Hudson hurts!

We (or rather, Nick) first encountered Hudson Pear the day after our arrival, when a dead cactus spike went straight through the sole of his boot - and into his foot.

I was spiked the next day when I was too engrossed in lizard photography to be mindful of my thonged feet placement.  The spikes are barbed, so I needed Nick's assistance to remove them - and at that point (no pun intended) I had far more empathy for Nick's pain!  We were lucky though.  Further research has revealed that the spikes "are encased in a detachable sheath which may remain embedded in a wound even after the body of the spine is removed."

Several of the lizards we collected had been spiked and we did our best to remove the spikes before releasing the lizards.  It was hard work to pull the spines and we were later advised to use a pair of pliers, though didn't encounter any more Hudson Pear after the advice was given - thankfully.

There is detailed information about Hudson Pear here and an article about Lorne Station's owner, Peter Waterford, and his eradication attempts here.