"I was particularly attracted to all those things that might hurt me, which in an Australian context is practically everything. ...my guidebook blandly observed that 'only' fourteen species of Australian snakes are seriously lethal, among them the western brown, desert death adder, tiger snake, taipan and yellow-bellied sea snake. The taipan is one to watch out for. It is the most poisonous snake on earth, with a lunge so shift and a venom so potent that your last mortal utterance is likely to be: 'i say, is that a sn--'"
from 'Down Under' by Bill Bryson
What could I add? :)
For my relief we saw only 2 snakes though the second one was in the see and was yellow (cf.: yellow-bellied sea snake).
Though some sign indicated that the presence of reptiles is just normal:
Well, when you sitting down to the toilet you really need to hope that everybody has closed the lid before you... Fortunately only a cute gecko was all that we have found in a bathroom.
Just to talk about more likable reptiles:
We have met a frog in a quite unusual place.
And we have seen lizards in surprising colors.
And look at this guy. It is the thorny devil of Australia.
This lizard (i.e. the devil below) was indicated by a sudden break of our camper van. Fortunately the vehicle behind us kept quite a decent safety gap -- about 100 km. :D
This strange creature might be a scincidae:
One day we looked for a hot spring and asked the direction from some lady. She told us the path and also added that she loved the place and also that we could swim there. For some seconds I found it strange that she emphasized the swimming option that is a kind of obvious in case of spring / river / lake. Only after that I realized: not in Austria. In Australia you better to anticipate crocodiles in any 'free' water. Written warnings are also remind you.
