Mr Lofthouse said he decided to remove a tree stump on a terrace, during a four-hour power outage in the region on Saturday, when the snake startled him. 

“I finished about noon and was coming down the slope from the shady side of a large boulder when I accidentally disturbed this massive brown, which must have been basking out of sight on the sunny side,” he said. 

“We were virtually eye to eye, separated by centimetres, when it slithered down the rock at amazing speed.

“It was easily two metres long and fatter than my forearm.

“I’d have been a goner had it decided to attack, which browns are known to do when threatened.”

Mr Lofthouse said had the snake bitten him, there would have been minimal chance of survival. 

“They are full of venom in mid-spring and if I was bitten anywhere on the body that, by myself in panic would be difficult to bandage, thirty to forty minutes waiting for medical help would have been too long,” Mr Lofthouse said. 

He said snake sightings at his 60-acre property were rare and in 10 years he averaged less than one a year. 

“This is only the second brown I’ve seen, but it’s scary that this was just metres from the back door,” he said.

Mr Lofthouse said his “close encounter” was just as ironic as it was terrifying. 

“Only minutes before the snake sighting I had warned a new neighbour who was planning to do some gardening that this mild and sunny Saturday was an ideal snake day and she should take precautions,” he said. 

“I was using a chainsaw and making enough noise, but I was blinded by the rock.

“On future snake days, I’ll only work and walk on open ground now that I’ve had the fright of my life.”

A senior scientist from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Arthur Rylah Institute, Nick Clemann, said snakes were becoming more active.

“At this time of year, we experience warmer weather. Under these conditions, snakes will often seek out a sunny or warm patch and be reluctant to move,” he said. 

“People need to be extra careful about where they step or put their hands as these weather conditions increases the risk of people and pets encountering snakes.”