Seals are usually marine creatures – they prefer to live in the sea.

So naturally this one turned heads when it showed up in the River Murray up past Woodlane, more than 130 kilometres upstream.

Roger Wickes was out in a boat, fishing with his grandson, when they spotted the flippered foreigner on Wednesday.

“We put a line in the water, then I noticed it was moving around,” Mr Wickes said.

“We were a bit surprised.

“It made our day.”

The video and photo they took may be a little fuzzy, but there is no mistaking the shape and movements of the creature they were watching.

Another local told Murray Bridge News the seal had been hanging around the Woodlane area for about a week.

Seals have been sighted in the river before – they forced the cancellation of Ski Racing SA’s state championship at Murray Bridge in 2015, and have been known to make rare appearances at Tailem Bend or Wellington.

But this is the first time one has been seen up past Mypolonga in recent memory, as far as this reporter is aware.

Mr Wickes was also lucky enough to see a whistling kite snatch a fish out of the water, close to his boat, on the fishing expedition.

Unfortunately his good fortune did not extend to his own attempts to haul in a catch.

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