A camper’s close call while holidaying with family in a rural town along Victoria’s coast has sparked an important reminder to Aussies as they venture off on summer adventures. Jeremy was lapping up his time away over the Australia Day long weekend when he and his brother-in-law decided to wander to a nearby creek.
With temperatures reaching 30 degrees, the pair were just about to let their dogs go for a dip in the water when they spotted a red-bellied black snake eagerly slithering through the stream. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, the 58-year-old computer repairman and keen dirt bike rider said the deadly creature appeared to be searching for frogs or small fish to eat.
Believing the moment was a “good reminder that snakes do swim and hunt in the water”, Jeremy whipped out his phone and recorded the reptile.
The footage shows the red belly darting along the edge of the creek, just metres away.
“Lucky you spotted that,” he can be heard telling his brother-in-law.
Red-bellied black snake slithers through middle of camp
And it wasn’t the last time the creature and frequent camper, who heads off into bushland every few weeks, crossed paths.
“That same snake actually came almost right through the middle of our camp later in the day,” Jeremy said.
“He must have been doing a circuit, because he would have lived nearby. So he was just on the hunt for food.”
The red-bellied black snake also wandered right through Jeremy’s campsite. Source: Supplied/Foster Computer Shop
While the business owner said he’s seen snakes in bodies of water before, he decided to share the clip of his most recent encounter online to remind others that venomous wildlife isn’t restricted to dry land.
“You can even come across them at the beach. They swim in the ocean as well, not just in the creeks,” Jeremy told Yahoo. “So be careful”.
“Generally, when there’s a lot of people around, you won’t see them. But you know, if you going in for a swim anywhere on your own, just be aware that there’s a possibility they could be there.”
The 58-year-old said red bellies seem to be “quite placid compared to other snakes” and tend to leave people alone, tiger snakes love the water and are a little more confrontational.
Last year, three fishermen were enjoying a day of fishing at Lake Barrington, in Tasmania’s north, when a metre-long tiger snake decided to join them. Source: Ben Hyde/Deloraine Snake Catcher
Eager tiger snake climbs aboard fishing boat
A trio of fisherman found that out last year when they spotted a metre-long tiger snake making a beeline for their boat in Tasmania’s north.
Speaking to Yahoo News, local snake catcher Ben Hyde recounted the scary scene.
“They spotted the tiger snake coming across the lake towards them, and it got to the boat and decided to hop in for a break,” he said. The concerned fishermen tried to knock the animal off the outboard motor and back into the water using an oar, but the stubborn critter wouldn’t be denied.
“It persisted and held on and ended up climbing over the edge of the boat,” Hyde said, adding that the snake slithered down into the storage fuel area to hide.
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