Snake Catcher Newtown

A Newtown sighting can draw a crowd quickly. Keep customers, neighbours and pedestrians back, and avoid surrounding the animal in a confined courtyard.

When calling from Newtown, explain whether the animal is indoors or outside, whether it remains visible, and whether children, pets, customers, livestock or workers are nearby. Harley can then assess the immediate risk and the safest access.

Around Newtown, terrace yards, apartment common areas, hospitality venues, schools, renovation sites and rear lanes can create several possible routes and shelter points. Leave those places undisturbed after the snake moves out of sight.

On compact blocks and shared properties, isolate the immediate room, courtyard or common area without searching adjoining storage.

• terrace yards: Use terrace yards as a landmark when explaining the last known position; do not move closer to inspect it.
• apartment common areas: Tell Harley whether apartment common areas is open, enclosed, elevated or difficult to access from the street.
• hospitality venues: Do not place hands, tools or cameras into gaps around hospitality venues; report only what you can see safely.
• schools: If the snake travels toward schools, note which side it entered and leave the area undisturbed.
• renovation sites: Pause gardening, storage or maintenance work around renovation sites after a sighting.
• rear lanes: Where rear lanes is shared, ask one person to control access and another to meet Harley.

A sighting does not establish that there is a nest or more than one snake. Avoid assumptions about species, numbers or where the animal has gone; preserve the last reliable observation instead.

• Do not surround the snake; let one calm observer remain well back.
• Move bystanders away from the Newtown sighting without creating a crowd.
• Keep visual contact only while you can remain on stable, open ground.
• Do not use garden tools, brooms or containers in an attempted capture.
• If someone may have been bitten, call Triple Zero (000) immediately and follow the operator’s instructions.

A professional Newtown response requires calm scene control, appropriate equipment and lawful handling; Harley operates under NSW General Licence MWL000102655.

Equipment and positioning are selected for the actual Newtown setting, with safe capture and humane relocation as the objective.

If the snake has left terrace yards or cannot be located, capture cannot be guaranteed. Harley will explain what was checked and what should happen next. Read about Harley’s training and experience or review the Greater Sydney snake-removal process.