A
fter walking around the island twice,
getting tangled up in barilla (the local
salt-tolerant vegetation), and being
severely wind-blown, I was pretty buggered by the
end of the day. This was in November last year,
and I really thought it would be my last trip to
Chappell Island. But recently an opportunity arose
to visit the iconic island again, for the fifth time.
There have been a lot of changes since my first
visit in 1984; perhaps the most significant being
the ownership of the island. When European
settlers arrived in the Furneaux Group of islands,
north-east of Tasmania in Bass Strait, they utilised
the island for sheep grazing and, along with the
Aboriginal people, also for muttonbirding. After
several deaths from Tiger Snake bites, muttonbird-
ing ceased in 1975, but the sheep stayed on until
Chappell Island was handed over to the Aboriginal
community in 1995, along with three other islands
in the group; Badger, Great Dog and Babel.
The Aboriginal Land Council was formed that
same year for the purpose of holding the land titles
on behalf of the Aboriginal community and
administering the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995.
Lungtalanana (Clarke Island) was returned to the
Aboriginal community in 2005 through the same
legislative process, along with Cape Barren Island,
which is managed by the Cape Barren Island
community.
Naturally, the rangers working on these islands
frequently come in contact with snakes and, being
such isolated places, any need for medical help is
a concern. Grahame and Ambrose are stationed
intermittently on Chappell Island, which is
literally moving with big Tiger Snakes. Although
these snakes are unbelievably docile, a bite from
this species would present a serious issue,
especially considering that it takes four hours for a
helicopter to reach the island. That is the reason
why my friends Justin Kneebone and Chris Daly
from Tas Reptilia were invited to Chappell Island,
to organise a workshop on catching and handling
snakes, including first aid. Justin and Chris are
based in Hobart and they provide education