Brown snake photographed months before six-year old's death

The NSW mother of a six-year-old girl killed by a brown snake posted a photo of a similar venomous reptile on her property just months before the tragic incident.

The young girl, from Walgett, was rushed to a local hospital on February 5 with respiratory problems, where doctors administered anti-venom.

She was then air-lifted to Sydney’s Children’s Hospital and placed on life support; she slipped into a coma and died on Saturday.

The girl's mother posted a photo on social media last year of a dead brown snake on her property captioned 'The brother in-law got him', Daily Mail reports.

Walgett Shire deputy mayor and registered nurse Jane Keir told the Sydney Moring Herald due to the small size of brown snake's fangs it was likely the mother didn't realise her daughter had been bitten.

"I believe the family didn't know she'd been bitten and, by the time they'd realised, she was comatose," Cr Keir said.

"The little girl could have been on the edge of Sydney and the result would have been the same.

"This would have been devastating for the (hospital) staff.

"It's a tragedy and something that would have been very, very difficult to avoid the end result."