# Best Herping spots



## Fuscus (Feb 22, 2004)

I'm going to try and set up an on-going thread where we tell each other about good places to see wild herps, how to get there,best time of the year, what herps you are likely to see and the chances of seeing the animal. I'll start off

*Place Name* Girrawin National Park.
*How to get there* its on the Queensland-NSW border near Stanthorpe About three hours south of Brisbane.
*Best Time * Spring or autum, Its hot in the summer and freezing in the winter (below zero tempretures)
*Wild Herps* 
Cunningham Skinks - Abundant and easy to see but they like the higher points. Any of the granite monoliths have a colony. These are the new england morph with the gold head and beautiful pattern.
Gilberts Dragons - Common but cryptic
Nobbi Dragon - Very Common
Tree crevice Skink - large dark skink
Eastern Water Dragon - Only seen a couple
Large 2 meter plus brown snake - very fast and very shy - possibly a taipan.

*Other notes* Have seen Platypus and Sugar Gliders and satin bowerbirds. Also thieves work the campground at night, their favorite targets are bannanas and bread (brush-tailed possums)


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## womas4me (Feb 23, 2004)

We live in the pilbara and you would have to be god cursed or blind not to see herps here. You fly in or drive in. 2 hr flight from perth or 16 hr drive. Best times are November to May. We commonly see:
Pythons Stimsons, Perthensis, Bhp, not so often Pilbara Olive ( barroni )
Elapids Mulga, Gwarder, Rosens, Yellow Faced Whipsnake, Moon snake, Death Adders ( pyrrhus, wellsi )
Dragons Beardeds, Ring tailed, Ta-Ta ( longirostris ), Central netted
Geckos Knob tailed, Bynoe's, Fat tailed, Western spiny tailed
Monitors Perentie, Goulds, Panoptes, Accies, brevies
Centralian Blue tongues

Because it gets so hot here your ' day ' herps can often be seen at night when it cools down to 30 degrees.


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## Bryony (Aug 4, 2004)

anyother good herping spots in NSW?


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## sxereturn (Aug 4, 2004)

Bad, bad idea...


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## Bryony (Aug 4, 2004)

why is that?


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## hugsta (Aug 4, 2004)

> Bad, bad idea...


Kind of agree with that, but you have to hope ppl do the right thing.


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## NoOne (Aug 4, 2004)

You might as well wright people a shopping list :roll:


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2004)

- Milk
- Bread
- Orange juice
- Vegimite
- extra soft toilet Paper
- cheese
- Butter
- tea Bags
- Soap
- Ice Cream

HEHEHEHEHEHE


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## Bryony (Aug 4, 2004)

oh
sorry guys....didn't realise :cry:


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## hugsta (Aug 4, 2004)

Brodes, 
You forgot your red cordial......... :twisted: :wink: :lol:


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## BROWNS (Aug 4, 2004)

and he forgot an albino ball python just for me...


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## Fuscus (Aug 4, 2004)

sxereturn said:


> Bad, bad idea...


Are people in NSW that untrustworthy?
Just report National Parks if you feel that way.


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## Greg (Aug 4, 2004)

What, ya don't think it doesn't go on in S.A.?
You're foolin' yourself if ya do.

Anyway it was a Queenslander that pointed out how wrong it'd be.




Greg.


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## Greg (Aug 4, 2004)

Greg said:


> What, ya don't think it doesn't go on in S.A.?




Is that a double negative?


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## soulweaver (Aug 4, 2004)

i heard that a good place to go herping is the zoo, was told you get to see a few different species


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## Sdaji (Aug 4, 2004)

You can't even talk about it too freely in Melbourne. I showed someone a good spot last year which had almost nothing other than little whip snakes and eastern browns (although you could easily find 30 snakes in a couple of hours there) and a few months later when I went almost every rock had been moved and not replaced and I found less than a quarter of what was usually there previously. Brown snakes aren't even worth anything!


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## soulweaver (Aug 4, 2004)

i know the feeling Sdaji as i am from melb too and the same thing happen to me, except i was seeing browns/tigers/ jacky lizards


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## Splitmore (Aug 4, 2004)

> Bad, bad idea...





> You might as well wright people a shopping list


Please! Just because someone is interested in observing a reptile in it's natural habitat doesn't automatically mean they are out to vaccuum up everything they come across. Most stuff is that common and readily available these days why would you bother spending hours out in the bush to catch some parasite ridden reptile when you could buy a clean healthy captive bred one.
I'm not naive enough to think wild collecting doesn't go on but believe it or not there are still a couple of honest people out there.


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## Sdaji (Aug 4, 2004)

> Please! Just because someone is interested in observing a reptile in it's natural habitat doesn't automatically mean they are out to vaccuum up everything they come across. Most stuff is that common and readily available these days why would you bother spending hours out in the bush to catch some parasite ridden reptile when you could buy a clean healthy captive bred one.



Splitmore, in some ways I agree with you. I can't understand why people bother looting places for parasite ridden reptiles which will take ages to adjust, but despite that I know that it does happen. Just because it's stupid doesn't mean people won't go and steal everything. What I can't understand is why people who loot the place don't even bother to put the rocks back into their proper position. If you're going to poach, surely the least you can do is roll the rocks and logs back for Pete's sake 

Why someone/several people came to take all the brown snakes (they didn't seem to have touched the little whips) I just can't understand.

SW: I know of some good tiger, brown and jacky spots in Melbourne, but I've never seen tigers with either of the other two (although I know of places they're supposed to be together). I'm particularly suprised you know of a spot where tigers and browns are together. Have you seen many of both there? What general area of Melbourne is it?


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## Splitmore (Aug 4, 2004)

Sdaji,
I find it very hard to believe that eastern browns could be locally wiped out due to a few collectors. I'm sure there must be some other factor in play there. More often than not if a reptile is removed from somewhere it merely creates a void for another one to move in and take it's place.


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## Sdaji (Aug 4, 2004)

I don't think they could be wiped out, but in winter they don't move much at all and in this place it's very easy to find them because there are some rocks which are just perfect for them to sit under. Thus you can find most of the snakes in the area fairly easily in winter. It was quite clear that the decline had occurred within a few months (between when I was there and the time before) and between those visits all the rocks had been carelessly moved and not replaced. I wouldn't say 'wiped out' but I only found two browns, compared to the 20 or so I'd usually find, or at least 10 on a really bad day previously. I'm sure if no one went there the local population would recover within a few short years, but it's pretty clear irresponsible collecting has occured. I also know of a place a short drive from Melbourne where you could easily find half a dozen blotched blue tongues within 15 minutes (and you'd see different ones each visit, strangely), until one of the pet shops found out. A sudden dissapearance of bluetongues coincided with a special on bluies at that shop.

Incidentally, they're going to build a road through my brown snake spot within the next 5-10 years, so I'm not too fussed about anyone looting it, but I'm a lot more quiet about telling people my spots these days.


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## NoOne (Aug 4, 2004)

I'm not saying that people will definatly go out and collect animals from these places but posting them on a popular website doesn't seem to be very smart if we are trying to protect our wildlife.
I know lots of places with various herps including some that i've never heard of in capitvity, i would tell people about it if i knew they were keen herpers but i'm not gonna post it for the whole world to see.
The fact is the less people that go to these places the better as far as the animals that live there are concerned.
It's the same as good fishing spots.....tell one person and a million turn up......few years later it's not worth going to, i've seen that many times.


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## Sdaji (Aug 4, 2004)

With reptiles, it would be nice to think it was different, since you'd hope most people would look but not touch, or at least not take. I have to wonder though, no snakes in melbourne are worth anything, but people still seem to take them, surely it's not people wanting them as pets or to sell, it doesn't make sense.


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## BROWNS (Aug 4, 2004)

My sentiments exactly duga.......


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## cwarren72 (Aug 4, 2004)

Well Fuscy old boy I have to say that the idea you started was (Ithink) a really good idea but unfortunately it appears as though others disagree? I have to say though, that it isn't anything unusual to see Sxe making a negative comment? It seems as though all he does these days is makes negative comments and seems to also go out of his way to upset and annoy people(just my opinion) Anyway, I still think it is a good idea as those of us who appreciate it for the right reasons will be able to share and enjoy these areas for the right thing. Those that are out to rape and pillage the land will undoubtably find themselves busted one day, and I hope I can help get em busted to.


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## soulweaver (Aug 4, 2004)

Sdaji, most of the time you see browns, they were like a rash. I saw two Rbb's one was dead that some guy killed the other was near a water supply for a golf coarse. The native bushland backed onto this water supply but a dry summer and bushfires saw the end of teh water as fireman used the water to fight the fire.

as for tiger snakes they were in the same bushland but probably about 1-2 km's away from where i found browns. i have only seen abt four tigers in the wild.

i was actually looking for tigers when i came across my first brown snake, i stopped to tie my shoe lace up and was resting and a brown came out of the bush, went across one of my shoes and then into bushe's on the other side, he must have been sunning himself as it was early morning on a 30+ degree day. i later found that the area had a huge rat population as it was near a old council tip, and the rats were feeding off garbage and other things attracted by the tip.


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## bigguy (Aug 4, 2004)

I will give a few examples why not to tell of particular herping spots.
In the early 1980's the AHS had a field trip to Tarina near Bathurst. Permission was given by the land owner to go on his land. Hundreds of Cunningham Skinks were seen . Within 4 weeks someone returned without permission and destroyed the place while removing most of the lizards.

Again in the late 1980's the AHS had a field trip to the Brown Tree Snake hill at Gosford. Many were seen. Within 4 weeks this pristeen spot was destroyed and most Brown Tree Snakes taken. They still have not recovered to this day.

In the early 1990's I showed a good friend the Srub pythons in the Tully Gorge in North Queensland. The next year I returned to take pictures of the wild Scrubbies for a book on Australian Pythons. To my amazement, not one Scubbie could be found even though it was perfect weather. I did however see signs everywhere that people had been there within a few days. I also found a heap of unused snakebags with my mates name on them. When I asked him about going there he admitted he had shown a few friends from a zoo in SA the week prior. He assured me they saw heaps. but took none. When I returned home I had another good friend mention to me about my mate from Queensland bragging how he and his friends from SA had caught over 40 Scrubs up to 17ft long and had taken 3 trips to carry them all out of the gorge. They were sold on the blackmarket in the southern states.

I could keep telling stories like this all night long. Splitmore is correct, there are many honest people out there, but alas there are also a few dishonest people. These people spoil it for everyone else. The trouble is you can not tell who the bad ones are, so it is best to never give a exact location were animals will be found. They always someone who is willing to do the wrong thing.


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## Sdaji (Aug 4, 2004)

Yeah, rubbish tips are good hey?


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## Tommo (Aug 4, 2004)

i suppose another example is the broad headed snakes around sydney. the widespread extinction was because of house development and the collecting of sand stone for gardens, but in the areas where they are still surviving many hobbyists have collected them.

also the kings snake in america. anyone who watches the snakewranglers on national geographic will no it (im not going to try spell the name). it was believed that collecting had wiped it out


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## cwarren72 (Aug 4, 2004)

Well I hope you done the right thing and told the authorities about what your mate had done?


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## HATCHMASTER (Aug 4, 2004)

thanks fuscus for revealing one of many top herp spots within twenty mins from my place.but i have to say i am doing my bit for the protection of these animals.i own a small farm not far from fuscus's mentioned spot and have placed many hides eg:sheets of tin,hollow logs small wood piles and rock piles.throughout my property were i can view numerous reptiles in a natural environment,throughtout the year.and with saying that should mention that any tresspassers or poches will be shot and if survive prosecuted as there in my land and under my protection but are free to come and go as they please and i do not interfere with these reptiles in anyway.i have my own captive reptiles and am just privleged to have wild reptiles just out my backdoor.


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## BROWNS (Aug 4, 2004)

I think that was the apalachacola"spelling?" kingsnake tommo.Was very interesting i thought and sad at the same time.

The Palmerston highway has also taken out a fair bit of prime jungle country in Nth Qld..


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## hey_im_sam (Aug 4, 2004)

> my mate from Queensland bragging how he and his friends from SA had caught over 40 Scrubs up to 17ft long and had taken 3 trips to carry them all out of the gorge. They were sold on the blackmarket in the southern states.


Pieces like that are so sad... and make you so cautious. Like you said, this guy was your mate! Assumedly, somone you thought you could trust :? Sucks when things like this happen, stories of humans f***ing up our world upset me more than any other.


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## Greg (Aug 5, 2004)

Did anyone notice how this thread was going quite nicely. There were differring opinions and points of view being put across in a reasonably fair manner and then all of a sudden someone comes along and makes it personal and starts having a go at someone for voicing an opinion different to their own?






Greg.


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## AGAMIDAE (Aug 5, 2004)

Sorry fuscus.......TOP SECRET.....


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## Sdaji (Aug 5, 2004)

People who will go out and do something like take 40 scrubbies aught to be shot. I couldn't really care if they'd gone and taken a pair for themself or something, but something like that is absurd. I've heard stories of a guy who took 90 thick tailed geckoes and another guy who came back to Melbourne with 47 pyrrhus, these are two second hand stories I hope are untrue but tend to think aren't. I've seen literally piles of thick tailed geckoes in pet shops which were obviously wild caught (quite possibly from the same lot I heard about), it's horrible but makes commercial sense (I'm not saying it's good, just that I can see that they have a motive). What you would do with 47 adult pyrrhus I just can't imagine. Some people need their heads read. It's bad enough selling off the babies when you ligitimately breed reptiles in those numbers. This is the kind of thing that makes me think pet shops are bad.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2004)

I know of a great herping spot in sydney, probably the best and most preserved. But only i can get in and only people escorted by me can also. 

So i can take people if they like this spring/summer, but try and get back in the place and you will find yourself in deeper feacal waste than the tassie tiger. 

Also, if you havent got a good eye for identifying un-exploded ordanance you could see yourself losing a leg or two, maybe even more than that. 

So who wants to check the place out with me??


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## Bryony (Aug 5, 2004)

I'm disapointed now.........
i didn't think people could be so.......selfish, inconsiderate and just plain old crap.
Now cause of these people, some of the best herping spots are no more.....and the people that know good herping spots wont tell people, so history wont repeat itself.....some how i think we are getting the short straw......

i hate humans :evil:


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## Sdaji (Aug 5, 2004)

I'd love to check it out, Team! Tell the poachers about it without the warnings


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## NoOne (Aug 5, 2004)

It's sad fact of life Bry, it only takes a few idiots to ruin it for everyone, even worse those idiots have acess to the internet.


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## peterescue (Aug 5, 2004)

I wanna go, I wanna go.


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## Bryony (Aug 5, 2004)

yay peter and i will go with ya sherms!


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## peterescue (Aug 5, 2004)

I'll put all terrain tyres on the wheelchair.


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## Hickson (Aug 5, 2004)

Hey Sherm - that's not the ADI site, is it?

Hix


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## hugsta (Aug 5, 2004)

> So who wants to check the place out with me??


I'm there Shermy, tell me when and where.... 8) 


I think it's sad that almost everyone who's posted on here knows of someone or heard a story of someone stealing herps from the wild. I met a guy once whilst with a friend looking at some herps to buy. He openly bragged about heading up north and coming home with over 40 ackies, 50 vitties, sand goannas and a few perenties. I was blown away that this guy had the hide to assume that I was ok with it. :evil: 
The person I went with apparently told the appropriate authorities, but what happened from there I'm not sure. But hopefully he got what he deserved. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:


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## Sdaji (Aug 5, 2004)

> I think it's sad that almost everyone who's posted on here knows of someone or heard a story of someone stealing herps from the wild.



And people wonder why pet shops are so hated.


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## hugsta (Aug 5, 2004)

> And people wonder why pet shops are so hated.


Absolutley, they should have more stringent testing of pet shops.


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## Sdaji (Aug 5, 2004)

And death penalties for selling illegally collected reptiles.


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## ackie (Aug 5, 2004)

the bush across the road from my house was completely packed with geckos wen we moved here about 7 years ago. I found out where exactly to find s. leaf tals and leuseur's velvet geckos and some kids were watching me and my friend lookin in crevices. half an hour later these f*@kwits walk up to us and ask what we r doin. we reply nuthing but one of the kids looked in a crevice and saw a leaf-tail. From then on it was really screwed. Almost every sandstone exfoliation was ripped apart and rocks and logs were smashed up. I still find geckos but not as much. And if the vandalism wasnt enough about 4 months later the bushfires of 2001 came through and with no real places to hide the geckos didnt stand a chance, especially the velvets. Even though i didnt know at the time that my friend and i were being watched i have to blame myself in some way for the distruction of this environment. I still know a few places in which are loaded with almost every herp species in the sydney region and i suspect broad-headeds to be there aswell, for this reason i dont tell many people. But so far, these r the reptiles i hav encounted there-wood geckos, leaf-tails, leaseur's velvet geckos, red-bellies, yellow-faced whipsnakes, e. brownsnakes, e. small-eyed snakes, green tree snakes, robust blindsnakes, cunninghams skinks, blueys, copper tails, (about 10 more skinks), eastern snake neck tortise, sydney-basin short-necks, e. water dragons, beardies, jackies,mountain dragons, lacys, goulds monitors ect. This place kiks a*se and as there r lots of big, steep jagged cliffs, vandalists better hope that i dont catch em there.


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## hugsta (Aug 5, 2004)

> vandalists better hope that i dont catch em there.


He fell officer, honest. :wink: hehehehe.


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## rodentrancher (Aug 5, 2004)

When people say about best herping spots? Aren't they supposed to just be going to have a look and see what's around?? Not taking reptiles from the wild?? If they take anything from the wild they should be shot hey??


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## hugsta (Aug 5, 2004)

Exactly right RR. It's a pitty you can't go and take somebody to your favorite herping spots anymore for fear of having it destroyed.


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## Linus (Aug 6, 2004)

I'd be be keen to have a look as well Teamsherman. 

What sort of herps do you get there? 

Cheers


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## Bryony (Aug 6, 2004)

teamsherman has a team waiting!!!!!!!


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## Linus (Aug 6, 2004)

It would be good to get someenone with lots of herping experience so they can find the best spots etc. I know some theory but haven't done too much in the real world  

Think I've seen about 6 snakes in the wild in 29yrs! 

I'd love to see some browns, rbbs and diamonds in the wild.

Peterrescue or bigguy would be useful team members. anyone else with wild herping experience?


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## peterescue (Aug 6, 2004)

I can show you the sites but since I started wearing glasses I am finding hard to spot things.
My night vision is shot. When I do rescues these days I get the caller to pput the end of my white stick on the animal.


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## Bryony (Aug 6, 2004)

i'll point the stick you grab it!
lol
i think shermy has a band of ready and able people to follow like puppys!
lol


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2004)

The place has every kind of environment from a deep valley rainforest to dry flat desert like plains. Quite a unique diversity actually. 

Ive personally seen adders, rbb, carpets, water dragons, beardies, skinks-a-plenty, turtle and many many more. 

I remember once before i was fully into reptiles, i pulled up on one for the PRIVATE roads and was touching a snake that was sunning itself on the road. It was very short and stumpy, with a grey camouflaged pattern. I now know that the snake i was harrassing was some sort of ADDER!!! yes folks, in my reptile naivety i was touching a potentially deadly snake, but i do remember at the time it was really slow and didnt care that i was there, the time of year was september and driving along a hot dirt road, i would have seen about 100 sunning sexy snakes in the space of about a klm.

Cheers, Alan.


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## ackie (Aug 6, 2004)

i'll be up for it for sure. I always assumed that alans name was shermin.


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## peterescue (Aug 6, 2004)

Linus said:


> Peterrescue or bigguy would be useful team members. anyone else with wild herping experience?



Thanks for the build up linus but I dont stack up to it. I am just an enthusiast who is still learning. I have just been lucky and interested over the years.


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## Springherp (Aug 6, 2004)

Yeah Alan, sounds like a field trip is in order....


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## craig (Aug 6, 2004)

i'll come too!!!!


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## hugsta (Aug 6, 2004)

Well come on Shermy, you can't go bragging and not come up with the goods..... :wink:


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## bigguy (Aug 7, 2004)

Teamsherman, if this is the spot I am thinking of in Sydney, are you sure you saw a Carpet there. Or is it another spot up north somewhere


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## Greg (Aug 7, 2004)

If it's where I'm thinking of (Holsworthy) then a woman in my WIRES branch pulled an Adder out of there once a while back. All the soldiers stood waaaay back while she got in and caught it. 



Greg


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## Alexahnder (Aug 7, 2004)

count me in too


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## Bryony (Aug 7, 2004)

yay! 
feild trip!
and road trip!

oh i am in heaven!


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## instar (Aug 7, 2004)

I found heaps of herps at gosford, just go through the gates of ARP, they're everywhere! LOL


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2004)

I'll come up with the goods when the herps come up for air. 
And the only drawback is we will have to go in groups of 5 max. 
So when i think it is time to see some herps, off we will go.

And yes Greg, crown land it is.

So dont get caught in there without permission or you WILL be prosecuted, and if you happen to step on something that you cant identify, you can kiss fatherhood or mother hood goodbye, possibly even walking.


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## Splitmore (Aug 7, 2004)

While obviously certain areas are better than others for observing wild reptiles, you also need a hell of a lot of luck as well to actually find anything. I spent just about every school holidays bushwalking through the Royal National Park looking for reptiles but more often that not you could spend the whole day looking and not see a single snake, while other days see quite a few. I think some people have visions of these magical places that only one or two herps know about where there is a diamond python in every tree and a death adder under every log. In all my time herping I've never come across such a place(certainly not around Sydney anyway).I've spent days in perfect diamond python habitat, where they certainly do occour, and not seen the slightest sign of one. My advice to anyone wanting to see herps in the wild is to go invest in a good pair of walking shoes and a map of a particular area and go from there. There are two great books, bushwalking in the Sydney region vols 1 & 2 which have some great walks in them on which you are probably a fair chance of seeing something reptilian.
There is a great walk out of Stanwell Park (south of Sydney) that takes you through some really spectacular rainforest, potentially perfect habitat for lots of different types of reptiles. I did the walk in winter, but am planning to do it again once the weather warms up a little so if anyone wants to tag along they'd be more than welcome.


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2004)

Fogg Dam is pretty perfect


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## Splitmore (Aug 7, 2004)

> If they take anything from the wild they should be shot hey??


While I certainly don't condone the wholesale collecting of reptiles from the wild I find it a bit ironic that you can deliberately run over a snake with your car or chop it's head off with a shovel without a problem but take it home and look after it and your a criminal.


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## bigguy (Aug 7, 2004)

Splitmore, depends where you go. I have a ridge I go too on the North Shore in winter time where I regulary see BTS, GTS,
Diamonds, Heath Monitors, Laceies and a variety of others. Its a very rare day indeed if I go to this spot and don't see a couple of snakes.


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## Splitmore (Aug 7, 2004)

Bob, I bet that would be one of the few accessable places around Sydney like that left. Like I said I've spent so much time at so many places that *look* absolutely perfect habitat for reptiles and seen none. Is there anything about this particular place that makes it so different from anywhere to account for the abundance of reptile life?


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## bigguy (Aug 7, 2004)

Splitmore, I think the local herp species were forced to the end of this suburb onto the ridge as the suburb expanded. The ridge faces west for the setting sun and is a perfect site for wintering of herp species. I took John Weigel there once and he thought it was one of the best spots he had ever seen around Sydney.


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## Springherp (Aug 7, 2004)

> did the walk in winter, but am planning to do it again once the weather warms up a little so if anyone wants to tag along they'd be more than welcome.



I'd love to come splitmore if you don't mind, I'm always happy to sus out a new spot.


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## rodentrancher (Aug 7, 2004)

Hey, there are heaps of spot here in the Riverland if people just want to go and look. Dave and I can show people a lot of places Up The Creek, but we wouldn't condone people taking Reptiles from the wild hey??? Cheers Cheryl n Dave


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2004)

How about around brisbane?? not to much being said about that. even Ipswich if anyone has ever heard of it.


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## rodentrancher (Aug 7, 2004)

The Riverland in SA is good for looking at herps hey?


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## rodentrancher (Aug 7, 2004)

Well, sorry Fuscus, but bet u know of lotsa good spots up here hey?


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## Dicco (Oct 3, 2004)

Liberated said:


> How about around brisbane?? not to much being said about that. even Ipswich if anyone has ever heard of it.



If your looking for reptiles in Ipswich there are a lot of water dragons and the occasional beardie at Denmark hill conservation park.


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## spyder (Jan 12, 2005)

As a New person to your group, I'd like to come along, I could even fit another 5 people in my 4wd. 8)


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## indicus (Jan 12, 2005)

You only have to read a book............so whats new?, that would be interesting.


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## spyder (Jan 13, 2005)

indicus said:


> You only have to read a book............so whats new?, that would be interesting.


I'm not quite sure what you are trying to say....but if it was an attempt at humour, well it wasn't. :?


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## saxon (Jun 20, 2005)

My roof at the moment has a couple of good sized diamonds. They have come in for the winter and do so every year.


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## foxysnake (Jul 13, 2005)

Hey I've seen some spectacular browns out Paluma way last time I was there, they're creamy kinda yellowish with bands of orange/red. Has any1 on this site seen them anywhere else? I've talked to a few ppl from that are and they say its the norm there.


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## SNKMST (Oct 2, 2005)

If there is a group or two planning to go out and see some herps in the wild i would love to come along i have never seen a herp in its natural surroundings.


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## Surfcop24 (Oct 3, 2005)

I believe Out at Woodridge way..Along Wembley road, near the Logan motorway is a good area too. I have seen a few Carpets out there and unfortunately saw a 4-5 foot Carpet squsihed on the road yesterday.......


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## yommy (Oct 11, 2005)

If you ever get the chance to get to the NT, crocs a plenty when your fishing and loads of other herps to see as well. Best kept secret in Aus.


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## munkee (Nov 16, 2005)

What are some general hints with regards to finding herps in the wild? I'm not after any locations specifically. Like what sort of area has pythons and lizards? The 2 main pieces of advice I've been given in the past is 1.Go on a drive on a warm night and keep your eyes peeled. 2. Near water sources. 

A good herping spot for brown snakes and RBB is under my mums chook pen. Recently She got stuck in the pen till the brown wandered off out of the area. 

What other types of location is a good idea? Will be around gladstone and rockhampton area.


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## peterjohnson64 (Nov 16, 2005)

My place seems to be a good place if you like blueys, beardies, browns and blacks. And you can;t take them form the wild here, they do it themselves. I've had RBB's inside and always get beardies on the outside of my lizard pit. the poor old blueys are always getting attacked by neighbours dogs.

And hey sherman. with a name like "sherman" and a place full of ordnance you wouldn't be in the military would you?


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## munkee (Nov 16, 2005)

The bluies love my place too, I have one possibly two that live on my block of land on its own. My brother wandering home from a pub drunk one night saw a 6ft carpet on the pathway. The road to my mums has beardies at a few points (near dams usually). Ideally I would like to see more monitors and snakes. I'm a big fan of the primeval thunder lizard look.

A year ago Mum vacuumed a small RBB that was sheltering in the tea towels in the kitchen.


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## peterjohnson64 (Nov 17, 2005)

My daughter's friend lives at Silverdae and they have a regular visitor to their chicken pen eating their eggs. It is a 4 foot lacie. They took a photo for us and want us to take the lizard. Of course, we wont but they are nice people and won't hurt the lizard or even try to get rid of it. Not everyone is bad.


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## newtosnakes (Nov 17, 2005)

I would love to come with you if you guys are planning a herp trip. Would really love to see some animals in their natural environment....


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2005)

peterjohnson64 said:


> My place seems to be a good place if you like blueys, beardies, browns and blacks. And you can;t take them form the wild here, they do it themselves. I've had RBB's inside and always get beardies on the outside of my lizard pit. the poor old blueys are always getting attacked by neighbours dogs.
> 
> And hey sherman. with a name like "sherman" and a place full of ordnance you wouldn't be in the military would you?



hehehe, the sherman nick name didnt come from anything military, but yeah, im in the circus...oh, i meant Army!! lol


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## peterjohnson64 (Nov 17, 2005)

Yeah mate, I'm ex-army and have seem squillions of herps during my paid visits to the donga. The Sherman thing did throw me though 'cause there aint any tanks or even APC's now in Sydney is there? And I guess you are referring to Holdsowrthy areas?


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2005)

Yeah, the range out there is pristine environment cause we look after it now with all the tree hugging rules in place. Cant even dig pooh pits anymore!! lol Last time i did some work out there i was stopping every couple of hundred metres to check out the snakes basking on the roads. So i think this year should be a good year for it out there, i might even head out there this weekend if the weather looks alright. 

And yeah, all the big hardware moved up to the north years ago, they've got a nice little choco APC squadron there still though.


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## Memphis_Tank (Nov 17, 2005)

Being in Western NSW it is not uncommon to see snakes inthe local shopping car park. A group of mates and i regularly book hunting properties for our herping trips and the silence at the end of the phone is very funny when you say we will be using a 5.5megapixel semi auto-matic kodak. We often find very rare herps and those that are a completely different morph. One christmas we were lucky enough to find 3 wild womas, and that was in NSW. Some other fantastic sites have been pure bright orange collets, pure white shinglebacks not albino, beardies of all wonderful colours. And the best part is they are still seen on our trips. The other day we actually caught some young fellas catching lizards and snakes along the river and we cut them a deal, if you let them go and you get your licence you can come around to my house and i will give you a reptile of your choice, and they did they used my printer for the licence application and they have picked out pythons, water dragons, shinglebacks, blue tongues and the little fella wanted a turtle. My Logic by me giving them some herps that i have bred that havent cost me anything means that the natural populations remain and they will be there for people to see or run from in years to come.


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2005)

Top stuff M_T, you'll always be good to the hobby mate!!!!!


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## Memphis_Tank (Nov 17, 2005)

Oh Shucks!! Just count me in on ya field trip, whats a 6-7hour drive to stand in the way of a herping adventure. Does anyone know of any good herping spots near Ulladulla? PM if you would rather not advertise. I have a canoe this year to get around burrell lake to see if there are any joe blakes. Last year i went out on a fishing trawler to see if i could catch my first sea snake but it was around the same time as the tidal wave in asia and it sent too cold a currents and i didnt catch any, maybe this year.


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## crackers (Feb 11, 2006)

*herp spots*

I could keep telling stories like this all night long. Splitmore is correct, there are many honest people out there, but alas there are also a few dishonest people. These people spoil it for everyone else. The trouble is you can not tell who the bad ones are, so it is best to never give a exact location were animals will be found. They always someone who is willing to do the wrong thing.[/quote]


come on people...your talking 15 25 years ago, sure it prob still happens but there are rules in place now and penalties for those people foolish enough to go after wild herps
should we stop bird watching? , no more fishing from rivers, sould plant enthusiasts not be aloud to go hikeing?
why should the honest people miss out on a bit of herp spotting??

ive just moved down from NT where the reptile life is just fantastic.
came across 7 keelbacks, a black head (whent straight through our feet during a tea break), a banded tree snake, two browns and a few others that i couldnt identify on the jatbula trail near Katherine 
another good spot for red bellies is on the track to bendethra caves (NSW), saw 4 of em in one day!


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