As the hottest days of summer descend on Aussies nationwide, many are using their days to cool off at the beach. But sunbathers trying to relax at one of the country’s most famous beaches had their hearts sent racing and fleeing their towels when an unexpected visitor came down to the sand.
Travelling couple Jesse and Cami caught the moment what’s thought to be an eastern brown snake slithered across towels at Byron Bay’s main beach earlier this week. It prompted a rescue mission from a snake catcher to safely relocate the native reptile.
“It came out of the bush and was just going across people’s towels,” the couple told Yahoo News Australia. “The lifeguard was told and a snake handler was called to remove it off the beach safely and relocate it.”
Eastern brown snakes are the most common cause of fatal snake bites in the country. Their small volume of venom packs a punch with its intense potency, however, bites from this species are relatively rare.
“Welcome to Australia,” one Aussie who watched footage of the moment joked to the travelling couple.
“Browns love the beach for some reason,” said another. “They’re always up in the dunes.”
Similar snake scene captured on WA beach
A similar scenario played out on the other side of the country last month when beachgoers spotted a western brown snake slither along North Beach in Perth.
Snake catcher Mathew Hampton told Yahoo News at the time that brown snakes can easily navigate beaches “without an issue”.
“The only time they are usually noticed is when they stray a little too far from the cover of the tree line and they can end up in some risky locations like amongst swimmers,” he said.
Around 3,000 snake bites are reported each year in the country, with 41 per cent from brown snakes. Fatalities are relatively low with two deaths reported each year on average, however the majority of those are from brown snakes.
Brown snakes spend their ‘entire lives’ near beachgoers but largely go unnoticed. Source: TikTok/sarahbrunners
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