A young woman was attacked by a crocodile just two days after a father-of-two was killed by a shark on the same stretch of western Australia coastline.Tara Hawkes, 23, was pulled to safety by a passenger on a cruise ship after a saltwater crocodile latched onto her legs as she was taking a dip in a freshwater pool near Dugong Bay, in the north of Western Australia.

Miss Hawkes, from the town of Busselton – close to where fatal shark-attack victim Peter Kurmann came from – is an employee on the cruise ship True North, a popular vessel among wealthy tourists.

Attacked: Tara Hawkes, a crew member of luxury cruiser True North, was bitten by a crocodile as she swam in the remote Kimberley Ranges in Australia

After being pulled from the water she was later flown by helicopter – which the ship carries on its own launch pad – to a hospital in the small town of Derby. From there she was expected to be flown by plane to a major hospital in Perth.

Miss Hawkes has posted a striking sunset picture of True North on her Facebook page – a shot which also shows the vessel’s helicopter.

The ship, which can carry 36 passengers, has a staff of 20.

It was purpose-built to take tourists to remote wilderness areas – but the adventures come at a cost. A seven-night trip to the north west region known as the Kimberleys can cost up to £10,000 a person.

Mr Peter Carstairs, from Western Australia’s Department of the Environment and Conservation, said Miss Hawkes was taking a swim in a fresh water pool in an area known for crocodiles.

‘It was not far from the salt water area and…”
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