Of course, that should be “What do you think is…”

Hi Myles,

None of our spiders will kill you. Some of the snakes will, but I don’t know of anyone who has found one in a crack and been bitten.

As for bouldering within cycling distance, live in Bicton and walk to Blackwall Reach. Don’t fall of in the winter, the water is cold. Live in Fremantle, cycle to BWR. Live in Perth, catch train to Fremantle, then as above. No cracks at BWR, (limestone). Also bouldering at Cottesloe Rugby field, (built granite wall but illegal) and Peppermint Grove in Peppermint Grove (also illegal, we think the residents don’t like scruffy climbers). I can’t tell you to ignore the “Don’t Do This” signs, but some people do.

Otherwise live in the hills away from the CBD and boulder on granite.

There is a gym close to Perth CBD. (Rockface 63B John St, Northbridge).

There is an active contingent of boulderers living in Perth.

Cheers,

Toc.

Thanks for the advice so far every one. If the animals don’t kill me they’ll make me stronger.

My current thoughts are to live in or near the Perth Hills with the granite and cycle to work in the CBD.

Myles

Good to see kiwi’s conforming to the stereotype of being well wary (ie: totally s*#tscared) of anything remotely reptilian or arachnidian!!

Apart from the fact that there’s not to many proper cracks at the crags in close proximity to Perth, generally the aboreal reptiles you are likely to encounter on a cliff are non-venomous (eg: carpet pythons, monitor lizards & King skinks).

Of further comfort, should you encounter a said bitey in a vertical environment, is that the snake is unlikely to be in a physical position to actually strike and bite due to actually using it’s cylindrical muscle structure to cam itself the crack.

Aside from that, cliffs & adjoining rocky environments are favourable habitat for many species of reptiles & other creepy crawlies, and in most warmer weather visits to cliffs you will encounter many providing you are observant, its one of the priveleges if living in a country with abundant wildlife.

It is often on the approach and bush thrashing descent that you’ll come across the venomous elapid snakes (ie: tiger, dugite, mulga & gwardar), so it’s always a good idea to keep eyes & ears well open, usually you will hear a moving snake (in dry bush) before actually seeing it. The times you do come across an elapid snake on the cliff, they are usually falling after slithering to close the edge, so are not to worried about you, unless you are haplessly belaying at the base and suddenly a displeased snake drops into your rope pile.

My pick of cliffs within the South West for reptile encounters:

– Darlington Boulders, falling dugites, goanna’s in cracks, very good for scaring Tasmanian who are only marginally more tolerant of reptiles than New Zealanders.

– Wilyabrup, resident King skinks & carpet pythons. The skinks are quite large & a shiny black colour so regularly cause a few heart palpatations due their tail looking like a tiger snake as they scurry behind flakes.

– Bobs Hollow, very popular with the snakes, lots of carpet pythons, juvenile dugites & a couple of large resident dugites that appear unexpectedly (falling from above)

– Peak Head, large resident carpet pythons which feed on nesting sea-birds and cause some anxiety when dominating the belay ledge.

– Peak Charles, more reptiles than a crocodile farm. Heaps of montitors, varied pythons species, brown snakes & death adders. Not a place to get bitten, due to remoteness but the wildlife is one of the joys of climbing here.

Not to put you off, just something to be conscious of when climbing anywhere in Australia.

Sorry Myles, just a friendly dig at our trans-Tasman countrymen. I believe the Irish are a reptile loving bunch anyway.

Your right, our Australian elapids, despite being the most venomous terrestrial snakes, are mostly (there is the odd exception) a shy & retiring lot, riding to work in the Perth traffic is definitely a riskier affair than climbing amongst a few friendly beasties.

You do have be unlucky, fairly silly or actively try to get an Australian snake to bite. Each species displays different behaviours but on many occasions myself and others have accidentally stood on a potentially nasty snake and all the unfortunate reptile wants to do is escape. The most exciting (and amusing) moment of such situations is usually the said persons dramatic reaction when they are informed of their foot being on a particularly venomous variety of snake.

As for their camming ability, it is quite impressive where snakes can get to on a cliff, they turn up in some steep country. Recently (not in WA), I watched 8m of fornicating python (yes 8m, it was two 4m long amythistine pythons) freefall 25m into a gorge, land heavily on a flat granite slab, uncouple, have a brief recuperate, then happily torque, cam & slither their way back up the cliff whence they just fell from.

Sarcasm (Collins Concise Dictionary, Pg 1193) ‘mocking or ironic language’.

St Patrick would have needed an army of snake hating potatoe munchers to aid his cause had he been lobbed into southern Australia.