Beachgoers watch the snake emerge from the sea. Credit:Olivia Moffatt Australian Reptile Park operations manager Mike Drinkwater said more snake sightings were likely due to the good rainfall in the lead up to the summer and hot and dry weather conditions. "We've had a season that's been very favourable for snake activity," Mr Drinkwater said. "There's been a good rainfall just in the lead up to summer. This just means the whole ecosystem gets ticking over at a higher level." He said a wet spring promoted breeding activity, increasing food availability for the snakes.

"The favourable conditions pre-summer meant there is likely to have been a mini-boom in the number of animals that snakes prey upon, like small mammals and birds," he said. In addition, the warm weather may have contributed to more snake sightings, Mr Drinkwater said. "As we move into lovely, warm, dry days, snake sightings are going to increase as snakes are basking in sunny areas whole lot more." Lawrence Orel from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said humans, as well as snakes, tend to be more active during warmer months, resulting in more instances of snake sightings. "It's important to remember humans tend to be more active as well - we spend more time outdoors, in our gardens, going for bushwalks, et cetera," he said.

Mr Orel said people should expect to see snakes around in their natural habitat, which in Australia includes beaches, bush and backyards. "It's not unusual to see brown snakes in the coastal zone and indeed on the open sand on the beaches. Snakes are widespread in Australia, and that includes the bush and backyards," he said. There are about 140 species of snakes in Australia, about half a dozen of which are venomous, Mr Orel said. Mr Orel said people could avoid snakebites by leaving them alone. "Stop what you are doing, and just stand still. Leave them alone," he said

He added the majority of people were bitten by snakes if they tried to catch or kill one. While there may have been a number of high profile snake sightings, the number of rescue calls has remained steady compared to previous summers, according to WIRES, Australia's largest wildlife rescue service. One week into January this year, WIRES received 132 rescue calls related to snakes. Last year, WIRES received 888 snake-related rescue calls over the whole of January and in 2013, 893 calls. WIRES' Gary Pattinson, who had been a reptile carer for 10 years, said the number of rescue calls fell below average. Mr Pattinson added WIRES fell short of finding enough venomous snakes to keep for training purposes.

"In fact, we sometimes keep some of the venomous snakes for training courses and we still need to get enough of them this year," he said. WIRES keeps 10 of each venomous species of snake for training reptile handlers. St John's Ambulance national CEO Peter LeCornu said people should not be alarmed by media reports of snake-related incidents, noting on average there are less than 20 snake-related fatalities nationally. "You're far more likely to be killed on the road, than from snakebites," he said.