Malcolm Turnbull encountered hostility when he ventured into Kevin Rudd country to attend the Nambour show.
The prime minister tried to pat Lancelot, a llama belonging to farmer Bob Barns, but it reared its head, spooked by boom microphones from the television crews.
The llama preferred Lucy Turnbull's soft touch.
Mr Turnbull was campaigning alongside Liberal candidate Ted O'Brien, who is running for the marginal Fairfax seat of retiring Clive Palmer on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
Nambour was the birthplace of former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd and ex-treasurer Wayne Swan.
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Later a protester confronted Mr Turnbull about the Adani coal mine, Nambour hospital and refugees.
Liberal senator James McGrath shot back at her, "Who pays your dole?"
She responded that she wasn't on welfare and said: "How rude are you?"
Mr Turnbull had more luck winning over a bredli python named Zephyr from the Wildlife Headquarters Zoo at the Big Pineapple.
Handler Susan Tonga praised Mr Turnbull's snake-charming skills after he patted the reptile, but said he was reluctant to hold him.
Not to be outdone, Mr Turnbull also encountered an amphibian - having a bounce of a blow-up novelty toy yo-yo frog.
The Liberal leader's show highlight was undoubtedly an impromptu bush poetry session with Mapleton resident John Major.
The pair went line for line reciting Banjo Paterson's ballad, the Bush Christening.
"On the outer Barcoo where the churches are few," Mr Turnbull started, with a glint in his eye.
"And the men of religion are scanty," Mr Major continued.
Mr Turnbull later high-fived scores of netballers at Maroochydore sport complex.
Some sang their team song, "we don't respect the King or Queen, only our favourite netball team."
An apt sentiment for a republican-supporting prime minister.
