"Just to stop him from going anywhere, we didn't want him wandering around the streets."
"Once he got under the shade of a Frangipani tree, he wasn't going anywhere."
A sprinkler was switched on to keep the mammoth salty cool until Wildlife officers arrived from Cairns at 7.30pm.
Acting Sergeant Richards said the incident quickly garnered popularity on Facebook and turned into a rudimentary New Year's Eve attraction.
"People came from everywhere to check out the croc," he said.
The unnamed croc has been relocated safely to a facility in Mission Beach.