Help name Australia’s newest ‘big thing’

The Australian Reptile Park is looking for a name for its latest jaw-dropping attraction – the world’s biggest brown snake replica.

After calling for suggestions on social media, the park has narrowed the options down to four: Tex, Bruno, Maiyaa or Hisstopher.

The power is in the hands of visitors, who can cast their vote in person when they visit the park in March.

The larger-than-life brown snake replica is no ordinary addition.

Measuring 6m tall and stretching 30m in length, the three-tonne masterpiece took more than 3,000 hours to create and now proudly slithers atop the park’s new Weigel Venom Centre.

With intricate hand-painted scales, lifelike teeth and even a moving tongue, the statue is a marvel of craftsmanship and the latest in Australia’s collection of ‘big things’ – joining icons like the Big Banana and the Big Prawn.

The unveiling of the giant brown snake follows the launch of the state-of-the-art Weigel Venom Centre, a world-first venom milking facility that plays a crucial role in producing life-saving antivenom.

The Australian Reptile Park is the only facility in Australia that milks terrestrial snakes for venom to create antivenom, helping to save an estimated 300 lives per year.

Operations Manager Brandon Gifford said the snake needed a name to truly take its place alongside the park’s other ‘big thing’, Ploddy the Dinosaur.

“I couldn’t believe the size of the snake when I first saw it, but now, I feel it’s time we give it a name and the identity it deserves,” Gifford said.

The name Tex is short for ‘Pseudonaja textilis’, the scientific name for a brown snake.

Bruno and Hisstopher were both loved by the team, and the name Maiyaa is short for ‘Anowa maiyaa’ meaning ‘snake’ in the Aboriginal language local to the Central Coast, Awabakal.

Every park entry ticket until the end of March will allow one vote.