According to one account, some passers-by tried to kill it.

Others called the city's Snake Rescue and Relocation team which came and caught it. It's now been released at an undisclosed location in the bush.

The snake catchers said it was the first time that a deadly snake like this had been seen in such an urban part of the city. Snakes are not uncommon in the suburbs but not in the city itself. This one was near the Canberra Centre which was crowded with Sunday shoppers.

Snake catcher Emma Carlson said the snake was "really big" at between a metre and a metre-and-half long.

After dealing with the brown snake, she went to Gunghalin to tackle a red-bellied black which had crawled into a car engine - the owner walked past and saw its head poking out from behind a tyre.

The brown snake was spotted by shocked shoppers on Bunda Street outside the Canberra Centre. It then headed into the foliage on the street. The snake catcher said that attempts to kill it would not have been "very smart".

She and her snake-catching partner in protective leggings headed into the ornamental patch of greenery. "We jumped in and started looking for it. We did a bit of prodding around and saw it move," she said.

They then caught it, put it in the snake bag and took it to be released in the bush. It's policy is not to reveal the exact location but she said it was not near people or houses.

She thought the snake might have come down from Mount Ainslie in the dead of night and then been surprised as the hitherto quiet city came to life.

Should we worry? She said not. "We haven't had one right in the city before. We do get them in the suburbs. Anywhere you go, they could be around," Ms Carlson said.

"You just need to be aware and careful. They are looking for food, water and shelter but snakes are shy by nature."

She said that biting a human was a last resort. "He's going to try and escape you if he can."