Deadly snakes will be pushed out of hiding and into the open as heavy rain and floodwater continues to pummel the east coast of Australia.
Residents along the New South Wales and south-east Queensland coast have been warned to be extra vigilant of the cold-blooded reptiles as they seek higher and drier ground.
Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catcher took to Facebook to tell residents to stay safe.
‘Keep in mind all those thousands of little snakes under all those thousands of rocks and logs are now under water,’ the post read.
‘The sneaky family will be on higher grounds until this subsides.’
Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers has already been called out to one home after a Brown Tree snake was found lurking inside a barbecue
Residents along the New South Wales and Queensland coast have been warned to be extra vigilant of the cold-blooded reptiles as they seek higher and drier ground (pictured, a brown tree snake takes refuge at a Sunshine Coast home)
Several snakes have already been spotted trying to escape floodwaters and take refuge in people’s homes in Queensland
Flash flooding and heavy rain has forced the mass evacuation of residents from Greater Sydney, northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland.
The weather has also drawn out snakes and spiders from their homes in the ground, raising the risk of a deadly encounter with humans.
Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers has already been called out to one home after a Brown Tree snake was found lurking inside a barbecue.
Brown Tree snakes are considered to be mildly venomous, though their bites still have a sharp sting.
Another resident said they had already noticed their new neighbours moving onto their verandah.
‘We saw a beautiful python on our top verandah tonight,’ they said.
‘It’s the browns and red bellies I’m concerned about on our big property. Will keep a careful eye out this week! ‘
Reptile Relocation Sydney’s Cory Kerewaro said the wet conditions provided the perfect hunting ground for snakes.
One local was walking their dog when they came across a mildly venomous marsh snake at Barton Park in Rockdale, south of Sydney
Snakes are not the only problem confronting New South Wales residents as floodwaters have also driven spiders out of the ground and into people’s homes
‘Right now is pretty much perfect weather for them with all the rain and the humidity,’ he told The Leader.
‘It also brings out the frogs and all the little animals for them to eat.’
Several locals in the St George Shire, south of Sydney, have spotted snakes lurking out in the open.
One local was walking their dog when they came across a mildly venomous marsh snake at Barton Park in Rockdale, south of Sydney.
Mr Kerewaro has warned residents to steer clear of the reptiles and not attempt to pick them up and move them on their own.
He recalled one incident when a person had come across a young Eastern brown snake, one of the deadliest snakes in the world.
‘If someone did pick it up, even though it was juvenile it would still be quite venomous,’ he said.
Snakes are not the only problem confronting New South Wales residents as floodwaters have also driven spiders out of the ground and into people’s homes.
Floodwaters in Sydney’s west will continue rising on Monday as Warragamba Dam, the city’s biggest, spills enough water to fill Sydney Harbour every 24 hours for a third day in a row, causing swollen rivers to burst their banks (pictured, a flooded Pacific Highway near Taree)
Rivers will hit their highest levels in 60 years on Monday morning with moderate to major flood warnings issued for the Hawkesbury, the Nepean (pictured), and the Colo, threatening homes in the suburbs of Penrith, North Richmond, Windsor, and Sackville
Melanie Williams filmed thousands of arachnids climbing onto her fence to escape the rising water at her Macksville home, on the NSW mid-north coast, on Saturday.
‘As the water was rising, the letterbox was going under further and further and I could see all these little black things on there and I thought ‘oh my God, they’re spiders,’ Ms Williams said.
Another terrified resident uploaded footage to TikTok showing the spiders latching onto a park fence, turning the green coloured railing into a moving layer of black.
Floodwaters in Sydney’s west will continue rising on Monday as Warragamba Dam, the city’s biggest, spills enough water to fill Sydney Harbour every 24 hours for a third day in a row, causing swollen rivers to burst their banks.
Streets and front yards of home were completely submerged by floodwater on the corner of Ladbury Ave in Penrith on Sunday
