# Australia - not nearly that deadly, why not come visit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 31, 2009, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176 "2009-12-31T10:11:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/81 "2010-01-04T02:40:15Z")
Roos are as solid as [moose](http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/05sep/05.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/82 "2010-01-04T02:51:44Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Roos are as solid as [moose](http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/05sep/05.htm)? More so, from what I’ve been told, although I don’t know where to look for a cite. Given the way that each animal is built, I’d believe it, too. I’m not saying that they weigh more, but they have a tendency to make a very disproportionate mess of your car. As **GreedySmurf** says, even a glancing blow at 60 km/h (let alone 100) will pretty much render your car undriveable. For what it’s worth, your link doesn’t say that moose are particularly solid - just that their mass and centre of gravity cause problems. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/83 "2010-01-04T08:23:49Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > …Why is New Zealand so friendly (environmentally-speaking) while Australia wants to kill you in so many ways (environmentally-speaking)? I know they’re not as close as they seem to be on the map, but they’re still pretty close… > . New Zealand is geographically new and has always been made up of remote islands. That has limited the native fauna acutely. Few if any nasties. Whereas Australia is geographically ancient with little by way of fertile land and waters. These are the conditions for small creatures to evolve and survive on something other than muscle power. Poisons and stealth are the common characteristics, frequently in the same animal. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/84 "2010-01-04T08:25:47Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > … > Extra problem being that during our all too regular dry spells the Roo’s are attracted to the grass on the sides of the road… One of the great unanswered questions: prompting many a research paper. Currently, it appears that roadside is the only place kangaroos are likely to find native grasses which are to their taste. Graziers have introducted exotic grasses for cattle, which the kangaroo does not prefer, despite the better nutritional content. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/85 "2010-01-04T08:44:36Z")
My boyfriend wants to live in Australia some day, but after reading Bryson’s book I am terrified to even set foot in that place. There was an Australian tourism ad that showed up on TV for awhile - some woman is working a shitty job in the city and her life sucks, her lover accuses her of being “changed”, etc, and then her kid whispers that she needs to go away and “lose herself” so she can “find herself.” So she goes to Australia, swims around in some pretty looking water, and then apparently goes home a nicer person. But whenever they show her swimming around in the water I’m thinking - is she insane?? THERE COULD BE CROCS IN THERE. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/86 "2010-01-04T09:12:04Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > There was an Australian tourism ad that showed up on TV for awhile - some woman is working a shitty job in the city and her life sucks, her lover accuses her of being “changed”, etc, and then her kid whispers that she needs to go away and “lose herself” so she can “find herself.” So she goes to Australia, swims around in some pretty looking water, and then apparently goes home a nicer person. But whenever they show her swimming around in the water I’m thinking - is she insane?? THERE COULD BE CROCS IN THERE. You’re only going to find crocodiles in the Far North. Personally, I’d be more worried about Portuguese Men O’War and other nasty stinging jellyfish. Most of the major beaches have shark and stinger nets on them to avoid those sorts of problems, though. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/87 "2010-01-04T17:00:54Z")
Well, comparing Aussie and American murder rates per capita, I’d say unless kangaroos start shooting, you’re safer in Australia. Anyway, if I ever get to Australia, I plan on keeping some Aussies around me at all times, as a human shield against critters. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/88 "2010-01-04T18:21:56Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > And that is how I ended up in this wonderful city of Sydney. You’re an American living in Sydney? Have you not taken the Harbor Tour? Don’t you realize the Americans living in Sydney are all Shark and Croc bait? Beautiful city - we loved it there, but you couldn’t pay me enough to touch the water. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/89 "2010-01-04T21:07:26Z")
> [@BigNik](#): > > I don’t know the relative populousness of each animal, nor how likely they are to end up on roads, but roos are much more solidly built than your average deer (or cow, or [BOLD]moose[/BOLD], or quadrupedal ungulate of your choice), and they can make much more of a mess of your car. (my bold added) Really? More solid than moose? Well, maybe. But speaking as a (former) New Englander, I’d still rather hit a kangaroo than a moose any day of the week. Problem with moose is that they have very solidly built bodies - on top of relatively spindly legs. So, when you hit a moose, the legs snap, and you get several hundred pounds of very large animal slamming through your windshield. And then, well, you die. “Moose crossing” signs are taken very, very seriously. ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/90 "2010-01-04T21:23:44Z")
I got bitten by a wombat. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/91 "2010-01-04T21:49:54Z")
> [@BigNik](#): > > More so, from what I’ve been told, although I don’t know where to look for a cite. Given the way that each animal is built, I’d believe it, too. I’m not saying that they weigh more, but they have a tendency to make a very disproportionate mess of your car. As **GreedySmurf** says, even a glancing blow at 60 km/h (let alone 100) will pretty much render your car undriveable. > > For what it’s worth, your link doesn’t say that moose are particularly solid - just that their mass and centre of gravity cause problems. Have seen both roo and moose on the road (in different places, of course) and I’d rather hit a moose. Seriously. Kangroo are…bad. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/92 "2010-01-04T21:52:38Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > You’re an American living in Sydney? Have you not taken the Harbor Tour? Don’t you realize the Americans living in Sydney are all Shark and Croc bait? > > Beautiful city - we loved it there, but you couldn’t pay me enough to touch the water. Harbour Tour…once, when I took visitors. Go swimming at Coogee sometimes, water’s not too dangerous if there’s not jellyfish, and as mentioned, crocs are far, far away from here. I do love it here, and it is beautiful. Thank my lucky stars I fetched up here every time I cross the harbour on the train and see the blue water and the pretty boats. Love it. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/93 "2010-01-04T22:35:37Z")
> [@bathsheba](#): > > I got bitten by a wombat. A Møøse once bit my sister . . . Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti . . . ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/94 "2010-01-04T22:49:28Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Well, comparing Aussie and American murder rates per capita, I’d say unless kangaroos start shooting, you’re safer in Australia. > > Anyway, if I ever get to Australia, I plan on keeping some Aussies around me at all times, as a human shield against critters. A Seppo that was staying with me in Sydney wanted to see “the outback”. He’d allowed all morning, if necessary. After a quick discussion of the logistics of this sort of thing, I agreed to take him for a few hours’ bushwalk at Ku-Ring-Gai. We set off pretty early, and about 15 minutes in I saw a red-bellied black snake sunning himself on the side of the track. I stopped, put my hand on the idiot’s chest and pointed to the snake. Curious, he wandered over to it, picked it up and looked at the markings and the fascinating colouring. The snake - apparently somewhat aware that this wasn’t how these things were supposed to work - was going berserk trying to execute both fight and flight manouvres at the same time. When he’d looked at it as hard as he planned to, my companion then tossed the snake into the bushes beside the track. He turned back to me. I was still pointing at the spot where the snake had been. My mouth was working hard, bud no noise was coming out. I think I eventually managed an “eerp”. He looked at me for a while and something kinda triggered in the back of whatever he had that passed for a brain. “Oh”, he asked somewhat sheepishly, “are they poisonous?” ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/95 "2010-01-04T23:34:23Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > My boyfriend wants to live in Australia some day, but after reading Bryson’s book I am terrified to even set foot in that place. > > There was an Australian tourism ad that showed up on TV for awhile - some woman is working a shitty job in the city and her life sucks, her lover accuses her of being “changed”, etc, and then her kid whispers that she needs to go away and “lose herself” so she can “find herself.” So she goes to Australia, swims around in some pretty looking water, and then apparently goes home a nicer person. But whenever they show her swimming around in the water I’m thinking - is she insane?? THERE COULD BE CROCS IN THERE. She’d be alright. I know the ad you are refering to (It was designed to leverage of the film _Australia_) and that was a freshwater stream she was swimming in. The terrain definitely looked like the Northern Territory to me (maybe the Katherine Gorge(?)). So only going to be freshwater croc’s in there. (During the Dry season anyway) They don’t grow big enough to be man eaters. 😃 **From Wikipedia** > [@](#): > > Although they will bite if disturbed or feel threatened, freshwater crocodiles are not known as man-eaters and their prey is generally of a much smaller size. However as prey for larger adults can include wallabies, small children should not be left unattended in their presence, although no such attacks have been reported. They will usually ignore people when sunning themselves beside a swimming hole, provided they have a relatively peaceful spot ---
**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/96 "2010-01-05T01:43:30Z")
> [@BigNik](#): > > A Seppo that was staying with me in Sydney wanted to see “the outback”. He’d allowed all morning, if necessary… > > He looked at me for a while and something kinda triggered in the back of whatever he had that passed for a brain. “Oh”, he asked somewhat sheepishly, “are they poisonous?” Amazing story. Thank you! **bathsheba** : can I assume that wombat was in captivity and you were holding it? We can’t get close enough to ours to be bitten. Wish we could! Adorable creatures. ---
**Author:** ![alenaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7feea3/32.png) [@alenaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alenaroo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/97 "2010-01-05T03:56:24Z")
If anyone is still interested, the cheapest way to move to Australia is to find an employer who would sponsor your visa - first a temporary one (457), then a permanent one. The dangers of swimming in Australia are vastly exaggerated, generally rough surf is far more dangerous than sharks, and the sun is more dangerous still. If you are on a public beach in Sydney and swim between the flags, you will be fine (and if you are in trouble you might meet our Bondi Rescue guys… which is not bad at all!). Blue bottles sting but they are not really dangerous: [http://www.australianfauna.com/bluebottlejellyfish.php](http://www.australianfauna.com/bluebottlejellyfish.php) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/98 "2010-01-05T04:04:06Z")
What about retiring to Australia? I assume you’d have to prove some sort of income that will pay for you for the rest of your life. Anyone know? Nuther question. What if I just buy a house in Australia? Cash. All paid for. Would owning property there pretty guarantee me a visa for as long as I want? ---
**Author:** ![alenaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7feea3/32.png) [@alenaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alenaroo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/99 "2010-01-05T04:15:08Z")
levdrakon, you can find some information about retirement visas here: [Department of Home Affairs](http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/retirement/visa-options.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176/100 "2010-01-05T06:54:52Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > What about retiring to Australia? I assume you’d have to prove some sort of income that will pay for you for the rest of your life. Anyone know? > > Nuther question. What if I just buy a house in Australia? Cash. All paid for. Would owning property there pretty guarantee me a visa for as long as I want? Unfortunately you can’t just buy a house in Australia. You’d need to make an application to the Foreign Investment Review Board. > [@](#): > > If the FIRB feels that the residential real estate in question is only being purchased by a foreign citizen or company just for the purpose of renting it out, or because the purchaser wants to speculate on the property’s future value, permission to purchase will be refused. > > On the other hand, approval IS usually granted to foreign applicants in the following circumstances: > > A. Where the applicant is residing in Australia on the basis of a Temporary Entry Visa (with more than 12 months validity) and is wanting to buy a residence for themselves - as long as the property is sold when the person no longer lives in Australia Applicants who are entitled to purchase on these terms include students over 18 studying at a recognised tertiary institution for more than one year who need accommodation, but a general limit of $300,000 applies to the value of any such property acquired by a student temporarily resident in Australia. **Other applicants entitled to purchase are long stay retirees and people in Australia for work reasons who need accommodation. Again, any property must be sold when these categories of buyers no longer live in Australia. > This category does not cover people with visitor or bridging visas.** > > The purchase of another residence, such as a “weekender” for recreational use, is not approved under any of the above circumstances. Bolded for reference to retirees, so I don’t think you’d have a problem buying a place as long as you had one of the retirement Visa’s with a 4year term. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-not-nearly-that-deadly-why-not-come-visit/523176.md?page=6)