UPDATE 4.45pm: Mrs van der Spek said the reaction had far exceeded her expectations
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"It's just kind of exploded," she said.
"I wasn't really expecting this much of a reaction but I'm pretty happy with it, it seems like a lot of people have had fun with it.
"My friends and family are all very proud of me."
UPDATE 12:30pm: The artist behind the ceramic April Fools' Day crocodile that appeared at Lake Weeroona overnight has come clean.
La Trobe University Visual arts graduate Laura van der Spek created the hand moulded slab and coil crocodile tail in the university's ceramics work space as a "light-hearted and not at all serious" hoax.
Despite the elaborate hoax Mrs van der Spek insisted that she was not a prankster at heart and just liked making creatures.
"I'm not very good at pranks which is why this (was) probably the worst kept secret in Bendigo because I told pretty much all of my friends and family," she said.
"I'm just hoping people get a kick out of it."
She said the sculpture had taken her three months to complete but the project had been on her to do list for a while.
"When I decided what I wanted to do on the island I had been thinking about it for about two years, trying to think what I wanted to put there," she said.
"I spent a lot of time at Lake Weeroona growing up and it's just such a beautiful place, as an artist I felt compelled to give something back to the environment I live in."
Mrs van der Spek thanked the City of Greater Bendigo council and the La Trobe University arts department for their full support for the project.
"Bendigo city council has given me enough money to cover my materials for this project and La Trobe uni has been kind enough to let me use their studio space for free," she said.
"The fact that other people thought it was funny was pretty nice."
Mrs van der Spek said she wouldn't be resting on her laurels, with plans to start an arts collective in Bendigo already under way.
"It's a group of artists in Bendigo who are looking for a home, for all the artists who are finished at La Trobe and BRIT to come together in a community environment," she said.
And as for next April?
"I'll probably have something in mind for next year but I'll mull that one over," she said.
UPDATE 11.40am: The Boardwalk restaurant owner Andy Lawson has spectacularly claimed that his staff have caught the Lake Weeroona croc and have now added it to their menu.
Mr Lawson said none of the staff had crocodile hunting experience but had taken some tips from the best.
"We did jump onto youtube and had a quick look at Steve Irwin just to get the technique down," he said.
"Once we caught him the chef got the biggest knife possible and put him to rest and we've started at the tail and we're about eight foot up the tail with the fillets."
Mr Lawson said the restaurant was serving the one tonne beast with dodo eggs and a bunyip glaze reduction.
"He's a big croc so it's going to take weeks to get through," he said.
Locals have reported that the crocodile's tail still appears to be visible on the island, raising the prospect that there may be more than one crocodile in the lake.
UPDATE 11.15am: Staff at The Boardwalk Bendigo confirmed this morning that they had indeed seen the reptile lurking in the lake beside the cafe....
...And have added it to the menu! Is there more than one croc?
UPDATE 8.50am: MAUREEN Gill and Irene McKinna were happy to see a little extra excitement on their Wednesday morning walk.
The pair were keenly looking for the croc, and finally found it among the bushes in the middle of Lake Weeroona.
"I was expecting it to be more of a grey colour," Maureen said.
But perhaps it was a special Bendigo breed?
"Maybe you're right, it's definitely an interesting sight though," Irene said.
The two walkers hoped the croc would keep its sharp teeth away from others enjoying a morning stroll.
UPDATE 8.30am: OUT on their morning walk, Leonard Tuck and Jacqui Boswell couldn't believe their eyes as they made their way around Lake Weeroona.
"We saw it!" Mr Tuck said.
"A crocodile slithering off under the bushes over there.
"We couldn't believe it."
The pair weren't the only ones stunned at the sight.
Others are also pointing out the unusual sighting in the usually calm waters of the lake.
While some were worried, the ducks certainly weren't bothered.
They continue to swim happily with their new found friend.
But, as Mr Tuck put it, they shouldn't count their chickens quite yet.
"I think I saw a few feathers floating in the water near the croc," he said.
EARLIER: WILDLIFE experts are stunned at the sighting of an enormous crocodile at Lake Weeroona in Bendigo.
A remotely-operated wildlife camera trap set up on the island by the City of Greater Bendigo to monitor birdlife snapped the mystery reptile leaving the water on Tuesday afternoon.
An image of the crocodile was leaked to the Bendigo Advertiser but the newspaper was later prevented from filming the reptile by a city employee keen to keep a lid on public concern.
The Addy showed the image to Northern Territory crocodile hunter Rodney Ansell who estimated the croc's weight at over a tonne.
"It's the biggest fresh water croc I've ever seen," he said.
Mr Ansell said fresh water crocodiles usually ate fish and small animals but warned residents to stay clear of the Weeroona island.
"People really need to be aware of the danger in approaching an animal of this size," he said.
"If you are forced into a confrontation the best strategy is to either climb a tree or punch it on the nose. Never look it in the eye - they hate that."
Mr Ansell said it was extremely rare for a crocodile to make its way so far south but such sightings were most common in early April.
The Bendigo Advertiser believes the crocodile will be visible on the island on Wednesday if readers wanted to go for a look.
More to come.