Larissa

I love walking by the sea with the family in the evening, just as the sun is going down. This time we walked from Quinns Life Saving Club along the cliff walk to Mindarie. The first snake I saw just as my daughter was going to charge over it, no doubting squashing it - but I spotted it and pulled her back. It was a small black snake, we all backed off wondering if it really was a snake, if it was dead etc. Then we lobbed a small stone nearby to see if we could get a reaction (near the snake but not at it, without hurting said snake, which we weren't sure was a snake anyhow) and it slivered off into the dunes. Close by there was a golden coloured one, which had eaten something and clearly wasn't going anywhere. Then we walked onto Mindarie, stopping at a quayside before coming back. Funny though, there was a huge sign warning that this is a snake area - we thought "bit late warning us, we still have to trek back to the car!". The sun had gone down by now and I was really regretting wearing a skirt and having come this far, so we walked in a line behind hubby, who was trying to stomp along, making enough noise to scare any snakes away. On the way back we saw a bigger snake, light in colour, which moved quickly down the pathway - quite impressive movement really. Anyway, we got back to the car safely and have decided that we probably won't go that route without decent jeans etc. on, although it was very scenic.
So this was our first snake encounter and we saw 3 at once, they must be like buses.

skywalker

...
I don't like snakes and I think it's better avoiding it; glad you're k!

Loopy

Hey Larissa

We walked down the same stretch tonight & saw 3 snakes too! One dead, two very much alive. All were very small, about 30cm long and hubby insisted we got a closer look. Anyway, came home & looked them up & they seem to have actually been legless lizards, called I think, javelin lizards, although they looked every bit a snake! Last week not too far from there I saw a dugite so there are definetly slithery friends around!

Loopy

TheCrone

Yes, now that it's finally decided to warm up a bit, you'll see many more snakes. They'll go for any ground that has residual heat in it, even after sundown. But it's true, they are more afraid of you than you are of them, so the best thing to do is walk heavily; they sense the vibrations and will get out of the way if they can.

At one time, we lived right 'out bush'................my husband used to wait till I'd gone to town, then play heavy metal music till the whole house shook! And I never once saw a snake!

Loopy

But it's true, they are more afraid of you than you are of them, so the best thing to do is walk heavily; they sense the vibrations and will get out of the way if they can.

Very true. All the ones I've seen before have slithered away when they've heard/felt/seen us coming but not the ones last night, which was odd. They just lay perfectly still on the path. We thought at first they were dead until one reared it's head up. Maybe it's because they weren't "true" snakes. You tend to see more at the end of the day when it's cooling & they are looking for heat still.

Loopy

boom_meringue

we went out to the Swan valley to a winery last week and saw our first tiger snake, it was merrily gliding across the drive way of the winery as we pulled off the main road and darted off while we were 3 or 4 metres away. I was quite glad that we were in the car at the time but they are beautiful snakes.

Larissa

Hi Loopy, I have had a look at the following http://members.iinet.net.au/~bush/ID_index.htm
but am finding it a bit difficult to identify them, I should have taken my camera! I'm sure at least one must have been a snake though the first one (which we got the best look at) looked like a juvenile Dugite

Larissa

Lol, maybe they have good taste in music Hope you are keeping well, Larissa

Larissa

Just wanted to add something about first aid, I think we all know about red back bites etc. but I must admit to being unsure for snake bites, which are potentially more of a problem.
Just before New Year, there was a case of a young girl who was bitten by a dugite on Rotto. The people she was with knew what to do, so she ended up not needing antivenom, which in itself can be pretty nasty. If you apply pressure to the bite site and retain the venom, the venom stain can be identified by the medical services, using a test kit. There is a "multi-venom" but it's best to get the right one, as there are some dodgy side-effects.

http://www.usyd.edu.au/anaes/venom/snakebite.html
From
Do NOT wash the area of the bite!

It is extremely important to retain traces of venom for use with venom identification kits!

Stop lymphatic spread - bandage firmly, splint and immobilise!

The "pressure-immobilisation" technique is currently recommended by the Australian Resuscitation Council, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

The lymphatic system is responsible for systemic spread of most venoms. This can be reduced by the application of a firm bandage (as firm as you would put on a sprained ankle) over a folded pad placed over the bitten area. While firm, it should not be so tight that it stops blood flow to the limb or to congests the veins. Start bandaging directly over the bitten area, ensuing that the pressure over the bite is firm and even. If you have enough bandage you can extend towards more central parts of the body, to delay spread of any venom that has already started to move centrally. A pressure dressing should be applied even if the bite is on the victims trunk or torso.

Immobility is best attained by application of a splint or sling, using a bandage or whatever to hand to absolutely minimise all limb movement, reassurance and immobilisation (eg, putting the patient on a stretcher). Where possible, bring transportation to the patient (rather then vice versa). Don't allow the victim to walk or move a limb. Walking should be prevented.

The pressure-immobilisation approach is simple, safe and will not cause iatrogenic tissue damage (ie, from incision, injection, freezing or arterial torniquets - all of which are ineffective).