I don't bet on the ponies. My Grandpa did and, as I understand it, he lost a pretty penny or two at the track. Forgive my ignorance, but I do believe that to win a trifecta you must pick the first, second and third nag across the line. I don't know if the finishing order is important?
Whatever the case, when searching for fauna in Tasmania, my trifector comprises the race favourites or sure bets: the Lowland Copperhead, White-lipped Snake and the Tasmanian Tiger Snake. Every other animal is just an 'also ran', with the notable exception of the quolls and er....the echidnas.....and the wombats.........and, of course the devils which are all so ridiculously cute and appealing to even the most hard-core herpetologist.
Just days after publishing my recent blog lamenting the alarming amount of road kill around Tasmania, my family and I have just enjoyed the most magnificent day immersed among the pristine landscapes and iconic wildlife of Cradle Mountain. The best bit? Well, I am most pleased to report that, in Cradle Mountain at least, nearly all of the fauna still has a pulse.
When we first arrived, I felt a bit like a bullock being herded into a corral to be sent off for slaughter. We were bundled through the Walkers Registration, had 12 gig of verbal data dumped upon us before being pushed out through a (metaphorical) one way revolving door only to be crammed onto a mini-bus and ferried to the base of the mountain. I immediately forgave the clinical nature of this entire process the instant that I realised that the crowd control was for the express purpose of maintaining the majesty of this Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It was amazing: A credit to Parks and Wildlife Tasmania.
Lets get the mammals out of the way first. A full-grown adult echidna waddled across the road in front of us as we drove into the park. So enamored by it were we that we sat in the car, all four of us with a 'daft cutesy' look on our faces. It was actually the fourth one we had seen, but I never tire of simply observing their clumsy agility Then, finally, a real live adult wombat. I had seen a couple recently on Flinders Island but I could never get close enough to fully appreciate them. This big bad boy simply wandered past us as if we were not even there.
As for my trifecta? Well my wife and two kids passed within inches of a gorgeous White-lipped Snake that was splayed out in full sun atop a small mass of miniature ferns. It did not even move, assuming it's presence had been missed. One down, two to go.
Only 100 m shy of the end of the last walk for the day I was nearly overwhelmed by anxiety at the prospect of not seeing another snake. Then I heard a very faint noise well behind me and to my right; off the path. My desperation was such that I actually turned around and went back to have a look as the family stormed ever onward. After glimpsing the tiniest length of black tail disappearing under a tussock I dived into the bushes and I poked and prodded around until finally I saw this sub-adult Tiger Snake. Two out of three, but our time at Cradle Mountain was over.
We descended from the highlands to the coastal town of Launceston arriving a little after 5:30. So desperate was I for the trifecta I hit Google maps, found a stormwater catchment wetland, threw on my joggers and abandoned the family for a sprint through the grasslands and damplands. I took a punt that this was the nearest and best chance I had of finding that elusive Lowland Copperhead.
Unfortunately, like every gambler willing to play the odds on a long shot in the hope of a hitting pay dirt, I finished the day in the gutter. But just like every gambler, I have succumb to my obsession less than 24 hours later and I am heading out yet again with a totally renewed enthusiasm.
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