What would you do ?

I was once riding my mountain bike in a desert area and there was a big mulga snake on the track in front of me, having a nice sleep. I looked around for a stick or rock to throw at it to scare it away, but there was not a thing there but sand. I ended up walking well around it and letting it sleep on.

Me I would have gone back.

I HATE snakes with a passion, I'm all for keeping WELL out of there way had a big red bellie black here the other day about 1.5 m (did not think they grew that big) bueatful snake to look at but pleased it went on its way. Neighbour said they had a large brown snake in the garden to watch out for.

There goes gardening not wanting to meet at all.

Brian

Just keep the Sprite handy in case you get bitten. LOL!!

! was driving down a track on Fraser one morning to go fishing. There was a big python right across the track. I stopped and tried the shoo bit but it ignored me. So I got the beach rod and flicked it near its head to move it. Hook at the end of the beach rod got caught in a bush about six inches above this thing. So there I was - stuck. Couldn't clear the rod without getting really close to its head. So like a bunny I had to just sit and wait till this thing decided it had made enough of a fool of me and moved along by its own volition lol.

Well done Robin, obviously you didn't panic!


Reminded me of something that happened to Gayleen last year...
I'll quote from her trip report from a weekend down the Old Grafton Road.....

"After dinner, it was camp fire time and we all were very comfortable, chatting amongst ourselves. All the kids were playing outside Jay and Tracey’s caravan, quietly amusing themselves. I was sitting next to Norm and Kathryn, chatting with them when I felt a peculiar tapping on the leg of my chair. I ignored it at first, thinking it was one of the guys trying to annoy me with a stick or something. After a few minutes I looked down to see what it was and leapt up and over to the other side of the fire, screaming “Snaaaaaaaaaaake!!!!!!” I hid behind Rob while Norm, Mick and Owen chased it off into the bush with a stick. It was a reasonable sized brown snake and apparently had been hiding/sleeping in the firewood. The heat of the fire must have woken him and made him angry enough to be striking against the leg of my chair. I was shaking; partly because of how close I was to being bitten, but mostly because I am absolutely petrified of snakes! We realized later that some of the kids had been sitting on the wood pile earlier, so it could have been very nasty indeed! I needed a couple more medicinal Jim Beams after that! "

Lucky eh???

Cheers

Brian

Hi Robin,
WE had a similar experience 4 weeks ago while 4x4 driving in the mountains near Brisbane. Lucky we saw it coiled up on the track ahead of us. WE were able to carefully drive over it with passenger side wheels raised up a little on side of enbankment so clearance over snake was maximised. Walked back to check it after driving a few metres ahead and it was slowly waking up from hibernation I think.
This was it:
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Cheers,
GPM

A harmless Diamond Python!!

W.C.Fields was quoted as saying that `I always keep a bottle of gin handy in case I see a snake which I also keep handy. ` Lol

Regards G.T.

This is a subject I've never had to think about much in the past but for those in Melbourne they may have seen the channel 7/ 10 news and heard a story about a teenager bitten by a snake in Berwick. Well, that teenager was my son.
He was walking in a local botanic park reading a text message from a friend on his phone and nearly stepped on the snake (brownish in colour) which promptly bit him then slithered to safety.
From that point on he did everything wrong. He had no credit so didn't ring the emergency services even though the emergency numbers still work even with zero credit.
A friend was with him but instead of sitting down and not moving and sending his friend for help he wrapped his leg with his shirt then decided to walk about 1Km back to the park visitor centre.
It took a while to convince the ladies at the counter that he may have been bitten by a snake but they eventually rang us at home where my wife asked them to ring for an ambulance but they were reluctant to do so as although my son Brendan was "pretty sure" the snake bit him there was an element of doubt.
We live only a couple of minutes from the park so my wife was there quickly and the ladies at the park had bandaged my sons leg.
My wife then rang the ambulance and they were there promptly and took him to the local hospital where he was admitted.
He had a pair of marks that looked like fang marks but he and his friend had been playing in the bush which was quite prickly so maybe it wasn't a snake bite.
Well the hospital did a snake bite test (I believe it was the 1st one they had done) and indeed the test was positive for snake bite on the skin.
Later tests however gave him the all clear as no venom was injected into his bloodstream. It appears that many snake bites are warning bites and the snake can control if venom is injected.
This was just a warning bite from the snake to let my son know "don't get any closer". Venom on the skin is obviously from the snakes mouth.
The doctors thought the snake bit kit showed brown snake venom (reported as such in the news) but as it was their 1st test and it goes by a series of colours to represent a particular snake family they may have been wrong.
The local snake catcher is sure it was a Copperhead as he has removed many from areas where the public congregate here.
So that was an interesting Saturday afternoon/night for us but Brendan's pleased, everybody wants to talk to him "he's famous" lol.
He's off to Outward Bound for 10 days tomorrow morning so we just told him to steer clear of snakes.
Regards Andrew.