MELBOURNE (AFP) - At a glance, it looks like tinsel on a Christmas tree. But it's actually a deadly tiger snake that has climbed up a Christmas tree in Australia.

A woman called Cheryl noticed the uninvited and highly venomous guest in her Melbourne home on Sunday (Dec 18) but kept her cool - making a cup of tea while she waited for a professional snake catcher to arrive.

"It was a tiger snake. They are very deadly but only if you hurt them," said snake catcher Barry Goldsmith who removed the reptile.

"It probably came in through an open door, but Cheryl was very sensible about it.

"She didn't panic, she just took a photo and sent it to the snake catcher, me, and 20 minutes later I had the little bugger in a bag."

Australia is home to 20 of the world's 25 most venomous snakes, including the tiger snake which can grow up to 2.9m and is usually found in coastal areas.