A Journey of Passion and Purpose
When Courtenay Brown first moved from Perth to the Sunshine Coast, she found herself encountering snakes everywhere. While many might have been deterred by such a discovery, Brown took it as an opportunity to explore and learn more about these fascinating creatures.
“I loved to go out at night and try to find them in the bush just to learn more about the local species,” she shares. From a young age, Brown had a deep love for animals and a particular fascination with snakes. However, this interest had never really translated into a career or a specific goal—until her move to the Sunshine Coast revealed how much fear and misunderstanding surrounded these reptiles.
“I’ve always wanted to do something meaningful, and snakes are so feared and misunderstood,” she explains. “I saw this as an opportunity to help reduce that fear and to educate others that snakes are not out to get us.”
With this motivation, Brown pursued training and obtained a permit from the Department of Science and Environment. She then launched her own business, “That Snake Lady,” a venture that has brought her immense joy and satisfaction.
For Brown, education is at the heart of her mission. She aims to help people understand that snakes aren’t inherently dangerous and play a vital role in the ecosystem. Her most common calls involve carpet pythons, which she describes as a “straightforward catch.” However, she finds greater excitement in dealing with more challenging species.
Her favorite snakes to catch are the “highly venomous elapids like the Eastern Brown,” a snake whose venom can be fatal within 15 minutes.
“They sometimes can be a little faster and more unpredictable when they become defensive,” she explains. “There’s usually very little room for error, so it’s a good test of skill and definitely gets the adrenaline pumping.”
Brown didn’t stumble into this career; she attended university and explored various professions before finally setting her sights on becoming a snake catcher. Despite following all the proper steps—training, permits, and starting her own business—it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. The challenges, however, aren’t with the snakes themselves.
“People are usually very shocked when I tell them what I do for a job,” she says. “I think some people judge me based on the way I look and question why I’d want to do this job in the first place, or question my ability to do the job safely and successfully.”
Typically, when someone calls for a snake catcher, they expect a man to show up at their door. So Courtenay often faces skepticism when she arrives.
“A lot of people seem to see this as a bloke’s job,” she says. “Even people with very little knowledge or experience with snakes will give me advice about how to do the job, which can be frustrating.”
Putting her work on social media has also brought its share of challenges. “There is always a lot of criticism,” she notes. “Even if I do everything perfectly, there is usually always criticism about what I do, what I wear, my techniques, how I look, my ability. There’s a lot of objectification, sexism and negativity, unfortunately. Comments, innuendo and inappropriate DMs, which seem to be much less apparent on the pages of male catchers.”
Despite the negativity, Brown remains focused on her passion and hopes to set an example for her two teenage daughters by doing what she loves.
“I love the fact that no two call-outs are the same,” she gushes. “Regardless of how well prepared you are, these are wild animals, and they don’t often stick to your plan. There are lots of variables and usually a bit of adrenaline too, which makes it exciting.”
While not everyone wants to get close to the snakes, almost everyone is intrigued by Brown’s stories, which she says she loves sharing.
“I’ve removed a carpet python from under a mattress, a red belly from a set of golf clubs, found six common tree snakes mating in someone’s roof space, snakes in engines, snakes under fridges and in wardrobes,” she recalls.
But even though capturing the attention of a dinner table is a great perk, what Brown truly loves about her job is that she gets to help the animals she loves and educate others while she’s at it.
“Snakes are usually just passing through looking for food, water, shelter or a mate, but in doing so they get themselves into some pretty strange places,” she explains. “With a bit of awareness, common sense and respect for them, snakes generally don’t cause any issues. Doing this job you really get to see that snakes are not bad animals, just misunderstood.”
