Melnq8

Finally got some photos from our visits to Western Australia, the GOR and Tasmania uploaded to a photo sharing site. Here are the links should anyone be interested.

WA
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/332438/index.html

GOR
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/332498/index.html

TAS
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/332559/index.html

Saltuarius

Had a look at your WA pictures and feel the need of a holiday. Thanks for sharing.
Did you notice that your well indowed roo has his testes in front of the penile mound? This is the normal condition for marsupials.

Your lizard is a Shingleback but I am curious about your brown snake. Do you remember where the picture was taken? I have heard of Dugites this uniform in colour but have never seen one myself.

I believe your yellow and orange flowered pea is Hovea pauciflora, only aptly named when one sees some of the others. I would take correction on this ID though as it is many years since I saw it myself in flower.

Melnq8

Hi Saltuarius - No, I didn't examine the kangaroo, just had a bit of a laugh when I saw the photo after-the-fact! Interesting info about marsupials though...will have to pay more attention next time.

The picture of the brown snake was taken on the Cape to Cape Walk between Point Road and Conto's Campground (Margaret River area). I don't know if it's a true brown snake, as in the venomous variety, or just a little snake that happens to be brown. Is a dugite venomous? I'm a bit ignorant on the subject, but I give the critters a wide berth regardless.

We saw a big black snake on the Isthmus Hill/Bald Head walk on Flinders Peninsula near Albany. There was a notice at the beginning of the walk warning about tiger snakes, so I'm assuming it was the black variant? About had a heart attack when I saw that one.

Thanks for the info on the lizard, now I can label the photo correctly. Saw another lizard with long legs and a tall skinny neck. Got some photos of it too, but didn't post them. Any idea what it might be, or are there just too many to guess?

Saltuarius

I think it is a dugite which is highly venomous and potentially fatal if one was to do silly things like run around after being bitten.

Tiger snakes in WA can lack the banding. Elapid snakes, the nasty ones in Australia, do not have any scales between the one which surrounds the nostril and the one in front of the eye. Binoculars and standing on the sunny side help for this.

Probably too many to guess at that lizard without picture.

A look at your Tassie pictures made me think of the time a friend lead me down the mountain from Cradle Mountain to Dove Lake, straight down the escarpment. It was more like a semi-controled fall than a bushwalk. My ears popped twice on the way down we lost altitude that fast. The reason for the fall was to see a rare plant.

Melnq8

I'm in trouble if I ever get bitten by an Aussie snake - doubt I'd have the presence of mind to examine the thing so I could describe it to a doctor. Do Aussies carry snake bite/first aid kits when they go out walking?

I'm thinking I should be better prepared next time I go bushwalking in OZ.

Susan7

Hi Melnq8, have you posted a report for the Tasmania trip? We're thinking of going there again in January.

On the snake issue, I'm a keen bushwalker of 30 years or more and haven't seen that many, two brown snakes only. I did have a pee in the bush near to a largeish curled up red-belly blacksnake in Victoria. I had finished when I noticed him or her, fortunately it dozed on. Think I'd quite like that roo equipment for such occasions...

Melnq8

Saltuarius -

I just posted the mystery lizard on the WA link - the photo is towards the bottom. If you get a chance to look, I'd love to know what it is.

Melnq8

Hi Susan -

Yes, I have two Tassie trip reports posted on Fodor's - here are the links:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34790967

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34540728

Susan7

Thanks heaps Melnq8, I'll have a good look over the weekend. Just looked at your mystery reptile. He is a cutey! I'm not an expert by any means, but he looks a bit like a baby goanna.

Carrabella

Loved the Tasie photos - we lived there for six years, and it made me want to go back. Thanks.
If you go to Cradle Mountain in Autumn, the Fagus Beech blooms golden around the lake, a stunning sight. Our kids used to call thrm "cornflake trees" because the fallen leaves floating in the water looked just like cornflakes.

Nelson

Melnq8, Thanks for the photos. My wife and I are heading to Vic and Tas in February for the Great Ocean Walk and Overland Track, using inn-to-inn and hut-to-hut comfort respectively.

I had already read your trip reports, so thanks for those, but now it has been enjoyable to see your photos. I liked all the signs. We don't have any of those here in Colorado!

travel4flowers

Thanks for posting the great pictures. They are wonderful and brought back a lot of memories.

Melnq8

Thanks everyone.

Nelson - I'm from Colorado too, although we've not lived there for years - where in CO are you from?

Nelson

Melnq8, I am from New York City originally, but my wife and I have lived in Fort Collins since 1978. The town has grown tremendously over the years, some good, some bad. We like it a lot and have no plans to leave.

Last winter was brutal for us, however, hence we are getting out of Dodge in the middle of the winter next year. The year before we went to Scotland in July, and that is the last time we'll go someplace cold in summer! (Scotland was great though).

Saltuarius

Melnq8,
As Susan7 said it is a goanna. to be precise it is a Heath Monitor, Varanus rosenbergii. they grow to five feet in the old measures. One interesting fact is that thy lay their eggs in active termite mounds. the termites repair the hole and so provide an even temerature for the eggs' incubation.

I carry one or two compression bandages with me when walking in areas with a known snake hazzard. Always two when spending a day in the bush by myself.

Please note that is is not necessary for you to identify the snake. The hospital has a kit which will at the least allow the group to be known if not the species. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO CATCH OR KILL THE SNAKE. This will at least exacerbate the invenomation by sending the poison into your lymph system and pumping it towards the trunk. You or your companions could end up being bitten again. Sometimes a snake will strike but not envenomate. If you get it really angry you can bet that it will deliver poison.

I was struck by an Eastern Brown Snake a couple of years ago with nothing worse than two mosquito bites. This snake has a very nasty venom, one of the world's most deadly, but it does not have a very good delivery system. Fangs are not closed at the back and are rather short. In my case it did not bother to make 'spit'; it just wanted me off it.

Melnq8

Thanks for the ID Saltuarius - I'll label the photo as such. We've got plenty of monitor lizards here in Indonesia, but I haven't seen one with such a long neck (not that I'm seeking them out mind you).

Appreciate the info on snake bites too - it would never occur to me to try to catch one. I'm relieved to know that bite victims don't have to know what bit them either, although I'm sure the doctors appreciate any help they can get in identifying the culprit.

Nelson - We're from Colorado Springs and still have family there, so we visit once or twice a year. Hardly recognize the place anymore, or the entire front range for that matter.

We've lived outside the US for about 11 years. We heard about your winter last year, and quite honestly it made us a tad bit envious. We've lived in hot climates for far too long (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and now Indonesia) so we seek out colder climates for our vacations - such as the South Island NZ next month - can't wait for some cold weather!

Saltuarius

Actually as the doctors are usually not familiar with the local snakes and to most observers a brown snake is a Brown Snake it can be a distracter for them to try to ID it with the help of the victim. For example the King Brown is actually from the Black Snake group so that antivenene is used if necessary. Very often doctors will just treat the symptoms and allow the body to denature the toxins with slow and staged release and reapplication of the compression bandages.

nevermind

Melnq8 - I especially enjoyed your pictures of Tasmania. Next month my husband and I are leaving for Australia/New Zealand and a brief stay in Tasmania is on our itinerary. After seeing your pictures, I wished we'd build in more time.

Melnq8

nevermind -

You'll love Tassie - enjoy your trip!