The Blotched Blue-tongue is one of Australia’s most distinctive large skinks and a species that often surprises people in the Greater Sydney region. Most Sydneysiders are familiar with the Eastern Blue-tongue, which is common in backyards across the city, but far fewer realise that this cool-climate specialist also lives on the outskirts of Sydney – especially in the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands, and other elevated, cooler areas. For anyone living above about 600 metres, this species is far more likely to be the local “garden blue-tongue” than its eastern cousin.
Although the two species look superficially similar, the Blotched Blue-tongue is a separate, darker, and more heavily patterned animal, built for cooler conditions and thriving in climates that the Eastern Blue-tongue generally avoids. Residents who encounter this species often contact Sydney Snake Catcher for identification, especially when the lizard appears unusually dark or red-blotched. Most of the time, that’s exactly what it is.
The Blotched Blue-tongue is not widespread across Sydney, but instead occurs in cool, elevated areas. Its presence around the city is mostly tied to temperature and rainfall.
Common areas include:
Occasional sightings
If you live in Penrith, the Inner West, the Eastern Suburbs, or coastal Sydney, you will almost certainly never see this species naturally.
The Eastern Blue-tongue is one of Sydney’s most recognisable reptiles and a species almost every homeowner has encountered at some stage. Whether it’s basking beside a garden shed, sliding under a retaining wall, or ambushing snails in the veggie patch, this large, slow-moving skink has become part of suburban life throughout the city. For many people, it’s the first reptile they ever learn to identify, and it remains the most commonly photographed and sent to Sydney Snake Catcher for confirmation.
Friendly, harmless, and genuinely beneficial to have around the yard, the Eastern Blue-tongue is an important predator of snails, slugs, beetles, and insects. As Sydney continues to expand, this species has adapted remarkably well to gardens, parks, bushland, and even industrial precincts, making it one of the most successful reptiles in the Greater Sydney region.
Eastern Blue-tongues are widespread throughout Sydney and one of the few reptiles equally comfortable in both natural habitat and residential environments.
Common areas include:
Wherever there is shelter and food, blue-tongues will thrive.
If you’ve spotted a snake on your property anywhere on the Central Coast, stay calm and call the professionals. Sydney Snake Catcher provides rapid, humane and fully licensed snake relocation for homes, businesses, workplaces, and public spaces across the region. Our experienced handlers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering reliable emergency response when you need it most.
Snakes are regularly encountered across the Central Coast — from established neighbourhoods in Gosford, Terrigal, and Woy Woy, to bush-backed properties throughout Toukley, Bateau Bay, and Lake Macquarie. With such diverse natural habitats surrounding residential areas, snakes will often explore backyards, sheds, construction sites, schools, and even indoor spaces in search of food and shelter.
Our team specialises in identifying and safely capturing both venomous and non-venomous snakes, including Eastern Brown Snakes, Red-bellied Black Snakes, and Carpet Pythons. We relocate every snake to a suitable bushland habitat, keeping both the animal and your family safe. No matter where you are located on the Central Coast, you can count on a quick response from a trained expert who understands local snake behaviour and the risks involved.
If you see a snake — do not attempt to handle it yourself. Keep people and pets away and give us a call immediately for professional assistance.
Sydney Snake Catcher is your #1 Voted Central Coast Snake Catcher - Contact us today or call 1300 599 938.
The Diamond Python is one of the most recognisable and admired snakes in the Greater Sydney Region. Calm, gentle, and visually striking, it is regarded by many as one of the most beautiful pythons in the world. Although it can reach impressive lengths, the Diamond Python is entirely non-venomous, slow to anger, and poses no threat to people or pets. For residents across Sydney, the sight of a Diamond Python curled up in a tree fork, stretched out along a sunny veranda, or quietly moving along a fence line is becoming increasingly common. As urban sprawl continues to push into bushland, Diamond Pythons have shown a remarkable ability to live alongside people with very little conflict.
Sydney Snake Catchers receive regular enquiries about this species each year, often from residents who are startled by their size or unexpected appearance. For us as snake catchers, the Diamond Python is genuinely one of the calmest and easiest species to work with. They’re slow-moving, predictable, and generally tolerant of gentle handling during relocation. In the reptile community, they are affectionately known as the “polite gentle giants of Sydney” — a title they more than deserve.
Diamond Pythons are found across all major bushland-connected regions of Sydney:
They occur in all five major Sydney distribution zones and remain one of the city’s most widespread large reptiles.
The Golden-Crowned Snake is one of the most commonly encountered small snakes in the Greater Sydney region, especially in leafy, well-established suburbs with good ground cover, dense gardens, and consistent moisture. Despite their frequency, many residents have never knowingly seen one — not because they’re rare, but because this species is small, shy, and strictly nocturnal, spending most of its time hidden under leaf litter, rocks, logs, compost, and garden debris. For Sydney homeowners, this is a species worth knowing: harmless in temperament, medically low-risk, and a helpful controller of small lizards and skink eggs.
From a snake-catching perspective, Golden-Crowned Snakes are a routine part of evening call-outs across northern Sydney, the North Shore, Hills District, Hornsby Shire, Ku-ring-gai, Sutherland, and much of the Central Coast. They are one of the “quiet achievers” of Sydney’s reptile fauna — widespread, adaptable, often living right under our feet without issue. Their colours, head shape, and behaviour make them distinctive once you know what to look for.
Golden-Crowned Snakes are one of the most habitat-flexible small elapids in NSW. They thrive in environments that offer:
Common habitats:
In urban settings:
Because they avoid direct sunlight and heat, they will rarely be seen basking. Instead, they maintain body temperature through warm ground, rotting mulch, and heat held beneath stones and logs.
The Common Death Adder is one of Australia’s most iconic venomous snakes—instantly recognisable, highly specialised, and arguably one of the most efficient ambush predators in the reptile world. Despite its intimidating reputation and dangerously potent venom, the Death Adder is actually one of the least encountered venomous snakes in the Greater Sydney Region. Its secretive, motionless behaviour means most people will never see one in their lifetime, even in areas where the species is locally common. For snake catchers, the Death Adder is a very different animal to work with compared to Sydney’s more widespread species like Eastern Browns or Red-bellied Blacks. It relies on camouflage rather than speed, remaining absolutely still even when approached—an adaptation that unfortunately causes most human encounters to occur when someone comes within stepping distance without realising it’s there.
Despite the name and fear surrounding this species, Death Adders are not aggressive, and bites are rare. But when they do occur, they are medically serious and require urgent first-aid and hospital treatment. Their venom contains potent pre- and post-synaptic neurotoxins, capable of causing paralysis, respiratory failure, and in untreated cases, death. This is not a species to attempt to move or handle without professional training. When the Sydney Snake Catcher team is called out to a suspected Death Adder, we treat every situation with maximum care—ambush predators with perfect camouflage require a very different approach to removal.
In the Greater Sydney region, the Common Death Adder is patchily distributed, favouring locations with sandy soils, heath, and dense leaf litter. Most sightings occur in:
They are extremely difficult to spot due to their perfect camouflage. Even experienced bushwalkers can walk right past one without noticing.
The Tiger Snake (is one of Australia’s most iconic venomous snakes and historically one of the species most feared across the country. Although now far less common in metropolitan Sydney, Tiger Snakes remain present in the Greater Sydney basin, particularly in the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, and cooler, wetter pockets of bushland where suitable habitat still exists. They are powerful, robust snakes with a highly potent venom, and although usually shy, they must always be treated with extreme caution. For much of Australia’s colonial history this species was responsible for more deaths than any other species.
For homeowners in the outer fringe suburbs, near wetlands, creeks, or high-rainfall bushland, Tiger Snakes remain a species that may occasionally turn up in yards, sheds, or around water features — especially during warm months. Their striking banding, muscular build, and preference for moist environments make them one of the more memorable snakes encountered by bushwalkers and residents living near natural waterways.
As habitat and climate conditions shift and Sydney continues to expand outward, understanding the Tiger Snake’s behaviour and seasonal patterns helps reduce risk and supports coexistence with one of Australia’s most formidable native reptiles.
Even though Tiger Snakes are not commonly found in most suburban gardens today, they remain a species that residents occasionally report in:
Tiger Snakes can be particularly dangerous to dogs, which often rush toward snakes out of curiosity or instinct. Because Tiger Snakes are powerful defenders and may stand their ground, any close interaction between a dog and a Tiger Snake is extremely risky.
For homeowners, sudden encounters often occur when:
If a Tiger Snake is sighted, the safest approach is always the same: keep your distance, remove pets from the area, and call Sydney Snake Catcher for safe relocation.
The Eastern Brown Snake is one of Australia’s most widely recognised snakes and is infamous for being the species most responsible for the most deaths and serious snakebite incidents nationwide.
In Sydney, it is less commonly encountered than Red-bellied Black Snakes or Diamond Pythons, yet it is unquestionably one of the most significant species for homeowners to be aware of. Its combination of lightning speed, potent venom, and defensive behaviour makes it a species that demands respect — and absolutely requires professional handling when found near homes, sheds, work sites, or schools.
Across the Greater Sydney region, Eastern Browns are seen most often in semi-rural areas, on farmland, or near open grassy landscapes. However, as suburbs continue to expand outward, they are increasingly appearing along the fringes of newer housing estates, industrial zones, and large suburban blocks where food and shelter are readily available. Understanding their behaviour, habitats, and seasonal patterns is essential for keeping people and pets safe.
In the Sydney region, Eastern Browns occur mainly in:
They are far less common in the dense, leafy suburbs of the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs, where cooler microclimates and reduced open habitat restrict their presence.
The Red-bellied Black Snake is one of Australia’s most iconic snakes and one of the species most commonly encountered by homeowners across the Greater Sydney region. Despite its fearsome reputation, it is a shy, diurnal snake that prefers to avoid conflict, and most encounters end with the animal slipping quietly away. Still, this species is dangerously venomous, and any sighting around homes, schools, businesses, or pets should be treated with caution.
The Red-bellied Black Snake has adapted remarkably well to Sydney’s expanding suburbs, especially those near creeks, wetlands, and bushland corridors. Because it relies heavily on frogs and water sources, it is a frequent visitor to gardens with ponds, backyard fish habitats, overflowing gutters, drainage easements, and natural waterways.
The species occurs throughout:
In general, anywhere there is water, there is potential for Red-bellied Black Snakes.
