Snakes on the Gold Coast
Apr 2nd 2008, 5:39 pm
#1
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Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Bedfordshire now, aspire to the Gold Coast
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Snakes on the Gold Coast
We've been on two reccies now and on our last one, we fell in love with the Gold Coast...it has the lifestyle, the Coast, proximity to Brisbane for work etc.Made up our minds thats where we are headed when we've sold up here.
However, now I am so anxious as it seems like snakes could be in the suburbs - I read the online news and a girl was bitten in Helensvale at the weekend, a chap was bitten on Main Beach on Christmas Day and nearly died, then I googled and found an atricle by a 'Snake Catcher' on GC,who said he gets thousands of calls and snakes are all over expecially in the months when they mate when they can move up to 500m a day in search of food....
Ohmigod, now I am concerned! I worry about sending my four kids out in parks and on school trips in case they are in danger. When we visited the school we liked (Somerset College) can you believe there was a snake on the grounds and I said if I had kids there, I'd be on the phone wanting them to get rid of it but they seemed laid back about it being on the school grounds
and weren't doing anything about removing it...I'm not sure I'd be able to send my kids there daily and be happy about that...
Am I being totally paranoid please? Those of you who already live there, tell me your views? We can settle anywhere in Aus and I am starting to think I might not have the nerve for the Gold Coast and might be better in a Sydney suburb where snakes don't appear..
Is there anywhere I can settle on the GC to reduce my risk of seeing a snake as I really am bothered by the whole idea and not sure I could be positive enough to reassure my kids who would be equally bothered if I tell them what I've read!
Apr 2nd 2008, 6:18 pm
#2
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
I've never been to OZ, but I'm going to guess, maybe a little...
Then again, I have heard stories of snakes dropping from trees onto unsuspecting pedestrians.
I also saw a documentary once where snakes had infested an airplane and much havoc was wreaked.
Then again, I have heard stories of snakes dropping from trees onto unsuspecting pedestrians.
I also saw a documentary once where snakes had infested an airplane and much havoc was wreaked.
Last edited by another bloody yank; Apr 2nd 2008 at 6:24 pm.
Apr 2nd 2008, 8:03 pm
#3
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Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
I'm sure some Gold Coast people will be along shortly to reassure you. I don't see how so many people could love living there if snakes were dropping from the trees and behind every bush.
Ordinary precautions in the suburbs would include not walking across an empty section containing long grass and keeping to walking tracks and paths in parks and beach areas. Most times a snake will get out of your way and only strike if it feels threatened or cornered. Not all snakes are deadly. The school attitude might seem laid back but I guess if they border a bush area the odd snake might cross the field and if it wasn't a venomous type they would just keep the students away for a while. Kids pretty quickly wise up and they'll become quite nonchalant about it.
Ordinary precautions in the suburbs would include not walking across an empty section containing long grass and keeping to walking tracks and paths in parks and beach areas. Most times a snake will get out of your way and only strike if it feels threatened or cornered. Not all snakes are deadly. The school attitude might seem laid back but I guess if they border a bush area the odd snake might cross the field and if it wasn't a venomous type they would just keep the students away for a while. Kids pretty quickly wise up and they'll become quite nonchalant about it.
Apr 2nd 2008, 8:56 pm
#4
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Location: From Galway Ireland to Robina to Mudgeeraba, GC
Posts: 851
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
Lived here over two years (Robina and now more rural Mudgeeraba) and have yet to see a snake.....
Apr 2nd 2008, 9:33 pm
#5
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Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Bris
Posts: 564
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
I don't think people realise just how close one needs to get to a snake before it has the chance to bite. They're hardly fast moving. In 99.99% of cases if you did happen to see a snake (which would be very rare in the first place) you would have the chance to move away before it could bite you, in many cases the snake would just shit itself as much as you and take off.
If you were to be bitten, keep in mind the GC is hardly rural & hours aways from any help. An ambo would be on the scene within minutes, just like the kiwi bloke on xmas day at Main Beach who survived the brown snake attack.
Your bigger concern in Australia is the poor driving standards. You really do have a much higher chance of being killed on the road.
If you were to be bitten, keep in mind the GC is hardly rural & hours aways from any help. An ambo would be on the scene within minutes, just like the kiwi bloke on xmas day at Main Beach who survived the brown snake attack.
Your bigger concern in Australia is the poor driving standards. You really do have a much higher chance of being killed on the road.
Apr 2nd 2008, 10:49 pm
#6
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Joined: Sep 2007
Location: From SE Wales to SE Queensland.
Posts: 1,478
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
Weve not seen any sign of snakes ( although my husband was chased by a brown in Cairns!!!
)A friend of ours has seen one but she backs onto fields, bushes and a golf course. It also left sharpish too. Once you are here you can put your worry into perspective I think. I used to be worried about sharks but when you look at the miles and miles of sea you worry less... ( well I do !!)
Apr 2nd 2008, 10:51 pm
#7
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Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
Look go to your nearest fancy dress shop get the ST PATRICK outfit and your snake worries are over
Apr 2nd 2008, 11:18 pm
#8
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Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Brisbane (leafy, hilly western suburbs)
Posts: 2,202
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
I've been living in Brisbane for nearly 10 years now. Let me give you a little perspective:
I live on the outer western edge of Brisbane - with "Brisbane Forest Park" just the other side of the road from our house. This is a close to bushland as you can get in Brisbane whilst still being in "suburbia" if you know what I mean.
In the entire 10 years in Australia I have seen (outside of captivity) 5 snakes:
1) On a drive south from Darwin a 1.5m brownish snake basking on the road - subsequently mortaly wounded by a car.. [no hazard to anyones health]
2) On a bushwalk in Gold Coast hinterland a 2m Python curled up under a boardwalk - very inactive, and getting a little attention from a few tourists with cameras - [no hazard to anyone]
3) On the road in our suburb 1m green tree snake - desperately trying to get to some cover (they dont like being exposed) a harmless creature and my concern was more for the snake than for anything else - [no hazard to anyone]
4) A 3m Python in our backyard in a standoff with our small dog (cavalier spaniel). The fight might have been interesting to watch - I dont know who would've won - but the snake was removed to avoid future conflict. Pythons are, despite their often impressive size, non-venomous and quite harmless to humans. Many people *like* having pythons aroudn since they eat more unpleasant creatures like rats and mice (and other smaller venomous snakes) . They also keep possums at bay which is good since possums carry paralysis ticks AND make lots of noise crawling all over your roof at night - [no hazard to anyone except perhaps the dog]
5) On a bushwalk just down the road I *nearly* trod on a small brownish snake. I'd estimate its length would've been around 70cm - but hard to tell since I didnt see its head - only it tail. At the time I was wearing open-toed sandals. A narrow escape and a lesson learnt *NEVER* go bush without closed footwear!. The snake could've been a "Brown snake" (imaginitive name?!), or a Taipan - I'm not enough of an expert to tell (or could've been something completely benign), but if I had trodden on it then a bite might well have resulted and I could've been up for a hospital stay. (Nobody dies of snake bites these days - first aid is simple just bind tight in a bandage and DONT MOVE - and antivenom is effective and readily available). [potentialy hazardous - but no harm done]
6) Another 3m Python in backyard. This one attracted a crowd of all the 2,3,4yr olds in the nieghbourhood and after much discussion with nieghbours we decided to move it on. The "Snake Catcher" refused to help (said since it was only a Python it wasnt worth the effort and it woudl be better left alone). So a bit of creative thinking and some action with an empty wheely-bin and a couple of garden rakes and we managed to trap the snake before driving him a few kms down the road and releasing him unharmed into a suitable bit of bushland. [no hazard to anyone]
So - in 10 years of living (probably enough to call statistically significant) and in prime 'snake territory'. I've only ever seen one possibly harmful snake - still only see one on average once every year and a half! Its not really something you need to worry about.
If you want to worry about nasty animals think more about mosquitos or even ants! You'll encounter them alot more often and they are FAR more annoying than any reptiles you'll see. (Even the usual spider fears are a bit over the top since the infamous 'redback' spiders although commonplace hardly ever move so are easily avoided!)
I live on the outer western edge of Brisbane - with "Brisbane Forest Park" just the other side of the road from our house. This is a close to bushland as you can get in Brisbane whilst still being in "suburbia" if you know what I mean.
In the entire 10 years in Australia I have seen (outside of captivity) 5 snakes:
1) On a drive south from Darwin a 1.5m brownish snake basking on the road - subsequently mortaly wounded by a car.. [no hazard to anyones health]
2) On a bushwalk in Gold Coast hinterland a 2m Python curled up under a boardwalk - very inactive, and getting a little attention from a few tourists with cameras - [no hazard to anyone]
3) On the road in our suburb 1m green tree snake - desperately trying to get to some cover (they dont like being exposed) a harmless creature and my concern was more for the snake than for anything else - [no hazard to anyone]
4) A 3m Python in our backyard in a standoff with our small dog (cavalier spaniel). The fight might have been interesting to watch - I dont know who would've won - but the snake was removed to avoid future conflict. Pythons are, despite their often impressive size, non-venomous and quite harmless to humans. Many people *like* having pythons aroudn since they eat more unpleasant creatures like rats and mice (and other smaller venomous snakes) . They also keep possums at bay which is good since possums carry paralysis ticks AND make lots of noise crawling all over your roof at night - [no hazard to anyone except perhaps the dog]
5) On a bushwalk just down the road I *nearly* trod on a small brownish snake. I'd estimate its length would've been around 70cm - but hard to tell since I didnt see its head - only it tail. At the time I was wearing open-toed sandals. A narrow escape and a lesson learnt *NEVER* go bush without closed footwear!. The snake could've been a "Brown snake" (imaginitive name?!), or a Taipan - I'm not enough of an expert to tell (or could've been something completely benign), but if I had trodden on it then a bite might well have resulted and I could've been up for a hospital stay. (Nobody dies of snake bites these days - first aid is simple just bind tight in a bandage and DONT MOVE - and antivenom is effective and readily available). [potentialy hazardous - but no harm done]
6) Another 3m Python in backyard. This one attracted a crowd of all the 2,3,4yr olds in the nieghbourhood and after much discussion with nieghbours we decided to move it on. The "Snake Catcher" refused to help (said since it was only a Python it wasnt worth the effort and it woudl be better left alone). So a bit of creative thinking and some action with an empty wheely-bin and a couple of garden rakes and we managed to trap the snake before driving him a few kms down the road and releasing him unharmed into a suitable bit of bushland. [no hazard to anyone]
So - in 10 years of living (probably enough to call statistically significant) and in prime 'snake territory'. I've only ever seen one possibly harmful snake - still only see one on average once every year and a half! Its not really something you need to worry about.
If you want to worry about nasty animals think more about mosquitos or even ants! You'll encounter them alot more often and they are FAR more annoying than any reptiles you'll see. (Even the usual spider fears are a bit over the top since the infamous 'redback' spiders although commonplace hardly ever move so are easily avoided!)
Apr 2nd 2008, 11:35 pm
#9
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 18,840
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
I've been living in Brisbane for nearly 10 years now. Let me give you a little perspective:
I live on the outer western edge of Brisbane - with "Brisbane Forest Park" just the other side of the road from our house. This is a close to bushland as you can get in Brisbane whilst still being in "suburbia" if you know what I mean.
In the entire 10 years in Australia I have seen (outside of captivity) 5 snakes:
1) On a drive south from Darwin a 1.5m brownish snake basking on the road - subsequently mortaly wounded by a car.. [no hazard to anyones health]
2) On a bushwalk in Gold Coast hinterland a 2m Python curled up under a boardwalk - very inactive, and getting a little attention from a few tourists with cameras - [no hazard to anyone]
3) On the road in our suburb 1m green tree snake - desperately trying to get to some cover (they dont like being exposed) a harmless creature and my concern was more for the snake than for anything else - [no hazard to anyone]
4) A 3m Python in our backyard in a standoff with our small dog (cavalier spaniel). The fight might have been interesting to watch - I dont know who would've won - but the snake was removed to avoid future conflict. Pythons are, despite their often impressive size, non-venomous and quite harmless to humans. Many people *like* having pythons aroudn since they eat more unpleasant creatures like rats and mice (and other smaller venomous snakes) . They also keep possums at bay which is good since possums carry paralysis ticks AND make lots of noise crawling all over your roof at night - [no hazard to anyone except perhaps the dog]
5) On a bushwalk just down the road I *nearly* trod on a small brownish snake. I'd estimate its length would've been around 70cm - but hard to tell since I didnt see its head - only it tail. At the time I was wearing open-toed sandals. A narrow escape and a lesson learnt *NEVER* go bush without closed footwear!. The snake could've been a "Brown snake" (imaginitive name?!), or a Taipan - I'm not enough of an expert to tell (or could've been something completely benign), but if I had trodden on it then a bite might well have resulted and I could've been up for a hospital stay. (Nobody dies of snake bites these days - first aid is simple just bind tight in a bandage and DONT MOVE - and antivenom is effective and readily available). [potentialy hazardous - but no harm done]
6) Another 3m Python in backyard. This one attracted a crowd of all the 2,3,4yr olds in the nieghbourhood and after much discussion with nieghbours we decided to move it on. The "Snake Catcher" refused to help (said since it was only a Python it wasnt worth the effort and it woudl be better left alone). So a bit of creative thinking and some action with an empty wheely-bin and a couple of garden rakes and we managed to trap the snake before driving him a few kms down the road and releasing him unharmed into a suitable bit of bushland. [no hazard to anyone]
So - in 10 years of living (probably enough to call statistically significant) and in prime 'snake territory'. I've only ever seen one possibly harmful snake - still only see one on average once every year and a half! Its not really something you need to worry about.
If you want to worry about nasty animals think more about mosquitos or even ants! You'll encounter them alot more often and they are FAR more annoying than any reptiles you'll see. (Even the usual spider fears are a bit over the top since the infamous 'redback' spiders although commonplace hardly ever move so are easily avoided!)
I live on the outer western edge of Brisbane - with "Brisbane Forest Park" just the other side of the road from our house. This is a close to bushland as you can get in Brisbane whilst still being in "suburbia" if you know what I mean.
In the entire 10 years in Australia I have seen (outside of captivity) 5 snakes:
1) On a drive south from Darwin a 1.5m brownish snake basking on the road - subsequently mortaly wounded by a car.. [no hazard to anyones health]
2) On a bushwalk in Gold Coast hinterland a 2m Python curled up under a boardwalk - very inactive, and getting a little attention from a few tourists with cameras - [no hazard to anyone]
3) On the road in our suburb 1m green tree snake - desperately trying to get to some cover (they dont like being exposed) a harmless creature and my concern was more for the snake than for anything else - [no hazard to anyone]
4) A 3m Python in our backyard in a standoff with our small dog (cavalier spaniel). The fight might have been interesting to watch - I dont know who would've won - but the snake was removed to avoid future conflict. Pythons are, despite their often impressive size, non-venomous and quite harmless to humans. Many people *like* having pythons aroudn since they eat more unpleasant creatures like rats and mice (and other smaller venomous snakes) . They also keep possums at bay which is good since possums carry paralysis ticks AND make lots of noise crawling all over your roof at night - [no hazard to anyone except perhaps the dog]
5) On a bushwalk just down the road I *nearly* trod on a small brownish snake. I'd estimate its length would've been around 70cm - but hard to tell since I didnt see its head - only it tail. At the time I was wearing open-toed sandals. A narrow escape and a lesson learnt *NEVER* go bush without closed footwear!. The snake could've been a "Brown snake" (imaginitive name?!), or a Taipan - I'm not enough of an expert to tell (or could've been something completely benign), but if I had trodden on it then a bite might well have resulted and I could've been up for a hospital stay. (Nobody dies of snake bites these days - first aid is simple just bind tight in a bandage and DONT MOVE - and antivenom is effective and readily available). [potentialy hazardous - but no harm done]
6) Another 3m Python in backyard. This one attracted a crowd of all the 2,3,4yr olds in the nieghbourhood and after much discussion with nieghbours we decided to move it on. The "Snake Catcher" refused to help (said since it was only a Python it wasnt worth the effort and it woudl be better left alone). So a bit of creative thinking and some action with an empty wheely-bin and a couple of garden rakes and we managed to trap the snake before driving him a few kms down the road and releasing him unharmed into a suitable bit of bushland. [no hazard to anyone]
So - in 10 years of living (probably enough to call statistically significant) and in prime 'snake territory'. I've only ever seen one possibly harmful snake - still only see one on average once every year and a half! Its not really something you need to worry about.
If you want to worry about nasty animals think more about mosquitos or even ants! You'll encounter them alot more often and they are FAR more annoying than any reptiles you'll see. (Even the usual spider fears are a bit over the top since the infamous 'redback' spiders although commonplace hardly ever move so are easily avoided!)
Apr 2nd 2008, 11:43 pm
#10
...giving optimism a go?!
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Brisbane (leafy, hilly western suburbs)
Posts: 2,202
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
Do you work for queensland tourist board
Seriously - OP - dont worry about snakes... worry about your kids turning into bogans, worry about skin cancer, decline of public health systems, worry about water shortages - worry about the impending extinction of Koalas perhaps - but dont concern yourself with fear of snakes.. its really NOT an issue...
Apr 2nd 2008, 11:44 pm
#11
Karma Comedian
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Brisvegas
Posts: 3,506
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
In 5 years I think I have only seen two live snakes.
One was a python curled up in the pergola; about 2M long, just left it alone.
More recently a very long python (maybe even 5m) was being 'chased' off the road near me into bushland.
Other than that we've had a few non-venomous chewed up black snakes regurgitated on our doorstep by a neighbourhood cat.
Snakes are nothing to worry about. Most you would see would be pythons (non venomous). I fear crossing the road more.
One was a python curled up in the pergola; about 2M long, just left it alone.
More recently a very long python (maybe even 5m) was being 'chased' off the road near me into bushland.
Other than that we've had a few non-venomous chewed up black snakes regurgitated on our doorstep by a neighbourhood cat.
Snakes are nothing to worry about. Most you would see would be pythons (non venomous). I fear crossing the road more.
Apr 3rd 2008, 1:20 am
#12
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
Yes! We've been here 2 1/2 years and I've not seen a snake yet except in a wildlife park and half our property is bush. If you do see one, it's not going to rush you and sink the fangs in. They are timid creatures and will only attack if they consider you a danger.
Don't worry about it.
We've been here 2 1/2 years and I've not seen a snake yet except in a wildlife park and half our property is bush. If you do see one, it's not going to rush you and sink the fangs in. They are timid creatures and will only attack if they consider you a danger.Don't worry about it.
Apr 3rd 2008, 1:25 am
#13
da Bonehead
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Lion in da jungle
Posts: 22,767
Re: Snakes on the Gold Coast
The ones with two legs are the most dangerous. 
