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Dangerous beasts in outdoor Australia
Hi there,<BR>I visited Australia a couple of years ago. Oblivious to any dangers and having researched the trip very little, I had a blissful backpacker holiday and returned home unaware of any of the horrors of the Australian outdoors.<BR><BR>This time around, we are spending 4 weeks in Australia on honeymoon, and most of this independently of any tour group apart from the odd group day trip. We're reading quite extensively for the trip, and of course the scary crocodile/spider/jellyfish stories are there in abundance - Bill Bryson for one is not exactly reassuring. <BR><BR>So, my question is - how much really is to be feared, and are there any precautions we should take? We're not going into the outback, our itinerary covers Sydney (hotel) -> Blue Mountains -> Melbourne ->Gt.Coast Road -> Adelaide (all by motorhome) -> fly to Brisbane -> Whitsundays -> Cairns/Port Douglas/Daintree -> fly home to UK.<BR><BR>If someone were to ask me how to avoid being bombed in Northern Ireland where I currently live, I'd pretty much tell them to make their plans, don't worry, just keep off the Falls Road in Belfast and be aware that Southern Irish rental cars wouldn't be given a warm welcome in certain areas of the city. I guess I'm looking for the same sort of advice about outdoor Australia. We know not to swim without checking its safe, but really we don't want to live a paranoid few weeks where we're afraid to step off the beaten path at all.<BR><BR>And sorry for the particularly dumb tourist question.<BR><BR>Anna
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In Australia the most dangerous thing in the outdoors is that other driver! Australian drivers without a doubt are the world's worst and where I live ( near the Gold Coast) they are Australia's worst. I think in fact they are of the belief that they are stunt car drivers. Have to be something like that when you can drive a car while talking on the phone, combing your hair, driving at 20 klm over the speed limit, lighting a cig and having breakfast all at the one time. In comparison the rest of the "beasts" in Australia pale into insignificence.
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Just believe the crocodile warning signs in Far North Queensland. In Queensland, check with your hotel about swimming in the sea - jellyfish and stingers can be a problem at some times of the year but some beaches have stinger nets.<BR>Apart from that, have a great time.
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I live in Brisbane, about an hour away from the Gold Coast. If you intend swimming at the beaches, try and swim between the flags; it is amazing when listening to the local news service how many times you hear of tourists drowning in the South East Queensland beaches. Do not underestimate the power of rips in the water. Not trying to scare you from enjoying a swim, just offering sound advice.
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Hi AnnaG, don't be too worried, most of us survive here. As Marg said, the crocodile warning signs are real, they aren't making it up. Always shake and bash your shoes against something before putting them on if they have been outside. Actually, shake out anything that has been outside before putting it on. Last one, don't leave soft drink cans out uncovered as wasps like to fly in to get at the sugar. But really, its not that big a deal and I hate creepy crawlies.
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I think Australian drivers are very good actually. When you consider the distances Australians travel each year , I think you will find they do very well by comparison. I have friends who drive 250 miles every second Friday to buy the groceries, they drive twenty miles each day to drop the children at school, they have not ever had any problems in two generations. I drive all over Aust every week, I have not ever had problems. Some times you will meet some old bag whom should not be allowed to carry matches let alone drive on a highway, but not often. You seem to meet a few of them out the back of the Gold Coast there. Australia is only as dangerous as you want it to be. Common sense is every thing. Most Australians have never even seen a snake in the wild, or a croc, or a shark, or a bad spider for that matter. Those guys are too smart for humans, they hear you comming and they are gone. However , if you see signs saying crocodiles inhabit these waters, you can bet crocodiles are there. Don't get in the water, we don't. If you see a sign saying 60 kms an hour, do not exceed it, you can bet there is a cop behind a tree just up the road with a radar.
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Registration has not fixed the advertising done on this site and neither has it done away with the rude comments. In case you are unsure who I am talking about read the reply from Pete and it is I who Pete is referring to who lives just outside of the Gold Coast and is an old bag who should not even carry matches. Problem is that Pete is too smart for his own good because 1/ we all know that he is advertising his own or his joint interest in Daintree Air and 2/ I am not an old bag by any means dear, I drive a BMW sports car, I have an open motorcycle licence and have taken low flying lessons around the Norwell driving track. But then Pete people sometimes do get the wrong idea about others don't they, for instance I have this feeling that you are the greatest smart arse on this board who cares nothing about telling people to take your prescious Daintree Air trips when you know that there is not supposed to be any advertising material whatsoever. But then I may be wrong saying that you are a smart arse and you could just be dumb.
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