Australia - the wide brown (deadly) land

This was one of the articles in the Brisbane newspaper "The Courier Mail" today.

Promise - not EVERYTHING in Australia will kill you. Some will make you wish you were dead instead!

SJ - hope this makes you homesick! (working on a theory - if she gets homesick enough, she will pack up her boys and move back here).

Dangerous animals keep tourists at bay

__________________


"When I'm old, I don't want them to say of me, "She's so charming." I want them to say, "Be careful, I think she's armed." -G. Stoddart

Well you know Maddy you are Queenslander and that place is crawling with the worst of them waiting to jump on unsuspecting tourists! Crocodiles and few usavoury jelly fish floating around...and then throw in a shark or two...along with a red belly black snake, king browns....

Although we do have few sharks along the coast of NSW just waiting to munch on a few tourists....and of course Blue bottles on the beaches!!!

The only real one at the moment I'm having trouble with are red back spiders in the backyard and two toddlers and want to play with em...sigh!! My kids LOVE Bindy the jungle girl!!!! My 2yr old drew a black snake the other day after watching Bindy....

That was good article, thanks for sharing!

Green; "ROTFL!!!! One of our friends used to train with US troops that were sent out here in the outback bases, and I recall him mentioning the same kinda thing when they were about to head out...generally that was his advice at times too...

__________________
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.

I've read that one before and still I love it! It does have more than a touch of truth in it...

__________________
Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive. ~Eliza Cook

It is, LB. But it's the same as checking the toilet seat before sitting on it, or pulling back the sheets of your bed before getting in. You either do it or you don't. I must admit I just flip the visor down without thinking about it and in the 20 or so years that I've been driving I've never had something nasty drop into my lap.

I do check the toilet seat though. And pull back the sheets. And turn my clothes inside out before washing them so I have to turn them the right way round before putting them on. And flick the towel before using it. And bang my shoes before putting them on.

No, I don't have a complusive disorder - I'm just an Australian!

__________________
Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive. ~Eliza Cook

Having have read all this I'm asking myself if my enthusiasm to visit Australia is apt to change! I have an uncle who lives at Melbourne but I don't think he had ever encountered such problems in the past decades! I might ask for his advice before I make plans for a possible future visit!

Madilayn, as regards to immigrants, here at Malta we have the same problem! At the moment we are getting literally invaded as they try to reach Sicily. My DH always tells me that it is because of ignorance that their mortality rate by drowning is so high. But, it's also because of the vessels they are obliged to use which are not so adequate in rough waters.

__________________
To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!

Yeah, thanks for posting that Ebony. Huntsmen are the only spider I don't deal well with looking at - they look back, and they have more eyes than I do!

Gatchamarie, inspite of this discussion thread Australia is quite safe - if you respect the wildlife! The southern areas are the least infested, so if you were to visit your uncle in Melbourne you shouldn't encounter too much. Just beware of spiders, don't go near snakes, swim between the flags at the beaches, listen out for shark warnings, don't touch that pretty little octopus that is turning neon blue, wear thongs in the water, watch out for wasps (but you would already know about them, wouldn't you?) and if there is a sign saying don't do something - do NOT, under any circumstances, ignore it!

And for all my fellow Aussies out there, you will notice I didn't attach a warning about drop bears.

__________________
Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive. ~Eliza Cook

I haven't seen a huntsman for a while, but I think thats because my cat chases them. Its the red back spiders that have been the problem of late. They aren't so good and its the reason I haven't got a sandpit for the girls to play in. They love hide under things like ledges, and in boots. Under pot plants. I check the cubbyhouse everyday before the kids can play in there just incase.

__________________
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.

Ebony, I haven't seen a redback in a while (not including SA's cricket team, of course, oh my, aren't we getting thrashed? sob). We've been having problems with the whitetails... Summer certainly brings out the wildlife, doesn't it?

__________________
Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive. ~Eliza Cook

You all know that there are plenty of us Gatchamaniacs around the country and you are welcome to visit!

Re Huntsmen & spider deaths - a friend of mine (big boofy sufer dude) has a massive spider phobia - he uses baygon plus a lighter and tries flameing them to death! It is rather spectacular

Ahh cricket. We're flogging the Pakistani's at the moment in the tests - and Queensland seems to be flogging everybody in the Big Bash!

If we win tonight's match then the final will be in Brissy

__________________


"When I'm old, I don't want them to say of me, "She's so charming." I want them to say, "Be careful, I think she's armed." -G. Stoddart

I'm realizing now what a comparatively safe childhood I had in Nova Scotia! No poisonous snakes, no poisonous (or unusually large) spiders -heck, there isn't even poison ivy. Nothing in the lakes or ocean any worse than leeches, or jellyfish that can make your skin sting a little bit for about 10 minutes.