Silently slithering
Forked tongue flickering
Beady eyes glimmering
Gold scales shimmering
Eastern brown
Reflecting the sun
In a remarkable way
Under old Sugar Gums
Gill jumped sideways! It was she who had heard the faint
movement of a rock as the Eastern Brown Snake made its way down the slope. I
stood still for a while mesmerised by the beauty of its golden scales
shimmering in the morning sun. Silently and slowly it slithered towards where I
was standing on the Sugar Gum lookout in Mount Remarkable National Park. The
view to the west down a deep wooded valley is one of the best in the Southern
Flinders Ranges and it was a magic moment. Magnificent scenery, a glorious spring
day and a beautiful animal peacefully going about his business. He silently disappeared into a rocky fissure and
we made our way back down the slippery slope towards the Mambrey Creek car-park.
