Tragedy in the Cane Fields

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

Brendan James Murray tells the story of the hunt to capture the Australian coastal taipan, and the quest to create the world's first taipan antivenom in his book Venom. 

Listen here to Sarah's other Conversation with Brendan James Murray

The story of George Rosendale, a 19-year old from Hopevale North Queensland, became the stuff of legend when he survived being bitten by a coastal taipan.

One bite from the snake was usually lethal.

Brendan James Murray unearthed George's story when researching a book about snakes.

He became fascinated by the near-hysteria surrounding the search for the coastal taipan in northern Australia after WWII. 

This species had been thought of as a myth by Europeans until 1933, when local Indigenous people led naturalist Donald Thompson to a living specimen. 

To the Wikmunkan tribe, the snake was known as the Nguman, and it was seen as a part of the landscape, but best avoided. 

For Europeans, the discovery of a living taipan began a scramble for an anti-venom for the lightning-fast snake with hooded eyes, which could kill with one strike. 

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about taipans, brown snakes, venom, antivenom, Australian fauna, reptiles, Australian history, poison, poisonous snake, Queensland, hospital, lethal venom, author, biology, medical research, snake bites