hatebugs

We've been considering a trip to Australia next year. A co-worker returned after spending quite a bit of time in Sydney. He said it was dirty and roaches everywhere. In hotel room, restaurants and on the street. And he didn't stay in cheap hostels. Friends there told him that he'd have to "get used to it"! Can I get the real scoop on this pesty problem?

Nick

Yes I saw more cockroaches of bigger types in Australia when I lived there compared to western Europe but never in any accommodation, including 2 hostels in Sydney. And if you really want cockroaches stay in the Intourist Hotel in Tashkent! As to dirtiness, no idea what he is going on about. I would say Australian cities are pretty clean (off the roads in the country, you will certainly come across car parks being used as rubbish bins) and if you dump rubbish in the centre you are likely to get a ticking off by anyone seeing you - Australians are not shy of this. As to more poisonous creatures -e.g funnel web spiders (my cousin was be bitten before anitvenene, intensive care for him), blue ring octopus (kills-but only if you are stupid enough to give it a poke), most poisonous snakes in the world, stonefish, and annoying things like flys (much worse in Perth where I was brought up than Sydney), and cane toads (in Queensland) that is an entirely different matter!

merv

Australia would be one of the cleanest places on earth. Sure there are some suburbs that are not but they are usually populated by people other than Australians. <BR>THIS HAS TO BE A TROLL!!!!<BR>I live in the USA and think Australia is extra clean and extra nice. Viva Australia

AussieFan

I just returned from my first trip to Australia. We stayed in Sydney and drove the eastern coast north to Port Douglas. We stayed in 4.5 Star resorts along the way. <BR><BR>Yes, multiple times there were larger (than we were used to) roaches in our hotel rooms. But, so what? It really wasn't a big deal. They were afraid of us and tried to escape back outside as soon as we turned a light on. I never saw more than one in any room we stayed in.<BR><BR>As far as the cities, Sydney especially was extremely clean and well kept. Not dirty at all. We never saw any litter anywhere. I rate it as my favorite non-U.S. city and I've travelled often. <BR><BR>Go explore Australia! You will also run into kangaroos and lizards and different birds you've never seen. That's what makes going there so interesting.

Alan

Hi, hatebugs!<BR>In my experience, people often think that anyplace other than their own home country is &quot;dirty&quot;... I have had people advise me to stay away from New York, London, Paris, and everyplace in Italy because they're &quot;dirty&quot;. I wouldn't take your friend's warnings too seriously.... certainly, Sydney has its cockroaches in mid-summer (they are at their most plentiful right now), but they are by no means in plague proportions, and I can't imagine you'd be likely to be bothered by them in your hotel rooms. I don't think I have ever seen a cockroach on the streets of Sydney, though I remember seeing hundreds once in a coastal fishing town in NSW called Port Macquarie. That was twenty years ago, and I have still never forgotten it. Sydney is probably not the cleanest city in the world, but we are no worse than anywhere else. Come in confidence, and have a great time.

Mary

Please be wary of naysayers who totally denigrate a place and claim that it is is dirty with roaches &quot;everywhere.&quot; No city or country is dirty and roach-infested &quot;everywhere.&quot;<BR><BR>I have traveled to over 40 countries, and Australia is one of the cleanest countries I have been in. I have stayed in 3-and 4-star hotels in Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, and Canberra and have never seen a roach in my hotel room or in a restaurant, not even in the summer. If you want to go to Australia, my advice is to thank your co-worker for his input and then move full speed ahead with planning your trip to Australia......Mary

g

I have lived in Australia for 25 years.Tell me where these roaches are because I have not seen them but my wife does say I miss a lot of things.

hatebugs

OK..I'm willing to take my co-workers comments with a grain of sand..but can you tell me what the best time of the year would be to go to visit Sydney area that will 1) give me best weather and 2)avoid the height of the bug/snake etc. season. BTW, I also was in Sydney and Cairns 20 years ago, loved every minute of my vacation and was looking forward to returning..he did put me off a bit though!

ALF

I went to a youth hostel in Sydney, and there WERE roaches everywhere, but most folks had those little clips to keep from burning their fingers.

Alan

Hi, again, hatebugs!<BR>Well, you got the full range of answers, didn't you? From &quot;raoches everywhere&quot; to &quot;not a single roach&quot;! The truth, as you will have divined, is somewhere between these two extremes, closer to the &quot;none&quot; than the &quot;everywhere&quot;. <BR>The best times to come to Sydney are the in-between seasons, autumn and spring. Specifically, the second half od March through to the middle of May (April rules!), and the second half of September until mid-November. The days will be clear and sunny, rainfall negligible (maybe some afternoon storms from late October onward), the nights just cool enough to need sleeves, but still pleasant to sleep in without air conditioning, and the flies all underground, or underleaf, or wherever flies go. At these times of the year, Sydney is equal to any of the world's great cities. And there are NO cockroaches in those months!

JP

None of our 10 budget motels in Sydney and assorted places to the S and SW had any roaches (or any lack of cleanliness) that I noticed (Feb '01).

Melodie

Dear Hatesbugs:<BR><BR>I too, am not fond of bug (but then, who is?) I've stayed in alot of hotels in Sydney, in all of Australia and actually never seen a bug / cockroach.<BR><BR>Now, if you want to talk bugs,I could regale you with tales of cockroaches the size of a old-fashioned Buick in Mexico or New Orleans!<BR><BR>Melodie<BR>Certified Aussie Specialist