There’s no doubt snakes are on the move as the weather warms — and a couple of famous Aussies have had a terrifyingly close call with one of the world’s deadliest.
Surfing great Joel Parkinson and social media star Api “Hot Husband” Robin were biking on a bushland trail in northern NSW on Thursday when they encountered the large eastern brown slithering across the track.
“Well, that was close!” Robin, the husband of high-profile comedian Celeste Barber, said on Instagram.
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Parkinson, a now-retired world champion, described it as a “really close call” with the world’s second most venomous snake.
“That was not the way I wanted to start our ride,” he commented on Instagram.
The pair were riding in the Wollumbin National Park in the Tweed Ranges.
Robin filmed the more than 1m-long snake with its head raised — a sign that it feels threatened.
“It wanted to have a go at me. It reared up,” Parkinson is heard saying in the video.
He said he first spotted the “huge brown” as he came “flying around the corner”.
“I almost ran over it.”
Robin exclaimed: “Holy f***, it’s still there”.
Another video shows the snake safely making its way off the track and into the bush.
A day earlier, Australian cricket legend Glenn McGrath documented his removal of three carpet pythons from his home.
Posting a video of his composed removal of one of the slippery critters, the 53-year-old wrote: “After plenty of encouragement & support from @saraleonmcgrath all 3 coastal carpet pythons that were in the house were safely released back into the bush.”
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