Townsville woman captures rare sighting of huge carpet python at Jezzine Barracks

A woman’s regular walk along a popular Townsville track was interrupted by a chance encounter with a huge snake. Watch the video >>

A WOMAN’S regular walk along a popular Townsville track was interrupted by a chance encounter with a huge snake.

Kirsty Wood has lived in Townsville for almost a decade, but she was in absolute shock after catching sight of a magnificent snake on one of her regular walks at Jezzine Barracks last week.

“I have never seen a snake along there, ever,” Ms Wood said.

“I try and walk there a few times a week, and in all that time I’ve not seen a snake while I was walking.”

When Ms Wood was heading down the stairs past the cannons on top of the barracks, she spotted a “flash of a snout” poking through the bushes, and at first was unsure if she’d spotted a snake or a lizard.

After cautiously stepping forward to catch a closer look, Ms Wood was surprised to see a “huge” snake, which she believes was almost two metres long.

She described the snake as looking very wide.

“It was so long I couldn’t even see where the tail ended, so I stood there and watched it,” she said.

“There was a bit of a stare-off between me and the snake, I thought ‘what do I do?’ and ‘should I call someone?’.”

The moment Townsville woman Kirsty Wood spotted a magnificent carpet python at Jezzine Barracks. Picture: Kirsty Wood

After warning a man passing by of the reptile, the snake gave out a hiss and began to slither away.

“I decided to film it and I actually uploaded (the footage) to a snake identification page (on Facebook,” she said.

An approved snake identification admin told her the snake appeared to be a female carpet python, up to 10 years old.

“She’s had a really good life, and I thought ‘well, that is so special’, because I’d never seen one here,” she said.

A snake expert estimated the carpet python was female and at least 10 years old. Picture: Kirsty Wood

“I walk that same path every time I go there and my path never deviates … So to see her there sunning herself was magnificent,

“I’m so glad she turned away and went down the embankment to safety … she was just chilling out.”

Originally published as Townsville woman captures rare sighting of huge carpet python at Jezzine Barracks