Can anyone please educate me on the dangers of australia?

Question

i was planning on relocating to sydney

are there places in sydney i should avoid?

insects like spiders i should be careful of?

any known common disease i should be aware of?

etc any forms of warning would be appreciated

thanks in advance

Answer 1

If you are asking this question, stay at home.  

Australia has lots of nasties, though not many apart from spiders seen in Sydney.

You do not 'relocate' to Sydney my friend!  You apply for a permanent entry/residence visa. They have a yearly quota and they use a points assessment system. If you do not get enough points you do not get a visa! Points are awarded under a number of headings, most importantly what skills you have to offer Australia, how much money you have to take with you, health, good character etc.

The days when you could just migrate there if you fancied it are long long gone!

Answer 2

avoid cabrammata, and redfern train station if you don't want to lose your wallet.

funnel web spiders and red backs are very dangerous, as are ticks, but these are thing you would avoid anyway, yes?

common disease - the flu

Answer 3

Its dangerous

Answer 4

Oh my god, you worry to much.

Theres spiders/dangerous things everywhere.

Honestly.

Answer 5

keep away from the Australians

Answer 6

the most dangerous thing about travelling around the streets of Sydney are the wild kangeroos.  ive seen people get swept up and caught in their pouches.  it can be quiet frightening.

Answer 7

the whole world is dangerous! Oz Maniac....er, i live in a suburban neighbourhood in Syd and i see many poisonous spiders and ive even seen a few snakes...u must live in a high rise in the city!

Answer 8

I'm a Sydneysider never had any trouble with spiders people Redfern or dropbears which is an unfriendly  term to deter visitors... they don't actually exist.

As already mentioned take care at the beach use sunscreen and also rug up in winter.

You will love Sydney.

Answer 9

not to scare you but...

The sydney funnel web is the most dangerous spider in Australia. T

he red back and the paralysis tick also have fatal bites.

Answer 10

Read Bill Bryson's book, "Down Under".

Work on the assumption that, if it moves it;s going to kill you. If it doesn't move, it's probably thinking about it.

The funnel web spiders used to live under the seats of outside toilets. Now, as these have disappeared, the spiders have moved to 'under' car sun visors.

All of the top most deadly snakes live there. They may not have the most poisonous venom, but they inject enough of what they've got to pole-axe a dinosaur,

They've also got poisonous shellfish. So what, you say, any shellfish can give you a case of the runs. No, if you pick this b*gg*r up, it whips out of its shell and stabs you!

Then there's the Banded Octopus. Even if you had a syringe of antidote in your hand, you'd have to be quick to administer it, before its nerve toxin paralysed you, your lungs and your heart.

And if you make it into the water, the box jellyfish or sharks will get you.

OTOH, the place is still safer than a British town centre full of drunken hoodies.

Answer 11

There are places in all cities you should avoid, just as there are in America/England/other countries. I don't live in Sydney, but I've heard Cabramatta is bad.

Funnel Web and Redback. The chances of actually seeing one are very slim. If you do see one inside, hit it with a shoe or dispose of it in any manner you see fit. Drop bears however, are another story and should be avoided at all costs.

No. The usual case of leprosy and that's about it.

Seriously, I think Australia is pretty safe. In America I'd be scared of being car jacked, mugged, shot by a fruit loop etc.

Answer 12

I have lived in Sydney all of my life and have never seen a dangerous spider.

Never travel alone at night no matter where you live in the world.

During winter you could catch the flu and have to stay in bed for a week.

When swimming at the beach always swim between the flags.

Answer 13

It's a very safe place. There are some poisonous insects and spiders to be aware of, don't leave your shoes outside or they can crawl in. The sun can be quite fierce so you need sunscreen and a hat in summer.

Some tourists and migrants get themselves into trouble swimming at the beach, always swim between the red and yellow flags which mark the areas a lifesaver is on duty, and wear a life jacket when on small boats. Blue bottle jellyfish can give a painful sting at the beach if you step on them on the sand or very occasionally in the water - if they are around you will see them washed up on the sand

Mosquitos are a pest and in some areas although not Sydney they can carry unpleasant viruses - use insect repellent on summer evenings outdoors.

It's one of the safest places in the world, have a great time.

Answer 14

Places to avoid or take extra care at:

Downtown Sydney George Street Cinema district (south of Town Hall Station:   Lots of pick pockets and homeless people looking for easy pickings and loose cash, be extra careful at night.

Central Station:  when waiting for trains, stand near other people that you don't feel threatened by, or near the train guards (standing in a train or at the platform end).   This is a good place to get mugged and have nobody even notice - the station is huge, and can be surprising empty at various times of the day.  Don't loiter around here unless you have good reason to.  This advice goes for most Sydney train stations.   Don't hand around stations at night, homeless and nasty youths love to hang out around them late at night (especially larger suburban stations like Redfern, Strathfield, Paramatta, Liverpool, Cabramatta).

Suburbs to avoid unless you have a deathwish:   Redfern, Liverpool, Cabramatta, Lakemba, Campbelltown, Blacktown, St Marys and anywhere west and south of Parramatta.   Also avoid going into Kings Cross and nearby areas after dark unless with a group.    Kings Cross is the red light district with a character all its own - which at night can be very dangerous if you are alone.  By day the area is quite nice and fairly safe, by night it is a whole different planet.

Insects to watch out for:

Funnel Web Spiders:  These are lethal and their bite is fatal if not taken to a hospital within the hour.    Normally you will not see these critters, they keep to themselves.  The time to watch out is after a heavy rainfall after a dry spell.  This washes their nests out and forces them to find a new home.  That is when you are likely to come across them.   I have seen about 5 funnel web spiders since moving here 10 years or so ago.   They are aggressive, if you see one give them a wide berth and don't go near them.    Pest control or the wildlife people should be able to safely remove them if you find a nest in your back yard.

Huntsman Spiders:   These look hairy and nasty and scary just like funnel webs, except they are all bad looks and not so bad bites.   It wont kill you but seeing one unfurl from a tiny ball might just give you a heart attack - despite its relative harmlessness.

Kookaburras:   No they are not dangerous, but they do tend to swoop down and grab food off picnic tables and scraps dropped on the ground.  This can freak you out when they do it the first time round.    They don't attack, but they are a lot bigger than they appear in photographs.

Magpies:  Watch out for nesting females in Spring.   They love to swoop out of the trees and protect their young by dive bombing pedestrians.   If you have to regularly use a path that has one living nearby, then paint two white circles on the back of that hat that you wear on your walk.   They won't attack if they think you can "see" them.

Common Diseases:

The usual, common colds are frequent in winter (June, July) and everyone gets them.   If you get Hay fever then watch out for the purple leaves of Jacaranda trees that often line suburban streets.    Jacaranda trees spray seeds to all the winds in spring and are a major headache for Hay fever sufferers.   Australia has a pretty good healthcare system (although groaning under the numbers using it) compared to other countries and you won't find too many dangerous diseases here.  On the good news front -  Australia does not have Rabies, Malaria or Mad Cow Disease anywhere on the continent.   All those customs checks do have their pluses I guess.

Other warnings:

Beaches - Swim between the flags and follow directions from surf life savers (they wear red and yellow outfits).   Sydney beaches can have some pretty notorious rips and danger spots, heed the warnings it may save your life.   In particular beware of Tamarama beach.  While it is great for surfing, it is not the best for your average swimmer, go to Bondi next door instead.

Trains:  Do watch the gap when getting on and off trains.  You would be surprised how many people fall down there.   At night stick to the carriages with a blue light shining above the doors.  These  are the ones with guards in them.   Also pay attention to the nightsafe marked zones on the platforms themselves.   These are the safest places to wait for trains at night. They are often under camera surveillance or close to help at hand.  Note that most city trains are replaced by buses after midnight until about 5 or 6am in the morning.

Cars:  Sydney drivers are maniacs and the traffic is horrendous at the best of times.   The state government seems to love tollways and puts them everywhere they can.   Everybody however hates them, and city streets can get quite clogged during peak hours.   Take extra care when cycling around Sydney.   The cycleways are few and far between and the major roads can be quite dangerous for riders.  It is illegal for adults to ride on the pedestrian footpaths/sidewalks.

Answer 15

Drop bears are our only large predators. Don't sit under trees.

Most people have never seen a poisonous spider or a snake so you are unlikely to have any problems with either.

Swim between the flags at the beach.

Wear a hat and use sunscreen.

Australia is a very clean highly developed country and we have no exotic diseases.

Don't hitchhike.

Stay away from Redfern in Sydney.

Of course, all of the above is completely irrelevant if you can't get a visa. It's simply not possible to up stakes and relocate to Australia because you feel like a change. Go to our immigration website for all information:

http://www.immi.gov.au/immigration.htm

EDIT:

As a matter of fact, I live on a bush acreage block in Brisbane and I said most people - not all people. We see plenty of snakes here but no poisonous spiders and before I came to live here, I lived in suburbia in several places throughout the country and had never seen either.

OK, so drop bears aren't real, but everything else I said is true. Sorry about the visa thing, but you'd be amazed at the number of people on Y!A who think they can simply turn up on the doorstep.