Since arriving in Australia I have come across about 8 brown snakes, all of which are very poisonous! 

My latest encounter was on Sunday 21 September 2008, I spotted it on our patio outside our bedroom, luckily I was inside!  I quickly called my husband who with his quick thinking ran upstairs and dropped a few heavy planks of wood on it from above.  He had a great shot and the snake was dead!  We just couldn't have the snake wondering the garden with us having young children and it was instinct, although there is a fine for killing snakes (see photo attached).  September is early for snakes but the weather has been warmer than normal for this time of year and they are coming out of hibernation looking for water and food.

My first encounter with a snake was on a hot February day whilst I was bringing the shopping into the house from the internal garage. Heading back for more bags, I nearly stepped on it coming up the hallway into the house!  I had startled it and it was coming towards me!  Once again a Eastern Brown, very venomous!  Luckily at the end of the corridor was our bedroom and I ran out through the patio doors and left it inside whilst I went to a neighbour for help.  We called a snake catcher who arrived 15 mins later.  Luckily we located the snake, which had gone behind our bed and he managed to catch it in a brown bag, how brave!  Although the snake was small is size he did say it had as much venon as a larger brown snake!  The snake catcher charged $45 and then took it away to release it in the bush.

As you can imagine I am freaked out again!  It is always me who sees the snakes and yet some Aussies have never seen them!  My husband says I am looking out for them, which is probably true but after my first encounter I am completely paranoid about them! 

I have seen them on the golf course, on our drive in our new home and along the pathways and of course the odd few killed on the roads!

As I mentioned earlier, snakes are rare to be seen in and around the housing communities, I have only seen them due to the fact that we live backing onto a golf course with bushland closeby.  If snakes are left alone they do not attack, they only bite if trodden on or threatened, they are more frightened of us than the other way around!  Well I don't know about that one, but I am certainly going to be keeping my doors and windows closed from now on!!!!

Despite the above I still would not move back to the UK and am enjoying the wonderful lifestyle that the Sunshine Coast has to offer!