Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Hiking Near a Deadly Snake

On Sunday morning, we awoke with our sunburnt faces and shared our breakfast (of cookies) with some pretty birds. Then we packed up our camping gear and decided to head out for a hike.
The campground is next to Tidal River, which connects to Norman Beach. There was a huge flood at Wilson's Promontory in March of this year, so several trails and such are closed for repair. But we were able to hike to Norman's Point from the beach, and it was beautiful.
Here I am checking out the beautiful blue water of Norman Beach.

As we were heading down the trail, we ran into an Australian couple who warned us about a tiger snake they had seen along the path. Being an ignorant American, I asked if tiger snakes were dangerous. Um, yes. Apparently they are aggressive and their venom can kill you. Welcome to Australia!
When we found it along the trail a few minutes later, Zack quickly took a few pictures with my zoom lens while I tried not to freak out, and we ran past it quickly to continue our hike. Apparently this one was "only" a baby; I would not like to come in contact with its mother!
This is looking down from the end of the trail at Norman's Point. The churning water looked like shaving cream, and yes, some of the rocks are really that orange. I was surprised at how many islands there were out in the ocean and how mountainous (hilly) this region of the country was in general.







Wilson's Promontory is a beautiful area of Victoria. I definitely want to come back once more of the repairs are finished; it seems like there could be a lot to explore. We had a fabulous weekend with so many awesome Australian experiences: a kangaroo hopping across the road, sharing Shiraz around a "barbie," wombats walking through our campsite, boogie boarding on white sand beaches, and hiking near deadly snakes. It's weekends like this that make me realize and appreciate the adventures we're able to have in another country. Until next time...

3 comments:

  1. Were the rocks orange, or was orange stuff growing on them?

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  2. Google tells me it is orange lichen growing on the rocks.

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  3. No need to be afraid of tiger snakes; yes if they bite you they are very dangerous, but in reality they are very shy and usually quick to move out of your way, the absolute last thing they want is a confrontation with an animal 60-80 times bigger than themselves. Take a photo, stand and watch from a metre or two away and admire their beauty!

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