My family are strongly considering moving to australia....?

Question

hi, I'm 16 and my family are strongly considering moving to australia because we believe there is a better way of life out there then in england. anyway, i was just writing to ask an australian person what are the odds of you encountering a poisonous creature if u live there. ive read about the poisonous creatures that live in australia and its surroundings, i know its not as dangerous as people make out, but i cant help wondering if an everyday australian would see a poisonous creature at-least once in his life.

No sarky comments please. lol. Thanks

Answer 1

I've lived in Australia for over 60 years including living in the bush on the outskirts of Brisbane for the last 27 years and have never seen a poisonous spider.

Since I moved to this place, I've seen a few snakes including one particularly poisonous one, but he was heading away from me at a rate of knots and wasn't any problem at all. The rule here with snakes is to simply leave them alone. They don't see us as prey and are as afraid of us as we are of them. The vast majority of people who get bitten were trying to move or kill the snake and anyone who's stupid enough to do either deserves to be bitten.

The poisonous jellyfish only occur in summertime, inshore at far northern beaches and people up there simply don't swim at non-netted beaches during the jellyfish season. In southern Queensland, we sometimes get bluebottle jellyfish, and their sting is very painful, but they're not killers. For other safety reasons, you should always swim between the flags where the lifesavers are anyway, and they know when the bluebottles are about so swimmers are warned of their presence or the beach is closed if they're bad.

The way of life here is far better than in England and your family should be happy and do well here as have so many families who've arrived before you. 10 years from now, you'll probably be here on Y!A telling everyone how you've been in Australia for 10 years and are still to see your first poisonous creature.

Answer 2

The chances of meeting a poisonous creature in urban Australia is remote. The towns don't have the wildlife associated with the bush. You will still get spiders but you avoid spider webs and you won't get bitten.

In the rural areas there is a higher chance but again don't invite trouble and you won't get it.

I live in a rural area and whilst I do see dead snakes on the roads in summer I haven't come across one in real life. Spiders are spiders no matter where you are.

Even to come across a kangaroo or koala is not high.

Answer 3

The last thing I would worry about is the few dangerous creatures we have. First aid and the development of vaccines has resulted in very few deaths.

Your family should look at the risk of staying where you are. Australia in comparison to many countries, including USA & UK is considered a safe place. Weather wise it is fantastic. Come on down.

Answer 4

ive lived there all my life and i live in melbourne city only once have i ever seen a dangerous spider. if you are going to live in the city not the country it is very unlikely you will see many if any poisonous animals but if you live in the country the odds are higher but dangerous animals wont bother you if you dont bother them

Answer 5

dont worry the odds are better being hit by a bus than getting bitten by a snake or a spider

Answer 6

In all my life I've never known anyone to be seriously hurt by an animal except for dog bites. I've seen one venomous spider and maybe six snakes. I'm no spring chicken either. The most dangerous animal here in the city is the early Holden Commodore.

Answer 7

In some parts of the country you will encounter more wildlife than in others, and as kids most Aussies are taught not to poke around in piles of rocks, or down mysterious holes in the ground, in case a spider is lurking.

But in suburban backyards, it's unlikely you'll come across anything very deadly, unless you have a lot of bush or have piles of junk lying about.

If you do (have piles of stuff or lots of bush) you mostly need to be careful ~ such things as check shoes that have been outside before putting your feet in, don't roll around in piles of leaves without checking there isn't a spider, that sort of thing.

Re bluebottles, as mentioned by Jenny (above) on days when bluebottles are around at the beach, it is usually announced (if you don't see them yourself), and then you can coose to go in the water or not, or even to another beach.

Aussies like to stay safe and want others to be safe here, too!

It's pretty easy to keep yourself safe, and death and injury from these creatures are not very common in urban areas.

Lots of Brit have settled in Australia for over 200 years and have happy lives here. Many come for a holiday first, look around for a while and see what they think, before making a final decision.

Hope your family's decision makes all of you happy :-)

Best wishes :-)

Answer 8

I'm British and lived there for a year...and I saw two poisonous spiders...redbacks. Very poisonous.  

Answer 9

you are likely to come across some poisonous creatures in your life, but to be affected by them is a rare thing, come here and enjoy our great country, sun, sand, blue skys, birds and wildlife, warm weather, no smog, great lifestyle and nice people

Answer 10

Read a book called "Down Under" by Bill Bryson. Even in cities like Sydney you are surrounded by potential killers, and you will definitely see some poisonous spiders, but the chances of you getting electrocuted by your computer are higher than you getting killed by them.

The worst thing I personally heard from a mate was his wife getting attacked by a magpie which put her in hospital for a couple of days.

Answer 11

My family immigrated when I was 9 - I'm now 59, and in all that time I've lived in various parts of Australia, and have seen maybe half a dozen poisonous creatures , ie a few spiders. Insect spray is a wonderful product and it works every time.  Its not like they jump out at you - you might see one up on the wall, and so you zap it with the spray, and you soon have one dead creature. I have only seen poisonous bigger creatures like snakes, in the zoo. Most of us live in cities and large towns, and never see anything dangerous from one year to the next. Maybe in the country you might see a few more spiders, but that's about all. Good luck - you'll love it here and yes you will have a better way of life and lots of opportunities here.

Answer 12

Hi Oliver ..

so long as you respect the fauna .. you're generally going to be fine...

I grew up in an area where snakes were rather common .. but I think in my whole life there I may have encountered say no more than 20 snakes ( and not up close and that was in the day when you were permitted to kill them and my dad did if one entered the yard) .. .where I live now ( for the last 20 years...) my husband assures me that there are snakes... we live near a creek .... BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN one.

As one guy said you're more likely to get a shock from your PC that die from a bite or animal attack ...

The DANGEROUS animals here don't come looking for us.(sharks + crocs being the exception kinda) Not like in other nations where you have animals that attack peope ( thinking bears, lions, tigers, hippos, wolves

etc) ...I think you're more likely to be attacked by wild aggressive animals elsewhere....

No snarky comments intended ... you're more than welcome to ask these questions if they are on your mind and are of concern ..

Hope to have you and your family here soon/

N.B I wouldn't worry re sharks and crocs much .

Answer 13

If you live in the outback then yes more than likely, but in the city Perth Melbourne, Adelaid, Sydney,Canberra you have more chance of been run over by a bus, I spoke to loads of Australians during my time there who have not seen or know someone who has seen a deadly creature.

Australia is amazing, the coolest and most beautiful place in the world, I have been around the world and spent time in most country's and I have to say Oz is the place for me