Giant crocodile corralled by wheelie bins in Queensland garden.

Locals in a small fishing town in Queensland had to improvise a barricade out of wheelie bins when a 3.5m saltwater crocodile wandered into residents’ backyards on New Year’s Eve.

The male crocodile was found sunning itself in the back garden of a local house in Esplanade, Karumba, at around 6am, later moving to the front of the property.

At first, police officers and locals attempted to funnel the reptile back to the water but it “became clear he wasn’t keen to move”, according to the police press release.

Officers decided to seal him in using bales of hay until wildlife officials arrived.

The crocodile was reportedly removed by forklift into a boat and taken to a local holding facility where the environmental department will find him a new home.

Locals are being urged to remain vigilant as the wet season means the creatures will be moving around more freely, police said.

He joins almost 400 other crocodiles removed by the environmental department in Queensland in 2016 using a non-lethal management plan for the protected animal.