out to the kids over the loudspeaker, thinking they were joking and being a bit silly about a crocodile being in the water.

“However, the kids were quite scared at the time.”

The officers borrowed a boat from a local elder to ferry the children to safety.

“While they were trying to rescue the kids out of the tree, the crocodile has actually appeared,” Snr Const Shephard said.

“This crocodile was actually larger than the boat and it was a five-metre boat.”

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“They were smart enough to not panic, they climbed into a tree and got themselves to safety and looked after each other until local police arrived.”

While police praised the children’s actions, they did issue a warning about swimming in known crocodile territory as well as noting the river was also dangerous due to recent flooding.

A crocodile warning has been issued to the local community for an area known as the 'Car Crossing', however it is believed the reptile will move on as the water subsides.