I want to go to Austrailia, but my husband and i have young children...?

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laplandfan

I wouldn't worry too much about the snakes and creepy crawlies. I went to Australia for a month and didn;t see any out in the wild. Saw some in the zoos though.
Australia is lovely and we enjoyed our holiday very much and plan to go again soon.
How young are your children?
I ask this as travelling to Australia from the UK is at least a 21 hour flight. MY kids were 15 and 11 when we went and really appreciated and enjoyed the experience.
We went in August as it was just perfect weather then..maybe a bit cool in Melbourne but then it is opposite seasons to UK.

I love the Lord Jesus Bin Laden

Sydney and surrounds have the funnelweb spider, which is the only really fatal spider (there's the redback which can be fatal but not always) but there is antivenom at all hospitals and you have about 20 minutes to an hour before you die, so living in a city or large town means you're fairly safe.

Thye brown snake is deadly but will only bite if you step on it. Again there is antivenom for it, and simply wearing jeans will protect you as the fangs are very short and wont get through any but the thinnest fabric. The red-bellied black snake is poisonous but is more frightened of you than you are of it, so unless you manage to sneak up on one you are unlikely to get bitten.

Having said that, you only find snakes in the Bush and on farms. And if you don't live in Sydney (and surrounds) you won't find any funnelwebs either. Just tell your kids to avoid big black spiders and spiders with a red stripe on its back.

Anyway, you're far more likely to die on the plane before you arrive... (just kidding, most people survive the flight, as long as you keep your fluid intake up).

big oll

Spiders will be present in most places and snakes only in the outback(countryside),but fear not chances are the only place you will see them will be in a zoo!

The east coast or any main city/urban area are generally the safest.

October to march is the hottest time of year and anywhere in Oz is lovely-only hazards will be the sun (factor 30+ needed),and staying hydrated if out and about.The only difference is top 3rd of Oz is hot and wet in summer so sometimes roads can be flooded.

Kella G

Look, you've obviously heard that we have more poisonous critters here than most anywhere else, which may be true - but you have to remember that this is an enormous country, a vast area of which is very sparsely populated.

You would be unlikely to find snakes in any city.
I live in outer suburban bushland, have seen one snake in 15 years and it was getting as far away from me as it could at high speed. I've seen one red back spider in my lifetime (LONG lifetime LOL)

The danger is nowhere near as great as people from other countries seem to think it is. No-one here packs up their small children and moves abroad because of snakes or spiders.

If you come in spring, (September thru November) the weather is usually very pleasant almost everywhere. Stick to the cities and if you DO go to the bush, go on an organised tour and just keep an eye on the kids.

It's a great country, more overflowing with friendly people & fun things to do than it is with creepy crawlies :-) Come on Down!

nikiandneish

Most tourist areas aren't in snake territory, and the bad spiders are fairly rarely seen also. If you were coming for a vacation, you'd likely only see them at a zoo :) If you want to live in Australia, I'm afraid I couldn't recommend any areas you'd have no encounters. In the total amount of years I have lived in Australia approx 30 years I've seen 5-6 venomous snakes and they were all in the suburbs of Sydney, I only ever saw a funnel web in a jar someone caught, and I was bitten by half a dozen red back spiders who travelled in the post of my dining table which was delivered by the furniture manafacturer. I got a headache, that was it. We had MANY dogs brought to the hospital I worked in suffering snake bite, almost all of those out on the outskirts of the Southern Highlands of Sydney (Bringelly etc).

Don't come in Summer, which starts the 1st of December, unless you are from an extremely hot climate, it would really make your trip crappy for you but mostly for the kids. Once the temp hits 100F here, my kids start vomitting, it's awful and we are FROM here.

I hope you do make it over, great place to visit! My American husband thinks it's great, though extremely expensive to live in!

Elizabeth

Do you think we lock our little ones in a cupboard until they're adults?
It's not that bad here.
Where do you people get the idea it's so very, very dangerous?

Maybe you should stay right where you are and not take any chances.
I know you're trying to protect your children and well done you for that. But I'll say again, Australia is full of kiddies and it's not that dangerous here!

No matter where I was in the world, it would be the 2 legged predators I'd be worried about having near my kids.
.

Ken E

I have not seen a snake for 20 years. I have traveled around Australia a fair bit and lived in 6 different towns and in two bush camps for a while. In my 58 years in this country I have seen about seven snakes and two of them were on the side of gravel roads as I drove past.

As for spiders, I have never seen a funnel web spider but then I have never lived in Sydney for more than about 6 weeks. I can count the number of red backs I have seen on the fingers of one hand. As for other spiders, they may be large or may be small but they are mostly harmless.

The story of spiders and snakes attacking people is almost entirely a MYTH. You and your children are in far more danger from a neighbourhood dog right where you are now, and by the way, there is no rabies in Australia. There are no large predators either.

As for weather, we do not have tornadoes in Australia.
The tropical region has cyclones, maybe three or four every year. These are exactly the same as the hurricanes that affect the southeastern USA and are less frequent in any locality. These generally happen from about mid-November to mid-January. Some years there are no cyclones at all along the north-east coast of Australia.

All cars in Australia have been fitted with airbags since about 1990 and wearing of seat belts has been compulsory in all states since about 1969. The death rate on Australian roads is marginally higher than in the USA but considerably lower than it is in some Western European countries. All main roads are sealed. Many have four lanes over considerable distances. There has not been a heavy aircraft crash in Australia for perhaps 45 years.

Some rail fatalities have occurred in New South Wales recently because of the neglected condition of that state's railways. A recent rail accident in Victoria claimed some lives when a semitrailer skidded into a moving train. That was the first passenger-fatality accident on Victorian railways for years and years. There have been no passenger rail fatalities in other states for donkey's years, the last one in Queensland was in 1960 I think.

In some more remote areas in the far north is not wise to travel by car during the wet season, which is basically the period from November to January as you can get cut off by floodwater in some areas.

It is unwise to travel at night on secondary roads and the more isolated areas of main highways because of the danger of collision with kangaroos, which have no road sense and their literally tiny brains are confused by car headlights. The exact situation occurs with deer in some parts of the USA and may be worse as deer are bigger and heavier. However fatalities and even injuries from this are most unusual, except of course to the kangaroos.

gym junkie mummy

how do you think the 20 million people of Australia live?
We don't have kangaroos everywhere,we don't have koalas in every tree,we don't have snakes and spiders crawling everywhere.
It depends where you want to visit,the time of year(some snakes and spiders only appear in spring,summer)
If I went to America would i get bitten by a tarantula spider?
Would i get eaten by an alligator?
Would I get mauled by a bear?
Australia is a huge Country,if you are just visiting,stick to the East Coast(go to Sydney and up the coast to Queensland)just watch out for cane toads in Queensland!
watch out for jellyfish and shark in the water too!
Don't travel if you are scared of something we deal with everyday.

mariemlm

i saw just as many spiders and snakes in canada, usa & uk as in australia.
you've been watching too much t.v. -
if you come from a northern climate country - then go to australia in their winter - i.e. april - november. it's cooler and more comfortable. all houses/hotels etc are sprayed for spiders/bugs on at least an annual basis. the only snakes you will probably see are in the zoos.
australia is a first world country - not third world - so standards and hygiene are very high.

aviatenavigatecommunicate

Okay I'm going to answer your question as honestly as I can.

People on here have been saying stuff like Sydney has the funnelweb spider, and that snakes live in the bush only, and to watch out for sharks and cane toads and jellyfish.

I've lived in Australia all my life and I'm going to give you the honest facts.

Australia does have snakes and spiders and cane toads and sharks, but you've got to get this into perspective.

The last fatal shark attack that happened in Sydney (which is notable for its beaches) was in the 50s. Lightning strikes kill more people annually worldwide than sharks. And there are sharks throughout the entire ocean, they are not limited to Australia. Ever gone swimming in Florida, the Caribbean, South Africa, the Mediterranean? It doesn't matter which ocean you swim in, there will be sharks. Does this stop you from swimming in the ocean? No!

Ok, the Sydney funnelweb spider is the most deadly spider in the world...FACT. This is true. Although there is still some debate among biologists that there is a type of spider in Brazil that might be deadlier, all Australians will tell you that it is the Sydney funnelweb. Ok, and I've lived in Sydney all my life and I've never seen one in the wild. In fact the only time I've seen a Sydney funnel web spider was at a creepy crawlies exhibit at the zoo and it was in a sealed container that it couldn't get out of. Even the American tourist children were fascinated. It is a medium sized, shiny black spider that will rear its front legs up if it feels provoked, so if you see a spider rising up on its back legs you know to stay away... BUT I walk around my back yard all the time barefoot and I am yet to see a wild Sydney funnelweb spider.

The redback spider. It's a small black spindly-looking spider with a red stripe on it's pointy rear. It looks a lot like a black widow that they have in America. It's poisonous, but quite small. I've seen a few of these and usually just squish them with my shoe...No biggie!

The huntsman spider is huge and brownish grey, sometimes growing to the size of your hand. It will scare the living daylights out of you if you see one. These spiders are characterised by their hugeness, and their hairy appearance...Despite their scariness they are NOT AT ALL POISONOUS. I still wouldn't pick one up with my bare hands, cos that's icky...but just roll up a newspaper and give it one well aimed whack! That's all it takes

Now on to snakes, Yes there are snakes. And the most poisonous ones are out in the outback where nobody goes. Australia has the world's most poisonous snake. It's called the fierce snake, and will chase you if you provoke it. But these live way out in the arid desert in places far from civilisation. Doubt you'll ever seen one of these. I didn't even when I did a camping trip in the Northern Territory for 14 days.
But there are, to some degree, poisonous snakes in the city. Once again I'm speaking for Sydney here. I live within walking distance from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, so it's not like I'm way out in the sticks, and I've had two red-bellied black snakes on my front courtyard... Guess what? My two cats had so much fun and played with them until the snakes died!!!

For both snakes and spiders, Australia has first class antivenom. DON'T attempt to suck the poison out. DON'T wash the wound. DON'T yell and run about like a headless chook if you get bitten. Just calmly wrap a tight compression bandage (even a shirt or a long sock will do) around the wound and about halfway up the arm or let you got bitten on and calmly go to a hospital. They'll either identify the correct antivenom needed from any residual venom, or they'll identify it from the puncture wound. The less you move and the calmer you are, the slower the poison will travel.

But rattlesnake bite in America is just the same as any snake from Australia. Get it treated quickly and you'll be fine. From what I hear, American Rattlesnakes are much more aggressive than any you'll encounter here. Most Australian snakes will be scared of you. If you do see a snake, DON'T attack it with a shovel. The movement will just confuse it and the pain will anger it and it'll get defensive. Remember what Alan Grant said about T-Rex's vision in Jurassic Park? Well the same is true for snakes. They can't see you if you don't move. So stay perfectly still and it will likely slither right past you and go away. And snakes have no sense of hearing so feel free to yell all you want, just don't move until it's safe to do so....BUT, the last fatal snake bite in Australia was YEARS ago, so you're not likely to get bitten.

Cane toads...these are an introduced pest reaching plague proportions. Yes they are somewhat poisonous...but do you know what you have to do to get poisoned by one? You have to eat it!!! Nobody in their right mind would eat a cane toad. And because they're pests, it's perfectly legal to kill one in the most brutal and imaginitive way possible. Run them over in you car, hit them with a golf club...whatever you like.

Jellyfish and water stingers. If you go to the northern areas of Queensland, stay in the pool, not the sea...but that's only for the summer months from December to February plus a few months either side (remembering that the seasons are the opposite for the Southern hemisphere). Anywhere south of far north Queensland is safe and free from fatal stingers.

There are some non-fatal stingers. They're called bluebottles. They're not really a jellyfish, they float on top of the water in a blue airsac and their tentacles trail in the water below that. I've been stung by them a few times. It's just like a multiple bee sting. The best treatment is to wash the part of your body that got stung in fresh, warm to hot water and you're right as rain. Most patrolled beaches will put bluebottle signs up and remind you to stay out of the water if they're at that beach. Because they are driven by wind, they're either in the water by the thousands, or they're not there at all. The sting is painful but NOT deadly, and the beach patrol will warn you and there'll be easily recognisable signs to tell you not go to swimming in the ocean if they're in the water.

Crocodiles - don't go near them! But they only live in far north Australia, so unless you're going there then don't worry about them because the only place you're likely to see them is the zoo.

To be honest...I'm almost getting sick of foreigners worrying about how deadly Australian animals are. Europe has wolves and bears and wildcats, so does America, and Asia has snakes so big they could literally swallow an adult whole.

And to be honest, when I went to America to visit family I was afraid of mountain lions and grizzly bears when I went hiking with my American aunt. But it's not like Americans are afraid of mountain lions and grizzly bears and rattlesnakes and black widow spiders...is it?

So I mean why worry about the native fauna when it's not even an issue. There are plenty of little children in Australia too.

As someone said before me, Australia is a first world, civilised country. Just relax and enjoy the experience of being here in the wonderful country that is Australia.

pedro

This is such a stereo type of Australia. I am from Scotland and lived in Australia for nearly 2 years. My job is in golf course construction and design. In my my time there I saw one brown snake and no spiders that could harm you. My advice would be dont even worry about this factor. Its a fantastic place with great people. Snakes and spiders are the least of your worries.

waltzsingmatilda

Don't forget the Dingos they eat young children and the crocodiles and only last week in Perth a 3 week baby was killed by a dog,and be careful of "Drop Bears"
Also remember we are a land of convicts,be careful.

Keith M

Hello i'm a 14 year old aussie male. i live in victoria in southern australia. some good places to go would be the gold coast, sydney and if you wanted Melbourne. There is not very many snakes or spiders in Australia even if you do live in the middle of the outback.

Dave G

Don't go to Australia, you're obviously terrified of everything!

BigKev 2 (level 5)

Yes, as someone has said - watch out for the drop bears & the dingos.

The death adder, taipan, dugite, king brown & tiger snake are very venomous snakes who would rather bite you than look at you.

We also have dangerous crocodiles, poisonous jellyfish, man eating sharks (in our rivers as well as oceans), poisonous stone fish, deadly blue ringed octopus.

The funnel web spider will kill you, the redback spider will nearly kill you, the wolf spider will make your bitten limb go all gangreneous. We have vampire bats, poisonous scorpions & centipedes, wild feral dogs, cats, goats, camels, ostriches, foxes, donkeys, pigs (watch out for the tuskers!) & even rabbits.

Most of these dangerous animals prey on tourists as they are less aware & unsuspecting of the dangers.

Enjoy your trip!

sexc_n_h0rny_now

Don't come to Australia unless you can wrestle crocodiles and kill snakes and spiders with your thumb. We are trained to do that here at school.

ardanienalmondite

I lived in the suburbs of Northern Sydney and saw two redback spiders (a kind of poisonous widow spider) in my house, and a snake in the stand of woods fairly close to my house. There are also a lot of huntsman spiders, which look big and scary, and can bite, but are not poisonous. Just being honest. *shrug*

To be honest, I'd recommend you go to New Zealand instead if you're afraid of dangerous animals, as New Zealand has none (except a spider that has caused three fatalities in recorded history and has never been seen even by most NZ citizens because it only lives under logs on muddy, undisturbed beaches. Plus I enjoyed living in New Zealand a heck of a lot more (and they're not in the grip of drought like Australia, which is a bonus, they've got plenty of water)

Alex S

Really really, the animals won't come up to you and harm you, did you never listen to Steve Irwin ?! Check my source for this !

MoRmEx

Australia is synonym of "FAR" it's tiring to go there unless you live in far far away land "new zealand" , if you follow advices, don't go there..go to some European country or simply go to morocco it's safer there

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