When the 1.+ meter king brown flattens its head and all you see is your wifes legs and feet (in Teevas sandals) in front of you now before the snakes head, you don't forget. Fortunately the snake decide not to strike at the last moment about 20-30 cms away. I'd say that's close, but the closest I've come is actually after a bush fire, lifting up stones as a young kid. In a still smoldering area the first (#1) stone just had large ants, the #2 stone had a centipede thick as my thumb (interesting!) and the #3 stone I lift where there is a gap between the earth and the stone. Actually I put my middle finger on that hole, between earth and stone, and lift. Well that was one of the best looks I've had at a red belly black snake sitting flicking its tongue right where my finger was before - on that hole. I kid you not, that snake was also over a meter. So now the moral of the story is....I don't turn large stones over with my hands after a bush fire, and my wife wears solid shoes and pants in urban areas and off the track.