MP Kate Washington films giant diamond python in her Lemon Tree Passage backyard

MP Kate Washington got more than she bargained for when filming a spider in her Lemon Tree Passage backyard — watch the video of the giant visitor she found.

State member for Port Stephens, Kate Washington got more than she bargained for when filming a spider in her Lemon Tree Passage backyard.

The objective was to scare her daughter, who hates creepy crawlies of any kind.

Things took a very different turn when from out of the corner of her eye a diamond python came slithering into the shot.

“I just wanted to freak out one of my kids because it was a spider as big as a crab and I thought ‘she’s going to hate this’. It took me a while to focus on what it was at first.”

But this wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill python. It resembled a beast from somewhere in the Amazon, or on the set of a Tarzan movie.

The unexpected visitor in MP Kate Washington’s backyard.

Monty is apparently a local who likes to visit in the area.

The thickness of the snake’s torso looked to measure in around 30 centimetres as it wrapped around an adjacent tree.

“My neighbour joked that he hadn’t seen his dog for days,” Washington said.

It was the first time Washington had encountered a snake of any kind on her premises.

After facing up to every scary moment parliament can throw at her, this moment literally had her “rattled”.

“It was outside my bedroom window. I was told by someone that they go into roof cavities to lay eggs. I’m thinking ‘great, now I could have half a dozen of them in my house soon!”

A little more detective work by Washington found that the 10-metre long reptile is well-known among local residents.

“I went to the shops and everyone is saying ‘yes I know of that snake, it’s been in my backyard before. We call him Monty’,” Washington laughed.

Ms Washington regularly faces challenges in parliament, but this was a little different. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP

Newcastle News was also contacted by Dave Andrews, a retired tradesman living in Nelson Bay who claims he too received a visit from a legless creature.

And on the day of all days.

“I had a brown snake sunning itself on my back verandah on Christmas Day,” Andrews said.

“Our traditional Christmas backyard cricket game was delayed for a few hours. We somehow put it in a box and released him in deep bushland. I’ve never sweated so much.”

Port Stephens snake catcher Gary Bear said those chores should not happen and in cases like that, leave it to the professionals.

After being in the business of moving on all types of animals for over 20 years, Bear wasn’t surprised by Washington’s encounter.

Monty was about 10m long.

Snake catcher Gary Bear advises to let them be.

“That area (Lemon Tree Passage) is full of Diamond Pythons,” Bear said.

“You won’t see many rats or mice up that way and if you have a small dog like a chihuahua you’d be in a bit of trouble. They get in roofs — especially if you have a tree near the house.”

Bear’s sound advice is to let wildlife be and that way you can’t get into trouble.

“It’ll give you a bite and draw blood but apart from a green tree snake, a Diamond Python is the second-best snake to bite you.”