Seen a snake near the river?
Penrith City Council's advice is simple: walk away. All snakes in NSW are protected, so never try to catch or kill one. For a snake bite, call 000, apply a pressure bandage and keep the person still, and don't wash the bite.
What's different in Emu Plains
Bushland in the street names
Penrith City Council lists bushland reserves here including Emu Green (49 hectares), the River Road Corridor (15.8 hectares), Bunyarra Reserve (5.5 hectares) and Bellbird Reserve (4.3 hectares). You reach several of them from ordinary residential streets.
Where the plain meets the mountains
The council says Bellbird Reserve shows vegetation changing from the flats of the Cumberland Plain into the sandstone of the Blue Mountains, with Lapstone Creek running through it. This suburb sits on the edge of two landscapes.
River Road snakes
Snakes are often seen along River Road, the council says, warming up on sunny paths close to water. It names the Red-bellied Black Snake, Eastern Brown Snake and Whip Snake as Penrith species.
Stagnant water
Mosquito larvae breed in small amounts of stagnant water, the council says, and it takes only two to three weeks from there to mature mosquitoes. In summer they're most active after dusk.
Before mosquito season
- Keep the pool full and well maintained, and keep any fishpond stocked with fish.
- Fit screens to septic tank vents and rainwater tanks.
- Clean and refill pet water bowls regularly.
- Flush unused toilets at least once a week, say in a granny flat or shed.
- Keep gardens clear of overgrown vegetation, and fly screens in good repair.
What about inside the house?
The foothills bring two things worth knowing. European wasps are found in the Blue Mountains as well as metropolitan Sydney, and they usually nest out of sight in the ground or a wall cavity. The Australian Museum also has some funnel-web records from the Blue Mountains, so treat a bite from any big black spider as an emergency and call 000.
Beyond that, it's the usual list: mice as the weather cools, rats in the roof, cockroaches in the kitchen, and termites, where a regular inspection catches activity early. If you find termites, don't disturb them.
What we'd do about pests in Emu Plains
Fix your own standing water, because you can't do anything about the river. If you back onto a reserve, keep a clear strip along the fence. For anything inside the house, pick what you've seen on this page and add your postcode.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
