A local note
Crowded coastal streets need discreet control
Basement garages, courtyards, service lanes and rocky garden edges can put a snake close to residents or visitors.
PET EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Pet help to keep handy in Manly
A snake sighting and a suspected pet bite are two separate emergencies. Call the catcher about the snake; call Dee Why Veterinary Hospital or the 24-hour hospital below about the animal without waiting for symptoms.
LOCAL VISUAL / REGIONAL CONTEXT
Reading the local landscape
Narrabeen Lagoon — a regional reference for the wetlands, coastal vegetation and dense neighbourhoods of the Northern Beaches.
Photo: Bs4234 / Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗. Cropped for display.
Manly map: use this to check the wider road, reserve and waterway pattern—not to approach a snake. Provider attribution appears inside the map.
snake in an apartment garage or courtyard
sighting near a café, hotel or service lane
movement along a rocky garden or bush-edge street
If the snake is still visible
Move bystanders away without surrounding the snake. Do not follow it into traffic, a public path or vegetation.
Do not touch, trap, corner or try to kill the snake. Bring children and pets away and call a trained reptile handler.
Snakes and habitat around Manly
Local council guidance records several venomous and non-venomous snakes across the Northern Beaches, including eastern brown snakes, red-bellied black snakes and diamond pythons. Lagoons, sandstone bushland and roof spaces create different habitat clues, but none proves an identification.
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 ↗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 ↗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 ↗These are habitat-based possibilities for the wider district, not a claim that any species is common on a particular Manly property. The Sydney snake identification guide explains the limits of visual identification.
PET SAFETY / DETAILS CHECKED 17 AUGUST 2026
A nearby veterinary contact
For Manly pet owners, the first listing is a practical general veterinary contact. The second is a continuously staffed emergency hospital for times when the local clinic is closed or directs you onward.
Northern Beaches clinic; appointments are preferred.
The hospital states that its emergency service operates 24/7 with no referral required.
The general clinic was selected as a practical option from the centre of Manly. Street location, traffic, opening hours and triage can change what is most suitable, so phone before travelling.
Independent contact information only. Snake Catcher 24/7 Sydney is not affiliated with these veterinary providers. In a life-threatening pet emergency, follow the veterinary team's instructions immediately.
Getting to the right spot
Give the building name, garage or loading entrance and any parking restriction. A person should wait at the correct door.
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.
What we'll ask when you ring
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.
After the snake has gone
Keep shared bin and service areas clean and maintain ground-floor seals and screens through strata.
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.
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 ↗.
Questions people ask
Answers for Manly
Can you attend a busy Manly business?
Yes. Quietly clear the immediate area and have a staff member meet the catcher at the service entrance.
Can I call late at night in Manly?
Yes. Calls from Manly are taken day and night, including weekends and public holidays. We will confirm current availability and likely travel time when you ring.
What is the most useful detail to give you?
Tell us exactly where the snake was last seen and whether it is inside or outside. Give the building name, garage or loading entrance and any parking restriction. A person should wait at the correct door.
The local background comes from NSW Environment — Ku-ring-gai Chase and Pittwater setting ↗, with snake safety checked against NSW Environment guidance ↗. Habitat can vary from street to street, so we do not claim that a particular species is common at any address.