Large eastern brown snake found in Brisbane resident’s backyard

An Aussie family got the fright of their lives when they stumbled upon a monster eastern brown snake in their backyard as snakecatchers across the country are inundated with callouts.

A southwest Brisbane local was shocked to find a deadly snake in their backyard. Picture: Hannah Smith, Facebook

A southwest Brisbane local was shocked to find a deadly snake in their backyard, with experts reinforcing safety messaging ahead of peak snake season.                   

A Forest Lake resident took to Facebook on Wednesday to alert residents in the area after they found an eastern brown snake on their lawn.

“We’ve just had a massive eastern brown snake travel through our backyard in the Creekwood Estate (Gilberton Crescent) in the last half-hour,” the person wrote.

“Please be mindful to check your yard before letting your dogs or kids outside to play. Keep your grass short and try not to keep many items stacked outside for them to hide in/under.

“It’s beautiful warm weather and also mating season, so they will be on the move looking for love. I was very lucky that our dogs alerted us to his presence without getting too close.”

The Facebook post collected dozens of comments moments after it was published to the Forest Lake Community Space.

One peson wrote “holy sh*t” and another simply “RUN!”.

Many were concerned about how many snakes were being spotted in residential areas recently, expressing how worried they would be if a child or pet found one.

“My dog would be straight over thinking it was a playmate …” one local wrote.

“They like the tops of wooden fences and seemingly sleeping coiled under trees. Don’t be fooled by the crafty critters, what you think is sleeping is actually … waiting for prey to let down their guard and wander by … watch your hands and feet gardening too,” a second said.

Others were shocked at the size of the eastern brown snake.

“That is a very beautiful nope rope,” one person commented.

A southwest Brisbane local was shocked to find a deadly snake in their backyard. Picture: Hannah Smith, Facebook

The post comes as South East Queensland snake experts urge residents to remain vigilant going into the warmer months.

Snake catcher Dan Rumsey said his workplace, Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, had received 600 call-outs in the last month.

The call-outs ranged across the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay Region.

If a snake is located inside a house or in the backyard, Mr Rumsey said always to give the animal plenty of space and distance.

“They don’t really want to come anywhere near people. They’re quite shy and secretive critters, so just give them plenty of space,” he said.

“Obviously never try and catch or kill a snake – that attributes to a large chunk of recorded annual snake bites.

“If you’re working in the backyard, or going bushwalking, making sure you’re wearing the appropriate clothing, so closed-in, boots, long, loose fitted pants like jeans, just to give yourself that bit of extra protection.

“If you are doing gardening, you should be wearing a long, loose-fitted, thick shirt with gloves, just in case you do happen to come across a snake accidentally.”

Mr Rumsey said the warmer months typically coincide with mating season for snakes.

“As September and October roll around, it starts to become much warmer, and particularly, the daytime temperatures,” he said.

“In that period, snakes are thinking about, obviously feeding, but also mating, which is a very important part of their ecology. So they tend to travel further distances.”

Originally published as Large eastern brown snake found in Brisbane resident’s backyard