Gerard Krefft described the highland copperhead in 1864 as Hoplocephalus ramsayi from a specimen collected in Braidwood, New South Wales.

[4] The specific name, ramsayi, is in honour of Edward Pierson Ramsay, who was an Australian ornithologist, herpetologist,[3] and who collected the holotype specimen.

[4] Austrelaps ramsayi has an average total length (including tail) of 130 cm (51 inches).

A. ramsayi is found in montane heath, woodland, sclerophyll forests, along water bodies, and in swampy areas with thick clumps of tussock grass.

[5] Austrelaps ramsayi is ovoviviparous meaning the females give birth to live young, with the embryos developing inside eggs retained within the mother’s body.