# Australian floods bring a sci-fi landscape of spiderwebs.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307 "2012-03-09T18:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/21 "2012-03-09T22:53:43Z")
> [@National Post](#): > > The Australian Museum’s entomology collections manager Graham Milledge said the spiders’ behavior was known as ballooning, and was typical after spiders are forced to flee from floods. > > “They often do it as a way of dispersing and getting into a new area,” Milledge told the news.com.au website. “In an event like this, they are just trying to escape the floods.” And, uh, just _how far_ can these guys disperse that way? Like–across the Pacific Ocean? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/22 "2012-03-09T23:43:14Z")
Why is everyone so down on the spiders? They’re just trying to survive. I’m curious, though, why floods in other places (besides Australia and Pakistan) don’t cause the same thing to happen. Are these simply a particular kind of spider that can’t swim? ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/23 "2012-03-09T23:49:38Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’d be freaked out if I had to walk through those, but I have a more pressing question: there’s really a place in Australia called Wagga Wagga? Come on now. Not to mention Kurri Kurri and Kangy Angy, among others. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/24 "2012-03-10T00:00:08Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > A lot of the funny-sounding names derive from the various aboriginal languages. > > Tumbarumba, Wollongong, Parramatta, Gundagai, Brewarrina, Coonabarabran, Mullumbimby, etc. Aboriginals named these things? I would have blamed Ents. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/25 "2012-03-10T00:24:28Z")
Of course we have Walla Walla, Washington. I wonder if Walla Walla and Wagga Wagga are sister cities? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/26 "2012-03-10T00:46:26Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Of course we have Walla Walla, Washington. I wonder if Walla Walla and Wagga Wagga are sister cities? I guess a knucklehead from there would be a Walla Walla Wally. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/27 "2012-03-10T00:53:30Z")
I have been meaning to visit Suggan Buggan one day. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/28 "2012-03-10T01:45:24Z")
Regarding seemingly strange Australian names and colloquialisms, allow me to translate a few from their unofficial national Anthem _Walzing Matilda_. I believe this will simplify things for my fellow Americans. Once a jolly swagman[sup]1[/sup] camped by a billabong[sup]2[/sup] Under the shade of a coolibah[sup]3[/sup] tree And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy[sup]4[/sup] boiled “Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?”[sup]5[/sup] Down come a jumbuck[sup]6[/sup] to drink at the water hole Up jumped a swagman and grabbed him in glee And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker bag[sup]7[/sup] “You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me” 1. swagman: tramp 2. billabong: dry river bed 3. coolibah: apparently some kind of tree 4. billy: Ummm… a smaller dry river bed? 5. This line seems to indicate some kind of dancing, probably a waltz, possibly with someone named Matilda 6. jumbuck: Come on! That can’t possibly be a word! 7. tucker bag: Fuck this. “English-speaking” country, my ass. Apologies to _America: The Book_ ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/29 "2012-03-10T01:57:29Z")
Didn’t ANYBODY have the Captain Kangaroo record that explained the meaning of the words in “Waltzing Matilda”? A “billy” is a teakettle. “Waltzing Matilda” means “going on the road” as a tramp, or a hobo would. The “jumbuck” is a sheep. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/30 "2012-03-10T01:58:34Z")
Rising Floodwaters and the Spiders of Oz! ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/31 "2012-03-10T02:25:26Z")
My favorite Australian placename is Woolloomooloo. It’s fun to say! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/32 "2012-03-10T02:33:29Z")
The repetition of the name indicates “lots of.” “Wagga” is one Aboriginal language’s word for “crow,” so Wagga Wagga essentially means the place of many crows. > [@](#): > > tucker bag: Fuck this. “English-speaking” country, my ass “Tucker” is food; once you know this, the meaning of tuckerbag is obvious. It should be noted that most of the unusual words in Waltzing Matilda are no longer in general use. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/33 "2012-03-10T04:07:47Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Of course we have Walla Walla, Washington. I wonder if Walla Walla and Wagga Wagga are sister cities? Lived in Walla Walla for four years- their sister city is Sasayama, Japan. There’s four "a"s in both, I guess. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I guess a knucklehead from there would be a Walla Walla Wally. Usually an “Onionhead.” ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/34 "2012-03-10T05:00:32Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > A lot of the funny-sounding names derive from the various aboriginal languages. > > Tumbarumba, Wollongong, Parramatta, Gundagai, Brewarrina, Coonabarabran, Mullumbimby, etc. Then there’s the nation’s capital, Canberra, which can either mean meeting place or women’s breasts depending on the dialect. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/35 "2012-03-10T05:19:28Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Then there’s the nation’s capital, Canberra, which can either mean meeting place or women’s breasts depending on the dialect. I think a woman’s breasts are a perfectly good meeting place. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/36 "2012-03-10T07:42:30Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Once a jolly swagman[sup]1[/sup] camped by a billabong[sup]2[/sup] > . > . > . > 2) billabong: dry river bed Can’t be a _dry_ river bed. (I learned it as “water hole”). If you’ll remember the rest of the song, the song ends with the swagman drowning in it. ETA: And furthermore… What I really wanted to mention in this post… Talking about all those spiders… (The OP was about spiders, right?)… and getting all squicked out about them… Didnt-ja all read in those articles that those spiders are eating bazillions of mosquitos? Spiders are our _friends!_ ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/37 "2012-03-10T07:51:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Can’t be a _dry_ river bed. (I learned it as “water hole”). If you’ll remember the rest of the song, the song ends with the swagman drowning in it. It was originally, i believe, meant to refer to a body of water left by, or separate from, a mainly-dry riverbed. So, when the river stops running in the dry season, the pools that form are billabongs. Similarly, it referred to pool cut off from the main watercourse by changes in the river, what geographers refer to as an “oxbow” lake. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/38 "2012-03-10T08:15:22Z")
I have lived in Grong Grong as well as Wagga Wagga. I am sincerely grateful that I no longer live in Wagga. However I am not sure I like where I live\* at the moment either. Due to the rainfall I have a plague of slugs. I fact one just dropped on my foot -arrggghh icky icky icky. I live in place called Deniliquin. The town was named after a local Aborigine famed for his wrestling prowess: Denilakoon :smack: and for those who don’t know koon sounds a a lot like coon which is on par with nigger. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/39 "2012-03-10T11:53:04Z")
Things are crook in Tullarook. I don’t think Parramatta is Aboriginal. I think it is a strange dialect which means “Place where Lebanese Drug Dealers Thrive”. And those spiders- well they are in training to swim to the Northern Hemisphere… ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/40 "2012-03-10T23:11:50Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Then there’s the nation’s capital, Canberra, which can either mean meeting place or women’s breasts depending on the dialect. I thought it meant ‘a good sheep run, gone to waste.’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307.md?page=3)