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NZ Herald
7 days ago
- NZ Herald
The Sapphire Coast, Australia's wilder, less-known coastline
While you can technically fly to Merimbula, between Eden and Bermagui, this southernmost coast of NSW is best seen as part of a slow road trip from big cities like Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra. Beaches all to yourself The smorgasbord of beaches and nature along our way means there's plenty of chance to unplug and unwind. Along the coast-hugging road, we've driven through a series of national parks, marine and nature reserves (there are more than 30 such protected reserves on the South Coast), quaint seaside villages and towns, encountered friendly bush kangaroos and marine life at Jervis Bay (the Commonwealth-owned marine park has the best snorkelling in the state), picnicked on the placid shores of Lake Conjola, and more. The centrepiece is a never-ending string of blue beaches, bays, inlets and lakes, mostly to ourselves. Surprise seals At Narooma's popular, shark-netted, South Bar Beach, I'm alarmed by a screaming public. There's a seal swimming along the beach! Chasing a getaway fish, the seal weaves through thrilled and startled bathers just metres from the shore. Narooma is known and loved for its resident seal colony. Several tour operators also run tours to Barunguba Montague Island (a 30-minute boat ride off the coast of Narooma) where you can swim with the seals, see Little Penguins, and more. Such opportunities to encounter wild animals in their own habitat are one of the greatest features of the area. Seaside cycleways Yet another way to explore the coastline is taking the coastal Narooma to Dalmeny Cycleway, which is ranked top three of Australian Geographic's great bike rides of NSW but remains barely known. We opt to cruise the easy-grade 21km trail on E-bikes hired from Southbound Escapes (a coffee spot, eatery, gift shop, tourist hub, and local visitors centre), crossing the Narooma Mill Bay Boardwalk, where we glimpse stingrays, seals, and the dazzlingly blue Wagonga Inlet, and passing eye-catching beaches, lookouts, forests, reedy mangrove swamps and lakes. Enchanting ocean rock pools At Bermagui, we clamber down a rock staircase carved out of the cliff, to the Blue Pool. It's hard to keep one's eyes off the sight below: rugged, amber-orange cliffs where the Pacific Ocean swirls and foams. Cut into the cliff like an opal, looking out to the blinding blue of the Pacific, the Blue Pool is an Instagrammer's dream and one of the most famous rock pools in the world. Courtesy of the Pacific, the pool has plenty of southern bite. While my husband relaxes like Neptune against a rock, I take photos, and my daughter braves the freezing pool to snorkel, discovering small fish schools, clusters of nudibranch, and a starfish. While in Bermagui, we toss on snorkels and explore the beautiful Bruce Steer Pool, a 150m-long saltwater pool fed by the serene harbour at Bermagui Point. After watching octopus, striped fish, and more dart through the water, we pick up some tasty pastries from Honourbread and park up on the beach alongside watchful pelicans and cormorants. Other enchanting ocean rock pools are found at Eden, Mystery Bay and elsewhere in and around the Sapphire Coast. Magical rock formations Hardy bushes screen us from the wind, and shelter coastal fungi and tiny chirping birds, as we traverse the cliff top trail to see Bermagui's iconic Horse Head Rock. The bushes also offer protection against the sheer drop to the sea floor below. The gigantic rock, estimated to be over 500 million years old (one of the state's oldest rock edifices), looks magically like a giant horse taking a drink from the sea. Descending the trail, back at Camel Rock Surf Beach, we take a closer look at Camel Rock. A photographer's dream, the rocks are just two of the South Coast's unique, ancient coastal formations. Other key geological formations in and around the Sapphire Coast include the Pinnacles and Glasshouse Rocks. Heart of the Sapphire Coast At Merimbula, an hour from Bermagui, and the centre of the Sapphire Coast, there's lots more to do, including walking the 500m-long trail out to Long Point, kayaking and canoeing tours on the Pambula River and the Merimbula to Pambula Cycleway. Short on time, we take the timber boardwalk along the Tahitian-blue inlet, snorkel at the historic Merimbula wharf alongside stingrays, and enjoy coffee at one of the many cafes staring down at the water. Seaside chillaxing Chillier than northern Australia, the southern morning is brisk, but there's sun, views and good nosh at Tathra Wharf; a key attraction in the far south village of Tathra. The last remaining wharf and building combination on the NSW coast from the coastal shipping trade of the 1800s, the heritage-listed building brims with crafts and treats. It's now a cafe, shop, gallery, museum, and popular coffee spot for locals. Seated on a wooden bench by a sunny window, we enjoy a leisurely breakfast, drinking in the sea view. The wharf is just one of scores of south coast eateries where you can sit by the water. Cliffside jaunt, the Tathra Headland Walk, starts outside the wharf, another opportunity to enjoy the startlingly azure water. Edge of the world Once a whaling and fishing town, and now home to a killer whale museum, Eden is the last key town of the Sapphire Coast. Two lighthouses also attest to its history and feature in the Light To Light coastal walk. Using directions from the award-winning Eden Visitors Centre, we take the lonely walk to the remnants of Ben Boyd Tower on a stony outcrop, gazing upon the desolate vastness of Twofold Bay. At the lookout, there's that eerie feeling of standing at the edge of the world with whatever ghosts of the past linger. In six days, we've barely scratched the surface of the treasures, the mystery and history that exist in this beautiful region. Checklist Sapphire Coast, South Coast, Australia. GETTING THERE Fly from Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra airports direct to Merimbula with Rex Airlines or Qantas. Drive. The beginning of the Sapphire Coast is about a 5-hour drive from Sydney or 3.5 hours from Canberra. Countrylink train from Sydney via Canberra. STAY MORE DETAILS
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
6 of the world's most venomous snakes that could easily kill you
Venomous or not, snakes are one of the most feared creatures on Earth. These cold-blooded, limbless reptiles slither, hiss and even bite their prey. Venomous snakes possess venom that contains toxic substances. They inject venom into prey by using their fangs which can cause paralysis, internal bleeding, organ failure, cardiac arrest and even death. Approximately 5.4 million individuals are bitten by venomous snakes annually, leading to an estimated 81,000 to 138,000 fatalities, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, snakes only bite in self-defense-they are more scared of us than we are of them. Dion Wedd, curator of the Territory Wildlife Park, NT, said to Australia Geographic that snakes do not view humans as potential meals, nor do they bite aggressively out of spite. They use their venom to immobilise prey that would be too difficult for them to consume otherwise. Yet, they have the second-largest number of human fatalities attributed to any animal. Only few venomous snakes can kill a human if left untreated. Since the development of anti-venom, the fatalities due to snake bites have reduced. But the problem of snake bites still persists, especially in developing countries where anti-venom is less easily available. Here are 6 venomous snakes in the world that are deadly enough to kill a human: Inland taipan According to the International Journal of Neuropharmacology, Inland Taipan is the most venomous snake in the world, as noted by Live Science. This means that only a tiny bit of this snake's venom is fatal enough to kill humans. As per BBC Wildlife, one bite contains enough lethality to kill atleast 100 adult humans. They are mostly found in Queensland, Centre East and South Australia in pre dug borrows of other animals. Due to its hiding nature, they barely come in contact with humans, thankfully. As per Live Science, the main ingredient of Inland Taipan's venom is hyaluronidase enzyme. This enzyme increases the speed at which toxins are absorbed in the victim's body. Coastal taipan Found mostly in the wet forests of temperate and tropical coastal regions, coastal taipan is a highly venomous snake. Parts Australia like Queensland, New South Wales is home to this subspecies. According to the Australian Museum, its incredible speed makes it difficult to be spared of its bites. As per Australian Geographic, before an effective anti venom was produced, its bite was always fatal. Black mamba Known for its black mouth, Black Mambas are highly aggressive species of snake. Found in sub Saharan Africa, they are the most feared of all. Like most snakes, even Mambas do not seek out humans but if they are threatened, they will attack. According to the BBC, if you are bitten by a black mamba, symptoms such as slurred speech and muscle twitches will follow in 10 minutes and likely death in half an hour. Russel's viper Russel Vipers' bite is the most painful of all. They are quite aggressive and one of the 'the Big Four' along with Indian Cobra, common krait and saw-scaled viper. As per the BBC, these snakes account for 43% of all snakebites in India. However, an anti venom has been developed against its venom saving many lives. Indian cobra Cobras are the world's longest venomous snake. (Source-Freepik) According to the Natural History Museum, King Cobra is the world's longest venomous snake in the world. Did you know if a cobra is threatened they can lift themselves off the ground about a third of their body length. They are one of the deadliest snakes and found in India. Their encounters with Humans are quite frequent in India especially in rural areas during monsoon season. Sean Carroll, a molecular biologist wrote in the New York Times that a single bite can kill a human in 15 minutes and an adult elephant in just a few hours. Saw-scaled viper Part of the Big Four, saw scaled vipers are found in the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia. They are typically aggressive and can be identified by the 'sizzling' sound they make when threatened. As per BBC Wildlife, they are responsible for an estimated 5,000 human fatalities per year in India alone.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rangers celebrate after trail cameras capture the return of an animal once thought locally extinct: 'Monumental'
Rangers are celebrating the sighting of a mammal once thought to be extinct in the Australian island it is native to. The echidna is an egg-laying, insect-eating mammal that is a native species to Lungtalanana Island off the coast of Tasmania in Australia. It is also known as a trimanya among Tasmanian Aboriginal people. After a wildfire devastated the island in 2014, conservationists believed that the animal was locally extinct. To the delight of local rangers from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Center, an echidna was recently caught on trail cameras. "The importance of having trimanya back on the island is monumental," said Kulai Sculthorpe, a ranger supervisor with the center, in a news release from the World Wildlife Fund. Trail cameras are an essential tool for conservationists to track populations and manage endangered species without disturbing wildlife. Species management is crucial to maintaining healthy ecosystems, which directly impacts the livelihoods of the humans who live in them. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Center has been on a mission to restore the island after years of destruction from bushfires and the effects of European colonization. This mission involves bringing back culturally significant native species that are believed to be locally extinct, such as the echidna. Rangers from the center are now trying to determine if there are more echidnas on Lungtalanana Island. Echidnas are important to the local ecosystem because they help improve soil that has been depleted of nutrients from years of bad farming practices, according to Australian Geographic. This promotes plant growth and keeps carbon in the soil rather than the atmosphere. Soil health plays a factor in extreme weather events, such as wildfires, which can displace humans and animals. Soil with low moisture can cause plants to stop growing and dry out, creating fuel for these fires, according to Mirage News. Rob Brewster, rewilding program manager at WWF-Australia, said in a news release that echidnas "push leaves and seeds underground, enriching soil – they can turn over about seven tons a year." Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Animals like wombats and echidnas are ecosystem engineers," Brewster said, adding, "Their return will be an important milestone for this ambitious venture." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussies warned after tourist's lucky escape from 'world's most venomous animal'
A tourist is lucky to be alive after accidentally sitting on the "world's most venomous animal" – with the incident now being held up as a reminder to Aussies that the dangerous creature resides along thousands of kilometres of our coastline. Irish couple Julie and Daniel were swimming during a three-day excursion along remote islands in the Philippines when Julie made contact with a box jellyfish. She said the translucent stinger was the "length of a man", and her entire body quickly started "vibrating" from excruciating pain. "I squatted down, and I didn't feel anything... when I stood up, I felt burning on my thighs and on my butt... it felt like a flat iron pressed against me," she said. Despite being two hours away from the nearest hospital, Julie survived the incident — with only a gnarly scar to remind her of the of the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services and jellyfish expert, Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin, told Yahoo News the tourist was "lucky to be alive". "It can take as little as three metres worth of stings on the body to kill a healthy adult, and it happens in less than two minutes. For children, it's only 1.2 metres," Gershwin told Yahoo. "Not everybody who is stung by a box jellyfish will die... but if you've been stung more than that lethal threshold, then, yeah, statistically you are probably going to die. It's really quite mathematical." Fortunately for Julie it appears not enough of the stings came in contact with her body for the encounter to be fatal. There are a number of box jellyfish species residing between Australia and Asia but all are "very, very venomous". The Australian species is dubbed the "two-step jellyfish" by scientists in the US as "two steps is all you get" when you're stung, Gershwin explained. "When someone gets stung, it feels like an electrocution or like hot oil spattering on your skin. It's really painful, and it's completely normal to have a jerk reaction," she said. "But this spooks the animal and as it tries to get away, the tentacles often get tangled around the swimmers body. Now we're in contact with 60 fully lethal tentacles, each one is up to three metres long on a mature animal." Being in contact with just one of the jellyfish's 60 tentacles is enough to push a swimmer over the lethal sting threshold and cause a catastrophic outcome. "They absolutely have earned the title of the world's most venomous animals," she said. Box jellyfish are found in tropical coastal waters and reside around the country's northern coastline, from Western Australia along to Queensland. In Queensland they are active until late May when the waters cool. Their venomous stings have caused at least 70 known deaths in Aussie waters since records began in the 1880s, according to the Australian Geographic. 🕷️ Park ranger stumbles upon 'really exciting' new spider species 🐍 Aussie traps one of the world's deadliest snakes in tight spot 🏖️Woman pictured 'playing with death' on beach holiday The most crucial thing to do if stung by a box jellyfish is to flood the affected area with vinegar — and do it immediately. "Vinegar neutralises the stinging cells from injecting more venom into your skin, and you want to stop every single one of them possible," she said. "If you're over the lethal sting threshold, it isn't going to do anything. But the thing is, you're not going to know in the moment, so you need to flood the area with vinegar and seek medical assistance as quickly as possible." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Aussie man shocked by 'elusive' find on roadside: 'Blends in really well'
A wildlife enthusiast was delighted to finally locate the very thing he had spent days looking for, not quite believing he found the "dangerously venomous" creature on a busy road in a major Aussie city. Jesse Campbell is constantly on the hunt for snakes and admitted to Yahoo News his favourite species is the death adder although he seldom spots one in the wild — not because there isn't many of them, but because they're "secretive". "They aren't rare but they're really elusive. You don't see them very often down here but there's lots of them. They have really good camouflage... so you don't tend to bump heads with them very often," he told Yahoo News. He spotted the snake on a busy road near Sydney's Royal National Park and explained it was showing defensive behaviour when he approached it. "These snakes aren't able to move fast, they're short and fat and they purposefully flatten themselves out and stay still as a defence mechanism to try and make itself bigger and scarier," he said. Despite the snakes being highly venomous and their potent venom capable of killing a human in under six hours, Jesse believes the snakes are in urgent need of a rebrand and have been misrepresented for a long time. "They were initially called deaf adders because early explorers would walk up towards them in the bush and the snakes wouldn't move, leaving people to think they couldn't hear. But after they bit and killed a few people, that's when they got the bad name of death adder... it's unfair," he explained. 🐍 Woman 'freaks out' after unexpected intruder crawls through bed 🌱 Gardeners warned about surprise snake danger: 'Chopped in half' 🚘 Warning to Aussies after dad captures deadly snake on driveway There are only five known deaths recorded from a death adder within a 100-year-period, according to the Australian Geographic, but the name has haunted the reputation of the species. "They're dangerously venomous but they're really laid back, gentle snakes," Jesse said. "They've got great eyesight and they can see you coming from a mile away, and they want nothing to do with you. It's mind-boggling that people say snakes chase you because I've only ever seen the opposite." The snakes use an interesting strategy to catch their prey and it's one of the reasons Jesse loves the misunderstood species so much. "So they're ambush predators, they use a caudal lure on the end of their tail which involves them laying motionless buried in the leaves with just their head and tail sticking out," he said. "They wiggle their tail to draw in birds or lizards or rodents who come thinking they're going to eat a worm." Despite their vibrant colour, death adders are able to "blend in really well" to an environment that has heavy leaf litter or pine needles around. "They're just this little viper that lives on the ground," he said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube
