Port Hedland mum rescued after bite by deadliest snake in middle of Karijini National Park

A Port Hedland mum has had the “luckiest unlucky day of her life” after being bitten by one of the world’s deadliest snakes in the middle of Karijini National Park — and a doctor happened to be hiking nearby. While tackling the notoriously difficult Knox Gorge in the Karijini National Park on the weekend, 36-year-old Megan Brouwer was hiking with her husband and five-year-old son when she was bitten by a western brown snake, or Gwardar. Luckily, an off-duty doctor also happened to be hiking the gorge and had a snake bite bandage which they applied to her wound before using a satellite phone to call for help. “I heard my husband yelling snake and so immediately panicked and jumped around a bit,” Ms Brouwer told 7News. “It was a bit of a panic, of what do we do now, you don’t have mobile reception in Karijini National Park.” What followed was a seven-hour-long rescue by a team consisting of SES Tom Price volunteers, Tom Price Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade volunteers, WA Police officers, St John WA Ambulance volunteers and local park rangers. Ms Brouwer was stretchered through creeks, braved steep cliffs, deep water and hot temperatures to get her safely to the waiting ambulance. “The team braved steep cliffs, deep water and hot temps to get the patient safely to the waiting ambulance,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in a social media statement. “Thankfully after a scaly scare, this intrepid traveller is sssssafe and sssssound.” The Port Hedland family have explored Karijini many times before but this was their first time tacking the treacherous track. “I’m feeling grateful, so grateful and in awe of the emergency services and volunteers,” she said. Said to be less aggressive than its eastern cousin — which is responsible for about 60 per cent of snake bite fatalities in Australia — the western brown snake is still highly dangerous and part of the group of snakes that causes the most fatalities in Australia. Though its venom is not as toxic as the eastern brown’s, it delivers three times as much. Bites are usually painless and difficult to see due to the small fang marks. Victims will experience headaches, nausea, abdominal pain, severe blood clotting and sometimes kidney damage.