My husband had promised me a Botany Bay Weevil. Even though they’re ridiculously common, I’ve only found a handful of these vibrant weevils over the past couple of years and I absolutely love them. It was a hot Sunday, after an even hotter Saturday and I wasn’t particularly ‘feeling it’, with ‘it’ being heading out and exploring. It had been about seven weeks since I last went out for a proper mini adventure and I had to be encouraged to pull on the boots.

I didn't get my weevil but that’s okay. Instead, Matt spotted a gorgeous Diamond Python slithering along a branch, high in the trees, just off the lookout at Maddens Falls and gave me one of the best snake encounters I’ve had.

I should point out, we’ve had a few of these snakes around the house over the years. We live across from the bush and these pythons are common in coastal areas of New South Wales. We’ve had them on the roof, trying to get in the roof, making their way along our fence and once, curled up, snoozing in our frangipani tree. They’re non-venomous, strikingly beautiful and happy to ‘take care’ of any rats you might have around. But we’ve rarely seen them when we’re out and about.

Even though they are such stunning snakes with their black bodies dotted with cream and yellow ‘diamond’ patches, they are actually incredibly well camouflaged amongst the foliage and shadow of the bush.

We lost sight of this one many times as it made its way from tree to tree, over huge moss-covered boulders and along the leaf litter. It would pop up, often in an unexpected spot, its vibrant blue tongue tasting the air. It was incredible watching as its body moved upwards, without any support, before heading out onto another branch. For a creature without legs, it was doing a much better job of climbing around the area than I was! 

Next time you find yourself at one of the local lookouts, staring out into the vast stretch of trees below, watch for any movement, and you might just catch a glimpse of this tree-loving snake.