John Williams, Treasures of Nhill & District Facebook page, Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times

“Kaniva Weather” is a proverbial. And another old saying might be “Snakes alive in Kaniva” thanks to the following historic snake stories that have made the news.

In 1952 George French and Kaniva’s Constable O’Dwyer were faced with trying to catch a snake in a woodpile. Mr French thought he might try and charm the snake to entice it into the open. He didn’t have a punji used by fakirs so a mouth organ would have to do.

According to the Horsham Times he sat down in the accepted fashion began to play some weird and discordant notes and after a few minutes the snake had had enough, poked its head out and was promptly shot by Constable O’Dwyer.

In 1916 the Lawloit Times reported:
“Snakes are very numerous in Kaniva and district at present. Two were despatched in W. Cordner’s dining room recently and three met their fate in the paddock adjoining the house. One of the snakes had been haunting the house for about a week but finally received his quietus in the milk cupboard where he had gone to regale himself.”

“Quietus” was used often in old press stories about snakes being killed. The word appropriately means “death to something that causes death.”

In 1912 a large brown snake entered the Kaniva Shire Hall and slithered up to a desk, but was soon dispatched with a large stout stick.

In 1938 Percy and Arthur Maddern were cutting thistles on their father’s Kaniva property when they noticed a snake gliding down a hole. The boys decided to dig it out. The snake emerged and was killed….but snakes kept coming. 34 in all were whacked with a stick. They were brown and about 15 inches long.

In October 1925 Kaniva residents were warned to be aware of snakes at the cemetery as it seems to be a favourite haunt. Five large snakes were reported in one day.

In 1948 Kaniva’s David Welsh proposed to a Scottish widow Marion Hannah. In his letter of proposal David warned Marion that she would have to carry and lantern and a big stick at night to knock the snakes down. Surprisingly she accepted and arrived in Australia expecting to see the country overrun with snakes.

In 1936 the Melbourne Age reported:

“A brown snake, about 4 feet long, entered the cage of a pair of canaries at the home of Mrs. H. Bartlett, at Bill’s Gully. The cage was on the back veranda, when the snake entered through the 3/4-inch wire netting. As only women were at the house, Mr. W. Dixon was communicated with. When he arrived the snake had eaten one of the canaries, and had the other one half way down its throat. Mr. Dixon shot the reptile”

In 1933 a Kaniva housekeeper received the fright of her life when a brown snake crawled out of a cabbage she was preparing for dinner. The snake wriggled out from between the leaves, sat up on its tail on the table and projected its fangs. The Horsham Times said needless to say the reptile was quickly given its quietus.

Also in 1933 a battle royal took place between two cats and a brown snake in front of the Kaniva police station. The snake was on a tour of investigation but two local cats resented its appearance. The reptile struck one of the cats which later died, but the other feline crabbed the snake behind the head and hung on until it was dead.

“Snakes are numerous this year” or “Snakes are making an early appearance this year” were regular headlines in the Kaniva and Lawloit Times.

A snake was found in the wall of the Webb house in Kaniva in 1935 forcing the owner to remove several sheets of plaster. However the reptile was in an awkward position, so there was only one solution…a shotgun. Mr Webb gave the snake both barrels and also blew out the wall of the house.

The unwelcome visitors have often been found in the district draped over farm fences, a dozen at a time.

The neighbouring Big Desert is considered to be the best single area in Victoria for reptiles, with over 50 species of lizards and snakes.

The most common snakes you might come across are the eastern brown, tiger snake, copperhead and the red-bellied black snake but there are others including the endangered, mildly venomous Masters snake.

Seven years ago there was the case of Kaniva mother taking a photo of her two-year-old daughter when a massive brown snake photobombed the happy snap. Bianca Dickinson and two of her children had been waiting at the bottom of the family’s long driveway for the school bus and through the lens she thought she saw bark from a tree next to her daughter Molly…until it moved. The “big mother of a snake” fortunately slid away.

And finally…just so you can sleep well tonight…

The Adelaide Observer in 1909 revealed: A well-known farmer of Kaniva, Laurence McNamara had a narrow escape from being bitten on the face by a snake when he got into bed on Friday night. When he was drawing the clothes up over his shoulders, he discovered that he was holding a brown snake in a fold of the blanket. He promptly wrapped the reptile up securely with the blanket, and gave it the quietus treatment with a water jug.

It would seem apt that the meaning of Kaniva is “snake asleep” in the Aboriginal Wergaia language. That’s one theory, although the origin is uncertain.

Footnote:
Snakes don’t go to sleep or hibernate during winter…they brumate by going into a period of dormancy. But beware of the red belly black which is known to bask in the sun on a warm winter’s day as they are more cold-tolerant than other species.

This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 12 March 2025.