Snake still on the loose at the Shepparton News

"It was next to my desk, sliding across the floor," she said.

"It startled me, but I didn't panic – I thought it looked beautiful.

"It went into the door near my office and we barricaded it from the outside."

However, when the snake catcher arrived, they were not able to find it, even after going to the effort to unscrew cabinets from walls.

"There's an exit from that room to the courtyard, so we think it might be in the garden," she said.

"The snake catcher said a lot of young snakes are hiding from the heat, and we think because of the water it was heading there."

The snake catcher believed, from the description, that it was a brown snake.

This is not the first snake to be spotted at the Shepparton News.

News veteran Geoff Adams said there had been two indoor snake sightings, the first one about 10 to 15 years ago in the "early days" when the building was surrounded by paddocks.

"One reptile chose to curl up underneath the desk, much to the horror of the graphic design department," he said.

"A second reptile paid a visit, and was chased inside the building by the weekend staff."

He said further snakes had been seen outside the building, and a sign was put on the door to alert staff members.

Mr Adams insisted the snake would not be aggressive, but that has not alleviated anxieties in the building.

One staff member has refused to take the papers to the front counter tonight because she is "terrified", asking one of the boys to do it instead.

Shepparton News journalist Spencer Fowler Steen said on Twitter he was glad he was posted to Cobram today.

As for Ms Bellamy, she's just "trying to forget about it".