Before anyone gets too close
Leafy rail-side streets connected by local bush tracks
Hornsby Shire Council's Beecroft–Cheltenham Link Track runs through several small urban bushland reserves with multiple street entrances. Cheltenham Oval adds a distinct sporting setting, while residential calls may involve older subfloors, decks, mature gardens and sloping access near the rail corridor.
For the wider service context, see our Blacktown snake removal guide and the Blacktown and Western Sydney service area. This page covers the access and safety details specific to Cheltenham.
VERIFIED LOCAL DETAIL
Why Cheltenham needs its own field note
A link track with several neighbourhood entrances
Hornsby Council describes a network of short walks through urban bushland between Beecroft and Cheltenham. The exact street entrance is more useful than the track name alone.
Hornsby Shire Council — Beecroft–Cheltenham Link Track ↗Cheltenham Oval is a separate managed site
Council lists the oval and nearby bushwalk as distinct recreation features. Give the field, car-park, play area or path entrance and nominate one adult to keep others outside the immediate zone.
Hornsby Shire Council — Cheltenham Oval Playground ↗Sloping blocks need an upper-or-lower description
A front drive, rear deck and bush-facing boundary may sit on different levels. State the last level clearly and keep the access route on the opposite side from the snake.
PET EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Cheltenham veterinary contacts
Keep these details separate from the snake-removal number. The catcher handles the snake; a veterinary team assesses the pet. If both are needed, make the veterinary call without waiting for capture.
a snake beneath a deck, beside a subfloor opening or in a mature residential garden
movement towards a Beecroft–Cheltenham track entrance or local reserve boundary
a sighting at Cheltenham Oval where players and path users need to be redirected
Keep people and pets back
Keep the household inside or on the opposite, occupied side of the block. Do not enter a bush track, rail boundary or dense garden bed. If the snake disappears, retain the last tree, retaining wall, step or fence section rather than moving foliage.
Do not touch, trap, corner or try to kill the snake. Bring children and pets away and call a trained reptile handler.
What to look at later
Screen subfloor vents and external gaps, lift timber and garden materials from the soil, manage rodents around feed and bins and keep maintained side paths visible. Leave council bushland and rail land undisturbed.
No property can be completely snake-proof. The practical aim is better visibility, fewer hiding places and less food for rodents, without harming native wildlife.
PET SAFETY / DETAILS CHECKED 28 AUGUST 2026
Where to ring about a pet
The first card is a practical clinic for the local area. The second card is a hospital that advertises 24-hour emergency care. Neither requires you to move closer to the snake or transport it.
Local Hornsby clinic; its site lists an after-hours referral.
The Artarmon hospital states that it is open 24/7 for emergencies.
Selection from the middle of Cheltenham cannot account for every road or open clinic. Confirm where the veterinary team wants you to go before starting the trip.
Independent contact information only. Snake Catcher Sydney Wide is not affiliated with these veterinary providers. In a life-threatening pet emergency, follow the veterinary team's instructions immediately.
The best way onto the site
Give the street and cross street, driveway grade and whether the safe route reaches the upper garden, lower garden or oval entrance. Identify any shared drive, gate or rail-side restriction before attendance is discussed.
Let us know whether the snake is inside or outside, whether a gate or door is locked and whether animals are still on the property.
A calm description is enough
We will ask where the snake was last seen, what sort of property it is and the safest place to meet you. An existing photo can be useful, but nobody should move closer to take one. Once we know the situation, we can give you an honest indication of availability and travel time.
LOCAL VISUAL / REGIONAL CONTEXT
Suburb map and regional view
Buffalo Creek — a regional reference for the creek lines and bush corridors threaded through northern Sydney.
Photo: Maurice van Creij / Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY 3.0 ↗. Cropped for display.
Cheltenham map: use this to check the wider road, reserve and waterway pattern—not to approach a snake. Provider attribution appears inside the map.
Local habitat and snake activity Cheltenham
Mature trees and sheltered roofs may suit diamond pythons, moist sandstone and leaf litter may suit golden-crowned snakes and wetter creek-side habitat may suit red-bellied black snakes. These are north-shore possibilities only, not records for a particular Cheltenham street.
Diamond python
Can use mature trees, roof spaces, thick gardens, rockwork and sheltered structures.
Do not use this as an ID: Do not approach because a pattern appears familiar; large pythons can still defend themselves.
Australian Museum species guide ↗Golden-crowned snake
A small nocturnal snake associated with moist forest, sandstone, leaf litter, logs and rocks.
Do not use this as an ID: The pale crown can be incomplete or hard to see, and a defensive posture is not a safe ID test.
Australian Museum species guide ↗Red-bellied black snake
Often associated with wetter habitat such as creeks, drains, wetlands and dam margins.
Do not use this as an ID: The red or pink flank may be hidden from view, especially from above.
Australian Museum species guide ↗These are habitat-based possibilities for the wider district, not a claim that any species is common on a particular Cheltenham property. The Sydney snake identification guide explains the limits of visual identification.
Call 000 immediately. Keep the person still and calm, apply a pressure immobilisation bandage, and do not wash, cut or suck the bite. Follow the emergency operator and Healthdirect guidance ↗.
Common local questions
Answers for Cheltenham
Which entrance should I give for a snake near the Cheltenham link track?
Name the nearest public street entrance and the last formed-path or fence marker. Stay out of the vegetation and meet the catcher from an approach that does not cross the sighting area.
Do I need pest control or a snake catcher?
If you are searching for pest control or pest removal because you have found a snake, contact a licensed snake catcher directly. A pest-control business that does not provide licensed snake handling may need to refer your call, adding a step and potentially delaying arrangements. Some pest controllers also offer licensed snake catching; ask whether they can arrange an appropriately licensed handler. Keep people and pets away and call Snake Catcher Sydney Wide to confirm the fee, availability and estimated arrival.
Is the snake moved humanely?
The aim is safe capture and humane relocation in line with current NSW requirements. The snake should not be handled by an untrained person.
Can I make a Cheltenham property snake-proof?
No property can be made completely snake-proof. Screen subfloor vents and external gaps, lift timber and garden materials from the soil, manage rodents around feed and bins and keep maintained side paths visible. Leave council bushland and rail land undisturbed.
The local background comes from Hornsby Shire Council — Beecroft–Cheltenham Link Track ↗, with snake safety checked against NSW Environment guidance ↗. The embedded public map is used to confirm the suburb, roads and named landscape reference. Habitat can vary from street to street, so we do not claim that a particular species is common at any address.