Almost stepped on this one – he leapt one way and I leapt the other, thinking it was the resident Yellow-faced Whip Snake and feeling indignant about him reacting like that when he sees me regularly - then I noticed the black pattern…uh oh…this is a Rough-scaled Snake, who apparently “...has relatively large fangs and highly toxic venom with coagulant, neurotoxic, haemolytic and cytotoxic properties. One human fatality has been attributed to this species, and anyone suspected of being bitten should seek urgent medical attention.” (Australian Museum).
I saw one of these the first morning after we moved in here many years ago. It slipped away across the unfenced boundary in the front yard and I called out to warn a neighbour who happened to be standing not far away. He just smiled and said there were lots of snakes here and I remember thinking ‘it’s a healthy place where there are lots of snakes’...yep, a very healthy environment indeed!