Kaskara with gold and silver decoration

[Ian]

This is the second of my purchases from the Australian Arms Auction this past weekend. The kaskara was said to have been brought back by an Australian army contingent around 1900. It has a dark, patinated blade with interesting gold and silver inlays. I have not seen similar on a kaskara previously. Has anyone else seen similar decorations on a kaskara?

I'm wondering if these may actually be decorative elements added by a prior Australian owner--snakes, flowers, leaves, etc. are common motifs in Australian Aboriginal culture.

I bought this one because it struck me as being very unusual. I would like to hear what our kaskara experts think. This is the only picture from the auction and I don't yet have the sword.
.