S&S Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Hi guys, Currently my wife & I are living along the Sussex coast and seriously wanting a better out door lifestyle in Aus. Should we be concerned about the natural distasters & danderous wildlife? Whilst Aus is so appealing after visiting it many times, we are so confused if it is the safest place to start a new and long chapter in our lives with the one aim to stay till the end! Our confusion lies where we will buy a property and re-locate our life... The East Coast (QLD) is best suited for our us but between fires in the hinterland, floods, earth quakes and subsequent Tsunami's along the coast, snakes, spiders in your garden or croc's or jellies harming / killing our pets... ever increasing heat, not to mention sharks in the water that we love to be active in and on! Maybe we've read to much into video clips of fires and floods etc but non the less they are still very real... Or Maybe we should just go for it and live life. We really want to know how YOU cope with all these hazards!! Anyway - cheers and thanks for any helpful replies! See ya soon! Keep safe! S&S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 4 hours ago, S&S said: Hi guys, Currently my wife & I are living along the Sussex coast and seriously wanting a better out door lifestyle in Aus. Should we be concerned about the natural distasters & danderous wildlife? Whilst Aus is so appealing after visiting it many times, we are so confused if it is the safest place to start a new and long chapter in our lives with the one aim to stay till the end! Our confusion lies where we will buy a property and re-locate our life... The East Coast (QLD) is best suited for our us but between fires in the hinterland, floods, earth quakes and subsequent Tsunami's along the coast, snakes, spiders in your garden or croc's or jellies harming / killing our pets... ever increasing heat, not to mention sharks in the water that we love to be active in and on! Maybe we've read to much into video clips of fires and floods etc but non the less they are still very real... Or Maybe we should just go for it and live life. We really want to know how YOU cope with all these hazards!! Anyway - cheers and thanks for any helpful replies! See ya soon! Keep safe! S&S Says it all, really. Cheers, Bobj. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 8 hours ago, S&S said: Hi guys, Currently my wife & I are living along the Sussex coast and seriously wanting a better out door lifestyle in Aus. Should we be concerned about the natural distasters & danderous wildlife? Whilst Aus is so appealing after visiting it many times, we are so confused if it is the safest place to start a new and long chapter in our lives with the one aim to stay till the end! Our confusion lies where we will buy a property and re-locate our life... The East Coast (QLD) is best suited for our us but between fires in the hinterland, floods, earth quakes and subsequent Tsunami's along the coast, snakes, spiders in your garden or croc's or jellies harming / killing our pets... ever increasing heat, not to mention sharks in the water that we love to be active in and on! Maybe we've read to much into video clips of fires and floods etc but non the less they are still very real... Or Maybe we should just go for it and live life. We really want to know how YOU cope with all these hazards!! Anyway - cheers and thanks for any helpful replies! See ya soon! Keep safe! S&S If you are really that nervous about crocs, heat, etc etc don't choose to live in tropical Queensland. Fires will always be a danger in Australia. We have lived in Perth, Sydney and now Tasmania and apart from the odd spider and the humidity in Sydney (yuck) we have never encountered any of the other things you've listed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 I have been in QLD almost 14 years and had all the same worries you do. I scared the hell out of myself reading on line stuff and watching videos before we came but after a while you realise creatures are not around every corner waiting to pounce !! We have 2 acres and i think i could count how many snakes ive seen around here on 1 hand. A good pest spray of the house eliminates most creepy crawlies too. We live on acreage on a semi rural estate, the estate has been flooded in twice when we had the big floods and we all became an island for a couple of days, but there was no damage to any homes on the estate. Its hard to comprehend but an area can be marked as a flood area when only 1or 2 streets gets affected. Definitely look into areas well before you buy, but its not as bad as you think. Being surrounded by trees was a concern for us in the fires, but thank fully our area was fire free. We have no crocs down this way, dont need stinger suits or anything like that but you do need to be aware of sharks if in the sea. On saying that, the amount of attacks compared to the amount of swimmers means you would be in a small minority if you were to be attacked, i guess thats why shark attacks make the headlines so much. If you have a visa and want a change, QLD is amazing with so much to see and do if you are into the outdoors. Cal x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) Fires? Yes, always a risk in Australia - check out the Bushfire prediction maps for whichever area you want to live in. Floods, ditto, check out the flood zone maps before you buy. Cyclones - the further north you go the more risk you have of getting them, ditto crocodiles. Sharks and jelly fish - yes, along the coast. Spiders and snakes, yes, more likely in the bush although if you've got a garden red backs, white tails or even funnel Web spiders are a possibility. (DH has dealt with a few red backs in the wood pile already and we've only been back a couple of months). You'll get used to the magpies swooping you in nesting season - whilst they don't kill you, they're bloody scary when they do it and you'll probably learn to sleep through a koel (those dammed Queenslanders and then south for the winter) and eventually the dawn cacophony won't wake you up at sparrow fart with the decibel value of a jumbo jet. One of my biggest fears is Ross River Fever because I'm a mozzie magnet and anything carried by them scars the bejesus out of me. Mozzies and flies in general are the biggest reason why I personally don't have such a great outdoor lifestyle in Australia as I did in UK. I only go out for walks (when it's not raining or too hot to frazzled you to a cinder in 30 seconds) and rarely do much else outside. The Mozzies avoid the DH like the plague so he gets to do the garden etc. We don't do bbqs - just never got into them, too much to clean up, too many flies. Still, you're more likely to be run over by someone high on Crystal meth or bashed to a pulp by someone high on something else. Living in a big city you're probably less likely to get the creepy crawlies and more likely to get the human dangers If you want to live in Australia you deal with it - just interested in what you think may be "better"? It's different, for sure, with different challenges. Edited May 10, 2020 by Quoll 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 10 hours ago, S&S said: Hi guys, Currently my wife & I are living along the Sussex coast and seriously wanting a better out door lifestyle in Aus. Should we be concerned about the natural distasters & danderous wildlife? Different people have different perceptions of risk. Some people can live happily knowing there's a 1 in 100 chance of getting sick or dying, whereas others will be worried even if the risk is 1 in 10,000. For instance, there are people who go base jumping, but there are also people who won't even get on a plane. If you're in the "life's too short to worry about risks" end of the spectrum, then you'll be fine in Australia. Yes, there are venomous spiders and snakes, even in the suburbs. Yes, there are dangerous mosquito-borne diseases if you live anywhere north of about Sydney. There's also the Hendra virus and the Bairnsdale Ulcer. Yes, there are cyclones and floods in the north and climate change means they're getting worse. But the odds are very much in your favour so there's a good chance none of those will seriously affect you. The biggest risk here, really, is the sun. Look up the WHO's recommendations on the UV index. In the UK, it never goes above 8, and even that is only for a few hours a day in summer. For most of the summer (and some of spring and autumn) across most of Australia, the UV is 12 or 13 for several hours a day. At that level, sunscreen isn't enough - the WHO's advice is that it's not safe to be out. Of course, we all ignore that, or we'd never have a life! But the result is that we have the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world, including the deadly melanoma (one case diagnosed in Australia every half an hour). https://www.cancerwa.asn.au/articles/news-2018/why-does-australia-have-so-much-skin-cancer-hint-i/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 3 hours ago, Quoll said: Fires? Yes, always a risk in Australia - check out the Bushfire prediction maps for whichever area you want to live in. Floods, ditto, check out the flood zone maps before you buy. Cyclones - the further north you go the more risk you have of getting them, ditto crocodiles. Sharks and jelly fish - yes, along the coast. Spiders and snakes, yes, more likely in the bush although if you've got a garden red backs, white tails or even funnel Web spiders are a possibility. (DH has dealt with a few red backs in the wood pile already and we've only been back a couple of months). You'll get used to the magpies swooping you in nesting season - whilst they don't kill you, they're bloody scary when they do it and you'll probably learn to sleep through a koel (those dammed Queenslanders and then south for the winter) and eventually the dawn cacophony won't wake you up at sparrow fart with the decibel value of a jumbo jet. One of my biggest fears is Ross River Fever because I'm a mozzie magnet and anything carried by them scars the bejesus out of me. Mozzies and flies in general are the biggest reason why I personally don't have such a great outdoor lifestyle in Australia as I did in UK. I only go out for walks (when it's not raining or too hot to frazzled you to a cinder in 30 seconds) and rarerly do much else outside. The Mozzies avoid the DH like the plague so he gets to do the garden etc. We don't do bbqs - just never got into them, too much to clean up, too many flies. Still, you're more likely to be run over by someone high on Crystal meth or bashed to a pulp by someone high on something else. Living in a big city you're probably less likely to get the creepy crawlies and more likely to get the human dangers If you want to live in Australia you deal with it - just interested in what you think may be "better"? It's different, for sure, with different challenges. Crikey! If I was thinking of coming to Australia I'd be inclined to change my mind after reading that. Do you get mozzies in Canberra? I always associate mozzies with humidity. Thankfully never seen any here and the flies are no worse than the ones you get in the UK in the warmer weather. I know Ross River Fever is always a fear around mozzies. That's one of the things I would be a bit worried about. Heartworm in dogs is caused by mozzie bites. Always treated our dog for that in Sydney. Don't need to here. Like you I don't like bbqs for the same reason you give. Crystal meth is a problem all over the place. Our local airport sniffer dogs have found a few mules on their way to try floggging their drugs here also caught when coming off the ferry from Melbourne. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 22 minutes ago, Toots said: Crikey! If I was thinking of coming to Australia I'd be inclined to change my mind after reading that. Do you get mozzies in Canberra? I always associate mozzies with humidity. Thankfully never seen any here and the flies are no worse than the ones you get in the UK in the warmer weather. I know Ross River Fever is always a fear around mozzies. That's one of the things I would be a bit worried about. Heartworm in dogs is caused by mozzie bites. Always treated our dog for that in Sydney. Don't need to here. Like you I don't like bbqs for the same reason you give. Crystal meth is a problem all over the place. Our local airport sniffer dogs have found a few mules on their way to try floggging their drugs here also caught when coming off the ferry from Melbourne. Yes, we get them!!!! Last time I came for a holiday in January, before we came back for good, I made the mistake of going out to get the washing in with bare legs - 5 bloody bites that took weeks to heal and I itched all the way on the plane home which is really annoying when you're wearing compression socks! Of course, we were here when the air was the worst quality in the world too from the Bushfire smoke, I didn't mention that, but it put a dent in my outside walks - so, all up I've worn a mask more this year than ever before in my life. The flies have been annoying up to this past couple of weeks even. Apart from walking up the pennine way I've not had them bad in Britain at all. I'd quite lost my capacity for the Great Aussie salute and was getting quite wild with my gesticulating! I have a "thing" about flies, I think it's extreme tactile defensiveness. At least sharks and jellyfish aren't a problem here in Canberra but every now and again we get water bans because of blue Green algae (and I promise not to mention our death cap mushrooms!) Don't have a dog thank goodness! One of my brothers in law is absolutely paranoid about driving these days ever since his wife's car got totaled by a meth head down in Victoria (she was ok thank God) - I admit I hadn't given it much of a thought but after that crash where the 4 cops got killed the other day I guess it's something that I will consider more seriously. As my niece is a paramedic I think my brother in law had been getting stories from her too (she's down in Tas now!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) Honestly depending on your interpretation of the posts, Australia must be a pretty awful/dangerous place to live. The recent fires were absolutely dreadful, and your heart goes out to everyone who was affected, but not all of Australia was affected. and there have been bad floods, but other countries have also had similar. I read that flood victims in UK are still waiting to return to their homes, and the fires for example in America were bad. I’m from the UK, and moved to the Sunshine Coast 17 years ago., and there is nowhere else I would rather be. I have lived in Africa and Borneo, spent lots of time in the UAE, so can compare Australia with more than just UK. Of course it doesn’t suit everyone, nowhere does. I have seen 3 snakes in the garden in that time, my husband assured me they were harmless tree snakes, he is no expert! No bad spiders but they are probably around. We are not overly bothered by flies or mosquitoes. No crocodiles here except in the zoo, and not many shark attacks either. Summer is hot and humid for 3/4 months but the rest of the year is lovely. I admit I don’t walk so much in summer, but for the other 9 months i am out most days, no problem at all, and I have to admit to being in my 70’s. Life is what you make it, wherever you end up. Quoll, I was in Borneo during dreadful smoke from fires, that went on for weeks, couldn’t see much further than 10ft, and my husband could even smell smoke in the flight deck thousands of feet up in the air, fires happen. Best not mention the sand flies there, I flew back to UK with over 30 bites on my back once. I really find the wasps are a problem in England in summer. Nowhere is safe. Edited May 10, 2020 by ramot 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 15 hours ago, S&S said: Hi guys, Currently my wife & I are living along the Sussex coast and seriously wanting a better out door lifestyle in Aus. Should we be concerned about the natural distasters & danderous wildlife? Whilst Aus is so appealing after visiting it many times, we are so confused if it is the safest place to start a new and long chapter in our lives with the one aim to stay till the end! Our confusion lies where we will buy a property and re-locate our life... The East Coast (QLD) is best suited for our us but between fires in the hinterland, floods, earth quakes and subsequent Tsunami's along the coast, snakes, spiders in your garden or croc's or jellies harming / killing our pets... ever increasing heat, not to mention sharks in the water that we love to be active in and on! Maybe we've read to much into video clips of fires and floods etc but non the less they are still very real... Or Maybe we should just go for it and live life. We really want to know how YOU cope with all these hazards!! The Anyway - cheers and thanks for any helpful replies! See ya soon! Keep safe! S&S Moved from Surrey to SE Queensland with wife and daughter 5 years ago. We have managed to survive all the earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters so far. Most people we have met since arriving not so lucky. Its a wonder there is anyone left alive, frankly. Seriously, we are just hanging on. Best stay in East Sussex. Keep safe! 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Lived in Australia for over 40 years now. Never encountered any of the hazards mentioned in your list. It's easy to avoid bushfires by not living in or near the bush, it's easy to avoid floods by not moving to a flood-prone area. Swim at patrolled beaches to avoid sharks. Hardly any wildlife are found in the suburbs where most people live. Spiders are a beat-up, never see any, never known anyone injured by one. And there are no flies or mozzies where I live in beach-side Sydney. Over 25 million people live here quite happily - forget about the whingeing poms on this site, some of them have made it their life's work to find things to have a moan about. The biggest annoyance for me in living here isn't even mentioned in your list - and that's the cockroaches that are endemic in coastal Sydney (but you do get used to). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 16 minutes ago, NickyNook said: Lived in Australia for over 40 years now. Never encountered any of the hazards mentioned in your list. It's easy to avoid bushfires by not living in or near the bush, it's easy to avoid floods by not moving to a flood-prone area. Swim at patrolled beaches to avoid sharks. Hardly any wildlife are found in the suburbs where most people live. Spiders are a beat-up, never see any, never known anyone injured by one. And there are no flies or mozzies where I live in beach-side Sydney. Over 25 million people live here quite happily - forget about the whingeing poms on this site, some of them have made it their life's work to find things to have a moan about. The biggest annoyance for me in living here isn't even mentioned in your list - and that's the cockroaches that are endemic in coastal Sydney (but you do get used to). More positive poms than whinging, just saying!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 48 minutes ago, NickyNook said: Lived in Australia for over 40 years now. Never encountered any of the hazards mentioned in your list. It's easy to avoid bushfires by not living in or near the bush, it's easy to avoid floods by not moving to a flood-prone area. Swim at patrolled beaches to avoid sharks. Hardly any wildlife are found in the suburbs where most people live. Spiders are a beat-up, never see any, never known anyone injured by one. And there are no flies or mozzies where I live in beach-side Sydney. Over 25 million people live here quite happily - forget about the whingeing poms on this site, some of them have made it their life's work to find things to have a moan about. The biggest annoyance for me in living here isn't even mentioned in your list - and that's the cockroaches that are endemic in coastal Sydney (but you do get used to). Oh yes the cockroaches. Ugh. I was paranoid about them in Sydney. No matter how much I kept the house clean there would always be one or two skittering about in the warm weather. Haven't seen one in the 6 years we've been in Tassie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 1 hour ago, NickyNook said: The biggest annoyance for me in living here isn't even mentioned in your list - and that's the cockroaches that are endemic in coastal Sydney (but you do get used to). I lived there over 30 years and never got used to them. Hate the things, especially the big flying ones. I'm so pleased they're scarce here in Melbourne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 We get the cockroaches but mainly in the compost heap. Sometimes they get in the house and the other day one ran out of the toaster. Yuck. Needless to say we are checking it every single time we use it now. I have never seen a snake here but down at Philip Island I have seen tigers and browns. They just ignore you unless you tread on them so you just don’t walk through long grass in Summer. Winter is fine. We don’t get the stinging jellyfish down here but sometimes you hear of sharks though it is unusual. It is their home and we are the interlopers I figure. Most people don’t even think about getting bitten, stung or eaten and I have to say I don’t know anyone who actually uses sunscreen unless they go to the beach or for a bush walk in the middle of Summer. That can be a mistake I guess, having got a fair skinned husband who got a melanoma ( treated and removed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 (edited) You couldn’t pay me to live in Qld, but everybody’s different. 53 years here in God’s country and haven’t given bugs or fires a second thought... Edited May 10, 2020 by Bulya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavers Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 What about these drop bears I keep hearing about?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Lavers said: What about these drop bears I keep hearing about?????? Oh these ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 To the OP, we have been here 16 years now, I was in Victoria when Black Saturday happened https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_bushfires I remember that day well. It was like having a hairdryer pointed at your face on full heat. Embers were flying everywhere and igniting other fires, half of which never made the news and were either left to burn themselves out or the locals managed to extinguish. From Victoria we moved to Cairns, within a few months of being there we had a Category 5 Cyclone heading directly for us (Cyclone Yasi) the hospitals were evacuated (it was the largest hospital evacuation in Australian History) https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2012/197/1/weather-evacuate We we’re lucky, she didn’t hit us, she dipped at the last minute and hit poor Cardwell. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-03/cyclone-yasi-what-happened-in-2011/7067086?nw=0 The winds at Cardwell peaked at over 300kmph in some places, I think the main weather stations registered 285kmph That night was terrifying we lost power early on with the winds. We had decided not to evacuate because the Cyclone Shelter was only able to withstand a Cat 4 Cyclone, some even said a Cat 3. Although our home was in a Valley we had our downstairs built in to the side of the hill so we think that really helped. We had huge trees come down on us but thankfully they all fell around us and not on us. After the event we were told the Valley had more destructive winds than the rest of Cairns especially 15km further down where it had ripped and bent the huge metal shade sale poles from the car park in the shopping centre. ‘We made a cyclone shelter from our dining table piled mattresses on top, taped all the windows, blocked the doors with furniture etc. When that wind came it was frightening, the sound will always stay with me. It was like someone had started two jumbo jet engines in the garden. From Cairns we moved to Townsville, nothing exciting happened there, lol. Although it did when we left with the huge floods. Both my sons lived up there, one still does when the huge floods happened. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Townsville_flood Then we are now just outside Brissy, in the 4 years + here we have seen the worst drought ever with animals dying all around and farmers turning the gun on themselves, we have had raging fires (thankfully the closest one to us was a km away and the wind was blowing away from us) and now the whole world has COVID-19 Oh and yes I’ve seen snakes in Melbourne, Cairns and here but I can only count them on one hand, it is just a case of being careful and using common sense. Unfortunately last year 4 of my dogs attacked an Eastern Brown and all got bit, they all survived but it cost $3,000 for each dog and that was using only one anti venom, sometimes they need two. So you need to keep an eye on your dogs. Also if you let your dogs out at night watch for cane toads, mine have an addiction for eating them. They are toxic, some dogs can be treat at home and will just get high from it, just don’t let them drink water and wash their mouth out and gums. Crocs, I’ve lived in the FNQ and I’ve searched high and low to see a real croc and never saw one in the wild until @Bobj took me on a camping trip and I got to see one in the wild. On the same trip, I swam with a fresh water one whilst staying in a cabin by a lake in Kununurra. It’s a case of using common sense, don’t go swimming in any water that leads out to sea. If you are up in the ranges then you should only encounter freshies who won’t usually attack unless they feel threatened. Spiders, yes they are about but I’ve not been bitten that I can remember. I have been bitten by the dreaded ants though. Now despite going through the above it was no where near as bad as it seems. The worst part was probably not having power for 2 weeks in Yasi. Yes things happen but the chances of it happening to you are slim and if you take precautions then you stand an even better chance, for example, don’t rent/buy a house on a flood plain, make sure any house is built to Cat 4/5 standards, get a professional in to spray to keep the indoor/outdoor area free of bugs, where mozzie spray and make sure you don’t go out after dusk, don’t go fishing or swimming in coastal waters in North Queensland etc. I absolutely love it here and would go through all the above 100 times if it meant staying here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavers Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 On a serious note what are the do's & don'ts regarding walking on trails etc. Is it just a case of walking on designated walk ways and paths, and stay out of the long grass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Lavers said: On a serious note what are the do's & don'ts regarding walking on trails etc. Is it just a case of walking on designated walk ways and paths, and stay out of the long grass? If you step heavily, any snakes present will feel the vibration and retreat. I do it when I go fishing through a National Park. So far, in 20 odd years, I have encountered 1 taipan, 2 red bellied black snakes, 3 tree snakes and 1 python. They were all sunning themselves to get warm enough to get mobile and go hunting for food. Cheers, Bobj. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 My passion is fishing in remote places; especially the very remote Northern Territory. I come across lots of crocs in my pursuit of barramundi. Here are a few photos: And a dingo. And a barra... Cheers, Bobj. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S&S Posted May 10, 2020 Author Share Posted May 10, 2020 From the OP... Thanks v much to those that have given such constructive comments. Appriciate the feedback and sharing your experiences, hints & tips. Like in Africa (where my BH grew up) it sounds like its the small 5 rather than the big 5 are the ones to look out for!! It's our pets that my wife is most concern for and your replies have helped thanks in our research & prep into Sunshine C, GC and Brisbane areas. Keep well Cheers S&S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 16 hours ago, ramot said: Quoll, I was in Borneo during dreadful smoke from fires, that went on for weeks, couldn’t see much further than 10ft, and my husband could even smell smoke in the flight deck thousands of feet up in the air, fires happen. Best not mention the sand flies there, I flew back to UK with over 30 bites on my back once. I really find the wasps are a problem in England in summer. Nowhere is safe. I quite agree with you! In PNG there was a whole range of other stuff we lived with too - spiders the size of dinner plates when squashed (that was about 4 weeks after I moved there and the DH was away! I didn't go into the kitchen until he returned!), the wild pigs are a bit of a threat when you were out in the bush and never get too close to a cassowary, those things can rip your guts out! Yes the wasps were a nuisance in UK (and we've got them here in Canberra too and people do freak out a bit) but I hated the horse flies in UK as much as anything. I dunno what it was but almost every Roman site I went to had a resident population of horse flies which took great delight in biting! Much like the March flies here in the Alpine regions which can get you through 3 layers of hiking socks. Bottom line, if you live somewhere you get on with it! Things will kill you wherever you are, things will scare you wherever you are, disasters may happen wherever you are but that's life!!! (I'd be really scared of falling cliffs in Sussex for example!) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 10 hours ago, Bulya said: You couldn’t pay me to live in Qld, but everybody’s different. 53 years here in God’s country and haven’t given bugs or fires a second thought... Oh c'mon, Canberra 2003? I doubt there was a single Canberran who wasn't giving bushfires a very serious thought! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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