# I'm Visiting WA for a month ...want to be friends??? :)



## Obediah2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Hello everyone, this is my first time enjoying your forum and second day in WA. I wouldn't call myself a herper, but I love to see snakes in the wild. I'm here on vacation until the 26th with a rent-car, my wife, and 5-year-old daughter. My daughter loves to see snakes too. 

Our visit is mostly to sightsee and have beach time, but I can't pass up the chance to see so many snakes that I've only dreamt of seeing. I'm going to try and hike a bit in these local hills and hope for the best, but if anyone wants to offer advise I would love it.

...or better yet, if anyone wants to act as a guide that would be even better 

I'm from California, so I get to see a fair number of herps, but nothing like this!!!

In the worst case, I'll just check out all of your pictures and hero from a distance.


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## Nephrurus (Dec 8, 2010)

i'm in Perth and to be honest you're here at the wrong time of year. 

Walking around Herdsman Lake during the mid morning should yield a tiger snake or two. 












Driving around in the hills in the evening might net you smething interesting like a carpet python, a parasute or an adder (parasuta below)






If you go to the beach you might stumble across a dugite. 






Also found amongst the beachside dunes are the neat little banded snakes _ Simoselaps bertholdi_







There are plenty of herps around, you'll just have to get lucky and find a snake. 

-H


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## grannieannie (Dec 8, 2010)

If you're actually visiting Perth city, then a great place to visit is the Armadale Reptile Centre in the suburb of Armadale. Their email address is.... [email protected] they are lovely people and they don't just have reptiles but other native fauna too. Sorry I don't have their phone number, but it'll be in the Perth metro phone book.

Enjoy your holiday.

Cheers, Annie


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## Obediah2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Thanks for the help. I'll check that place out in Perth. 

As far as the time of year, it's funny you say that. In the US, it seems like everyone thinks that the hotter the weather, the better for snakes. As I read the little I could find about snakes here (by using google) I was reading that summer was the time for snakes here. I thought it was a little strange, I figured, "What do I know?". Now I finally hear from someone who knows snakes and the area and that makes more sense.

No worries though ...like I said, we're mostly here for a beach vacation, so the snakes will be what they will be.

Love the photos - and I'd love to see a Tiger Snake (since I never have)

Cheers


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## Obediah2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Oh ...one more question ...about the dunes. Is morning/evening the best? I'm staying in Cottesloe, so beach dunes sound like an easy place to take my daughter.


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## Nephrurus (Dec 8, 2010)

Summer is still good for snakes, but a lot of activity is in spring. It can get a bit too hot during the day. 
Try the mornings on the dunes. Likewise with herdsman lake. on the dunes you might get Heath Dragons _Ctenophorus adelaidensis_ and Shinglebacks as well.


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## r3ptilian (Dec 8, 2010)

I was in WA a couple of weeks ago, sorry to say it but Herdsman Lake is totally dry. You could play cricket in the middle of the lake. I found Yanchep's Loch McNess a really good spot for photographing herps, by night the walking tracks were covered in motorbike frogs. And by day we saw tree skinks, water skinks, tiger snakes, stumpy's and goulds monitors.
Hope this helps.


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## Obediah2 (Dec 8, 2010)

Good to know - thanks.


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## Nephrurus (Dec 8, 2010)

r3ptilian said:


> I was in WA a couple of weeks ago, sorry to say it but Herdsman Lake is totally dry. You could play cricket in the middle of the lake. I found Yanchep's Loch McNess a really good spot for photographing herps, by night the walking tracks were covered in motorbike frogs. And by day we saw tree skinks, water skinks, tiger snakes, stumpy's and goulds monitors.
> Hope this helps.



Yeah, can't say I've been to Herdsman recently. Did you get any photos of the "water skinks"?

-H


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## Niall (Dec 8, 2010)

Yanchep NP is a great place to visit, if you want to see a good amount of Tigers, try heading up there around 8am and just have a wonder around the lake for a couple of hours, you will also see plenty of turtles.
Found the first Carpet python of the season up in Yanchep last week, crossing the road on the side of the NP.

If you want to see Death Adders, head out to Canning Dam on a warm night and you should be able to find a few and even other snakes on the road up to the Dam


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## Tristan (Dec 8, 2010)

if you can go check out penguin island its a good kayak trip as well and i garantee you will see some cunninghams oh and some penguins and probably some seals.


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## AllThingsReptile (Dec 8, 2010)

Nephrurus said:


> Summer is still good for snakes, but a lot of activity is in spring. It can get a bit too hot during the day.


 i agree, in summer here we do get the herps out and about, and they are still easy to find BUT in spring they are even easier as they are waking up from hibernation, hunting, mating, they are more interesting and good photo opportunity's can be quite common

anyways back on topic, mate im jelouse of you, i've never been to WA or NT or SA or even QLD, which are herp central, all the exiting herps in my area are extremely rare or endagered, mate just finding a few snakes would be great for me, if i were you, id try to find a death adder (my fav) lol


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## reptilife (Dec 8, 2010)

I used to live in WA and would often walk down to Manning Park near Coogee.
There is a lake there and I would always see lots of turtles and often snakes nearby.
Just up from the lake, but still within the park, there was an historical homestead which always seemed to be over-run with bobtails and bluetongue lizards.
There were times when we were there and there were soooo many of these lizards you would have to be careful where you you stepped! Good thing too, was that there were always Parks officers about, so no-one interfered with the lizards.
Don't know where you are staying, but if you are anywhere near Freo or Coogee it will be well worth you going for a look!
I was there once and right on the shore of the lake I was witness to a great many shinglebacks mating, in what I can only describe as a 'frenzy!' I have never again seen anything like it.


Edited to add.... Some lovely beeches nearby at Coogee too. Drop off the Mrs. and child and go herping nearby!!!


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## Obediah2 (Dec 8, 2010)

reptilife said:


> I used to live in WA and would often walk down to Manning Park near Coogee.
> There is a lake there and I would always see lots of turtles and often snakes nearby.
> Just up from the lake, but still within the park, there was an historical homestead which always seemed to be over-run with bobtails and bluetongue lizards.
> There were times when we were there and there were soooo many of these lizards you would have to be careful where you you stepped! Good thing too, was that there were always Parks officers about, so no-one interfered with the lizards.
> ...


 
Hahaha ...well played. I'll run that by the girls


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