Snakes and Ladders

You can't help feeling a mix of fascination and paranoia when it comes to dangerous wildlife in Australia - snakes, spiders, crocodiles, jellyfish, sharks ... the list goes on.  Unfortunately for Danny, his paranoia has now infinitely multiplied after stepping on a snake during our hike in Lamington National Park.  Seriously, what were the chances?!

Danny was walking ahead and suddenly made an awkward wobble when something moved in the leafy earth beneath him. He stumbled forwards while I gasped with excitement, "Ohhh you stepped on a snake … COOL!"  I whipped out the camera to take a photo but the slippery little serpent disappeared into the bushes all too quickly.  Seeing Danny's face turn stone cold and white, I got the impression he didn't think it was cool at all.

What kind of snake was it?  No idea, but it was brown.

Is it a deadly one?  Hmm very possible - brown is generally a bad sign.

What if it bit me?  Don't worry, I know exactly how to do the pressure immobilisation technique.  (That's a lie, I had no idea at the time and was trying to rack my brain on what they taught us during those Duke of Edinburgh expeditions back in high school.)

In lieu of photos of the snake, here are a few brush turkeys that moved much slower for me to easily photograph.  I know they are really common birds, but you gotta admit the little poult is really cute!

After the hike, we were lucky enough to admire the sunset and see a few more animals on the drive down the mountain.  You'll get the joke once you scroll down ;)