# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/41 "2012-03-10T23:22:54Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > “Waltzing Matilda” means “going on the road” as a tramp, or a hobo would. Not quite correct. Auf der Waltz was German term that was for a part of your apprenticeship period. You would leave home for 3 years and a day studying with other masters around. Someone who is “Waltzing Matilda” is a workman, traveling with his tools and all his possessions. Not a tramp. A traveling carpenter, tinsmith or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/42 "2012-03-10T23:32:55Z")
And only on the Dope would you get a thread to so quickly deviate from amazing spider pics to arguing the origins of Australian colloquialisms. Bloody brilliant. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/43 "2012-03-11T02:19:24Z")
Why hasn’t anyone taken a flamethrower to the whole thing yet? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/44 "2012-03-11T03:06:49Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Why hasn’t anyone taken a flamethrower to the whole thing yet? I was mentally walking to the garage to fill the bug sprayer with gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/45 "2012-03-11T03:50:10Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > 1. billy: Ummm… a smaller dry river bed? Nope. A billy is short for “[billycan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billycan),” a small cooking pot. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/46 "2012-03-11T03:58:54Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > And only on the Dope would you get a thread to so quickly deviate from amazing spider pics to arguing the origins of Australian colloquialisms. > > Bloody brilliant. 😛 I don’t want to talk about the scary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/47 "2012-03-11T04:37:08Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > A lot of the funny-sounding names derive from the various aboriginal languages. > > Tumbarumba, Wollongong, Parramatta, Gundagai, Brewarrina, Coonabarabran, Mullumbimby, etc. Heh, I can see where you grew up. Also Taramara, Curl Curl and Coogee. My first ever work call was to Wagga. I said in my fresh off the boat American accent, “Is this Wagga Wagga Smash Repairs?” (Pronouncing it as spelled, of course.) Loooooong pause. “Yep.” The girl next to me was wetting herself. I used to say Coogee as “Koo-Gee”. I dunno why. The spiders thing is freaking me out. It made my kid decide Charles Sturt Bathurst was a better choice than CS in Wagga, too, based on those pictures alone. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/48 "2012-03-11T04:37:26Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Can someone remind me again why we allow Australia to exist? It’s for the sheep, mate! ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/49 "2012-03-11T04:53:52Z")
Kill them, kill them dead until they are dead and then kill them dead several more times. Joe ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/50 "2012-03-11T05:26:00Z")
There is no way in hell that I am having sex in that field. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/51 "2012-03-11T05:40:41Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > And those spiders- well they are in training to swim to the Northern Hemisphere… Don’t be ridiculous. They’re trying to learn how to build boats… > [@DigitalC](#): > > Why hasn’t anyone taken a flamethrower to the whole thing yet? You’re not familiar with Australian summers, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/52 "2012-03-11T05:42:01Z")
Those flood waters aren’t NEARLY deep enough. How high is the tallest tree above the tallest mountain? The water needs to be about 10’ higher than that. Yes, I feel bad for all the Australian humans who will drown, but they’ll all eventually be killed by the spiders anyway, so no real biggie. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/53 "2012-03-11T07:09:27Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Don’t be ridiculous. They’re trying to learn how to build boats… Do _not_ let them exchange technology with the fire ants. They already build boats when the flood waters come. Boats made of _corpses_. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/54 "2012-03-11T22:26:12Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Don’t be ridiculous. They’re trying to learn how to build boats… After looking at the picture again I think they’re building an antenna array for deep space communication. I for one welcome our new spider overlords… ---
**Author:** ![Pops1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@Pops1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pops1963)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/55 "2012-03-12T01:12:26Z")
Anyone here read W.E.B Griffin? In his Corp books one of the characters gets involved with a girl from Wagga Wagga however its pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/56 "2012-03-12T01:28:21Z")
Well thanks, I wasn’t planning on sleeping tonight anyway ---
**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:** [March 12, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/57 "2012-03-12T12:53:34Z")
I want to go to Wagga now! How fantastic! As for the question about why does this happen in Australia and Pakistani floods, and not other countries - I would love to hear from someone who really knows and isn’t just guessing. My guess would be that it relates to the time of year. There happens to be a lot of young wolf spiders around ready to balloon (take to the air on threads of silk to disperse), as well as a healthy population of adults - the drought broke last year and it is the breeding season this year. So it probably does happen anywhere when the floods coincide with other suitable conditions. Just some ideas for debate and enhancement. Incredible creatures - spiders! ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/58 "2012-03-12T20:36:58Z")
just to make sure the topic stays on track… EEK! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: why in god’s name did i click on that link AND THEN SCROLL DOWN!!! ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/59 "2012-03-12T20:43:19Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Can someone remind me again why we allow Australia to exist? So we have a place to keep the spiders obviously. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307/60 "2012-03-12T22:10:01Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > just to make sure the topic stays on track… > > EEK! > :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: > > why in god’s name did i click on that link AND THEN SCROLL DOWN!!! Cause you’re human 😉 I’ve looked at a lot of things online I regretted, but I’d probably do it again… There’s gotta be a guy in that barn, surrounded by a sea of spider webs, that is desperately looking for a method of suicide that doesn’t involve his body being used as an empty husk for more spiders [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-floods-bring-a-sci-fi-landscape-of-spiderwebs/615307.md?page=4)