You spot it. A solid 1.3-metre snake sliding across the ground. Your heart jumps. You freeze. Then you blink — and suddenly it’s gone.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the snake didn’t disappear. You just lost track of it. And in Australia, losing sight of a snake is where things can go from uncomfortable to deadly very quickly. That’s why this summer snake warning couldn’t come at a better time!
Summer is peak snake season. Warm ground, longer days, more movement. Snakes are out looking for food, water and shelter — and they are frighteningly good at finding all three in places humans and pets hang out.
Summer Snake Warning: Eyes on the snake. Always.
If you take nothing else from this, take this: never assume a snake has “gone away”. Snakes move low, fast and quietly. Long grass, shadows, skirting boards, furniture, doorways — they vanish into them effortlessly.
This matters most inside the home.
If a snake is in a room:
- Keep visual contact if it’s safe
- Shut the door immediately
- Roll a towel and block the gap under the door so it can’t escape
- Clear kids and pets away
- Call a licensed snake catcher
Do not chase it. Do not poke it. Do not try to be a hero. Most serious bites happen when people try to “handle” the situation themselves.
Watch below at The Snake Hunter shows us just how quickly a snake can disappear before your eyes!!
Eastern Brown Snakes: Where They Are (and Why It’s So Normal It’s Scary)
Tiger snakes get headlines, but eastern brown snakes are Australia’s biggest killer. They’re responsible for more snakebite deaths than any other species in this country.
Eastern brown snakes aren’t hiding out in remote bushland plotting their next move. They are living right alongside us, because we’ve unknowingly built them the perfect setup.
BACKYARDS: Backyards tick every snake box. Water bowls, compost bins, veggie patches, mulch, long grass, rats, mice and frogs. Add kids’ toys, pot plants and outdoor furniture and you’ve created layers of cover a brown snake can vanish into instantly. They don’t need much space — just somewhere cool, quiet and undisturbed. The scary part? You can walk past one every day and never know it was there.
PADDOCKS & SEMI-RURAL BLOCKS: Brown snakes thrive in open grassland. They use fence lines, hay bales, irrigation pipes and long grass as highways and hideouts. Mowing or slashing can flush them out suddenly, which is why bites often happen during yard work or farm jobs. They aren’t attacking — they’re reacting to being surprised.
PARKS & RESERVES: Public parks are prime real estate. Plenty of shade, water sources, rodents and minimal human disturbance during the day. Snakes will bask on paths early in the morning, then retreat into grass and garden beds once it warms up. Families picnic, kids run barefoot — the overlap is real and constant.
SCHOOL OVALS & SPORTS GROUNDS: This one makes parents uneasy — and rightly so. School ovals often border bushland or creeks and have long grass around edges, storage sheds and goal posts. Snakes tend to move along fence lines and shaded boundaries, meaning they can be present without being noticed until someone is suddenly far too close.
SHEDS & GARAGES: Cool, dark, quiet and full of hiding spots — sheds are snake heaven. Brown snakes enter garages chasing rodents or sheltering from heat. Once inside, they’ll tuck themselves behind freezers, under shelves or along walls. This is why opening a shed door and stepping straight in without checking is a genuine risk during summer.
Brown snakes aren’t “invading” these spaces — they’ve adapted to them. They don’t want confrontation, but if they’re startled, blocked or surprised, they will defend themselves. And because they’re fast, alert and highly venomous, that reaction can be catastrophic.
This is exactly why losing sight of a snake is so dangerous. If you don’t know where it is, you don’t know where not to step.
Baby snakes are not cute. They’re chaos.
There’s a myth that baby snakes are “less dangerous”. That myth gets people hurt.
Juvenile snakes are often more dangerous than adults. They haven’t learned to control their venom delivery, so when they bite, they tend to dump everything they’ve got. No restraint. No warning shot.
They’re also smaller, thinner and easier to miss — which means people step near them, over them or on them before they even realise what’s there.
Small snake does not mean small risk.
Where snakes love to hide (and ambush your nerves)
Snakes want cover. They don’t want confrontation — but they will defend themselves if surprised.
Favourite hiding spots include:
- long grass and weeds
- garden beds and mulch
- wood piles and debris
- under outdoor furniture, trampolines and kids’ toys
- cool indoor spaces like laundries, bathrooms and garages
If it’s shady, cluttered or damp, it’s snake-approved real estate.
Pets are sitting ducks
Dogs are the most common snakebite victims — especially curious ones that stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. Most bites to pets happen on the face or neck, and they escalate fast.
Signs your pet may have been bitten:
- sudden collapse
- vomiting or drooling
- shaking or paralysis
- laboured breathing
Snake bites in pets are life-threatening emergencies. Get to a vet immediately. Waiting “to see how they go” can cost them their life.
Snake bites: no shortcuts, no home remedies
For humans, every snakebite is an emergency — even if symptoms seem mild at first.
If someone is bitten:
- Call 000 immediately
- Keep them still and calm
- Apply pressure immobilisation bandaging if trained
- Do not wash the bite, cut it, suck it or tourniquet it
Movement spreads venom. Calm and still saves lives.
One last hard truth
Snakes don’t need to be aggressive to be deadly. They just need to be startled, cornered or stepped on.
If you see one this summer, keep your eyes on it, contain the situation properly and call the professionals. Because the most dangerous snake is often the one you think you’ve already lost.
Stay safe.
