02/06/2025
For years, it’s been one of my biggest dreams to find a wild green tree python.
These stunning snakes are only found in small pockets of remote rainforest in Cape York, so finding one in the wild is no easy task.
On the way back from a two-week 4WD trip to the Tip of Australia, we decided to stay in Iron Range - one of the only accessible places in Australia where this incredible species can be found.
On our first night, I set off on a long, humid walk through the rainforest in search of the snake I’d dreamed of finding since I was a kid.
Despite my high hopes, all I managed to come across were a handful of brown headed snakes, not quite the green beauty I was chasing. I won’t lie, it was a bit of a mood killer.
After several sweaty hours of searching under the thick canopy, I decided to call it a night and headed back to camp for some rest, ready for a big day of exploring ahead.
Fast forward to night two.
With all my torch batteries fully charged and a new wave of determination, I set off once again into the rainforest in search of the elusive green tree python. The night was warm, with a gentle breeze whispering through the canopy, perfect conditions for spotting wildlife.
As I slowly navigated the dense undergrowth and scanned every branch and vine, my hopes remained high. I knew this might be my last chance on the trip to find the species I had dreamed of since childhood.
I remained determined, spending several more hours scouring the thick tangle of vines, torch beam flicking across every branch and trunk. I was desperate to spot that explosive flash of green, the unmistakable colour of a green tree python. They practically glow under torchlight, like rainforest jewels come to life.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it!, a brilliant green shape lying still in the leaf litter just ahead. My heart nearly burst out of my chest. This was it. I’d finally done it. I’d found a green tree python.
Without thinking, I charged through the undergrowth, heart pounding, vines snagging at my clothes as I pushed toward the glowing prize.
But when I got there, I skidded to a stop.
Staring back at me with enormous golden eyes was not a python, but one of the biggest white-lipped tree frogs I’d ever seen, perched proudly on the forest floor, clearly wondering why I was so excited to see him.
I couldn’t help but laugh, breathless and feeling defeated. He blinked slowly, unimpressed, and then with a graceful hop disappeared into the distance leaving me shaking my head and grinning in the dark.
By this point, it was getting very late, and I reluctantly decided to call it a night. I accepted defeat ( at least for now ) and began the long walk back to camp, a few kilometres away. The rainforest at night can be pretty eerie when you’re alone, and I’ll admit, things started to feel a little freaky.
After a couple of hours weaving my way through the Rainforest, my flashlight began to die. Once I reached the walking track, I switched off my bigger torches to conserve what little battery remained, relying instead on the weak glow of my phone torch to light the path ahead.
Fast forward a little, I was now only about 150 metres from camp, exhausted & sweaty when suddenly something darted across the trail in front of me, rustling the leaves like a miniature stampede.
Heart hammering, I flicked on my dying torch for a quick look… only to see a cheeky bandicoot disappearing into the scrub. I nearly jumped out of my skin. The little guy gave me the fright of my life!
Laughing nervously, I shook my head and scanned the surrounding forest one last time with my torch and then I froze.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
There it was, perched just above the ground in a textbook ambush pose, a green tree python.
I dropped everything and bolted over to it, barely able to breathe. Its vivid emerald scales glowed like a neon vine in the beam of my torch. It was perfect. I stood there, grinning from ear to ear, completely in awe. After years of dreaming, after hours of searching in the dark, I had finally done it.
I had found a wild green tree python.
In that moment, standing there alone in the dark rainforest with the snake I’d spent years dreaming of finding, I felt something I can’t quite put into words. It was more than just excitement, it was a deep sense of connection to the wild, to the journey, and to the little kid in me who had once stared at photos of green tree pythons and hoped that one day, somehow, he might see one in the wild.
All the effort, the long walks, the false alarms, the tired legs and dying torches, it was all worth it for this one, perfect encounter. Nature doesn’t always give you what you want when you want it… but when it does, it’s pure magic.
This was more than just finding a snake. It was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream and a reminder that patience, persistence, and a bit of faith can lead to unforgettable moments.
I’ll never forget that night in Iron Range.
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