"Riddled with snakes" is not how most residents would want their home town described but Alice Springs snake catcher Rex Neindorf has some disquieting news for locals.
Mr Neindorf, who is also director of the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, is unusually busy for this time of year thanks to bumper wildlife after plenty of rain.
Snakes, in particular, are looking for new real estate, usually where they can find mice, which are also in abundance after the rain.
"Western brown snakes are really on the move now," he said.
"We had about 80-odd call-outs for September, which is a big September since normally … we average about one call a day.
He said that they were highly venomous, ranking in the top 10 of the deadliest snakes in the world, and were exceptionally good at hiding.
"A big western brown snake can live for about 20 years and it's always been in your area," he said.
Mr Neindorf said once they settled on an area, western browns usually ranged "over about 10 houses on the street".
He said the western brown ranked about ninth among the world's most venomous snakes.
Big snake numbers across Australia
Mr Neindorf said that there had been an increase in snake numbers across Australia.
"There has also been an increase in mice so that looks like that's prompting the eastern brown snakes to get out and about because they're mice eaters," he said.
Mr Neindorf said, despite being shy, eastern browns were the second most venomous snake in the world.
"Like any snake, they're very shy, but if you muck around with one, they can certainly hold their own," he said.
Mr Neindorf was surprised by the number of snake sightings over the cooler months, traditionally a time when snakes are semi-dormant.
"Over winter, when we hardly ever get any call-outs, we had six eastern brown snakes, including two that were about five-and-a-half-feet long," he said.
How to ward off snakes
Mr Neindorf said to stop the snakes from getting into your house it's important to do a few basic things.
"If you've got an overgrown yard full of weeds and those sorts of things, you'll have snakes.
"The main thing to do is keep everything nice and tidy [and] put those little rubber strips at the bottom of the doors to stop the snakes from going in," he said.
If you see a snake, Mr Neindorf says, ensure that all pets and children are safe and ring a snake catcher in your area.
"Just watch it. Ring [a snake catcher] and keep watching it," he said.
