# Seriously, are you reluctant to come to Australia because of dangerous wildlife? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612 "2010-01-04T13:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/41 "2010-01-04T19:28:36Z")
Another person who’s unlikely to visit Australia anyway, so the poison animal issue is moot. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/42 "2010-01-04T19:32:23Z")
I’d _love_ to visit Australia (and New Zealand), but these factors make it really unlikely: - The extremely long flight - The extremely expensive flight - How little vacation I get I have 2 weeks vacation a year; when I’m with my employer past 3 years, it gets bumped up to 3 weeks. If I’m flying halfway around the world, I’d need at _least_ 2 weeks at a bare minimum, to do the trip justice. Just recovering from jet lag would take up a few days. I also only get 5 sick days a year. I’m lucky that I have a good track record of not getting sick, but if I used those 5 days up, then days off are taken from my vacation bank. I basically don’t have enough vacation time to go. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/43 "2010-01-04T21:35:07Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > It’s a lot cheaper if you buy the tickets a few months in advance… A very cursory search for tickets six months in advance still came up with about 1200.00 a person. That’s still far too rich for my blood. I don’t mind spending money on a trip, but blowing two grand for myself and **Nashiitashii** just on airfare alone is absurd. Oh and I’m the one guy who voted for “planning a trip just to tour the venomous and dangerous fauna”. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/44 "2010-01-04T21:44:59Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I don’t care about your local fauna but I’m unlikely to go because of the cost. It’s not like you offer free babysitting while I’m there. They’ve got dingoes for that. Now I’ll never be able to go back, they won’t let me in after that… ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/45 "2010-01-04T22:16:15Z")
Most my trips around the globe are sponsored by my best friend. She flies worldwide for conventions. Australia is one of the location I’m interested in traveling with her too but it is so god dam time consuming and expensive to just get there. The critters are neither a detracting factor or reason for going. I’m much more interested in people, architecture and sights. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/46 "2010-01-04T22:52:21Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I’m curious because I’ve seen a number of threads (there’s one active at the moment) where people express reluctance to visit Australia because of man eating and/or venomous snakes, spiders, sealife and monotremes of one sort or another. Afraid of what?..your cute fuzzy spiders? Floating globs of jelly with arms? Teeny-tiny octopuses, with—brace yourself—blue spots!?! Come on people, grow a pair!—these aren’t exactly the stuff of nightmares, like say, a Grizzly Bear, or a T-Rex…you know, something American with big teeth. I laugh at your Funnel Web Spider, Blue Ring Octopus, Box Jellyfish, and all those other oft-mentioned “dangerous” :dubious: critters from down under and they most assuredly do not keep me from visiting Australia. No, what makes me thank my lucky stars that there are ~15000km between me and your country is that creature we Northern Hemispherians don’t normally hear about. I suspect we don’t hear about it because even you rough and tumble Aussies are a bit afraid to think or talk about it, am I right? You know the one I’m referring to though, don’t you? You know, that hideous monstrosity with the curved dagger-like front claws; the grotesquely fused 2nd and 3rd toes on its back feet; the big pointed, hairless snout…Hell, the damned thing doesn’t even lie down, like any self-respecting animal does when it slumbers—instead, like some type of demon, it squats down on its haunches, tucks its repugnant muzzle between its front legs and pulls it gruesome ears over its dead-black eyes! Bloody hell, what’s that all about? Oh yes, and if that weren’t enough, it’s also an OMNIVORE…that means it won’t just eat you, it’ll eat your dog and houseplants, too. No sir, you will not see me anywhere near your infernal island down under so long as it is home to the [Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis)](http://www.itsnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/bilby.jpg). (Please refrain from clicking hyperlink if you have an arrhythmia or irritable bowel syndrome). ---
**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:** [January 5, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/47 "2010-01-05T00:34:01Z")
And no one has yet mentioned a [dugite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugite). “Its venom is potentially one of the most lethal in the world, causing coagulopathic and procoagulant effects” ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/48 "2010-01-05T00:44:09Z")
The only thing keeping me from visiting Australia is the combination of my lack of time, the near $10,000. CAD cost of a flight for me and my family and the seemingly minimum 22 hour flight. Other than that, I’d visit in a heartbeat. Well, the decision would take a heartbeat… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/49 "2010-01-05T00:44:39Z")
The poll didn’t have my answer which is, “I don’t plan on visiting Australia because it takes like 3 days to fly there.” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/50 "2010-01-05T00:49:24Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > The poll didn’t have my answer which is, “I don’t plan on visiting Australia because it takes like 3 days to fly there.” That’s my answer as well. We have poisonous wildlife and dangerous animals here, too. Most people aren’t bothered by them. Most people that are are fools. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/51 "2010-01-05T00:49:27Z")
I’m going to come visit Australia in the next six months. New Zealand first, then Australia. I’m hoping nothing poisonous bites me, but I can’t say I’m staying up nights worrying about it. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/52 "2010-01-05T01:16:45Z")
I’m not planning to visit but I’m not scared of insects, even spiders. I love spiders! I just can’t afford to travel, but if I could, Australia’s in my top five. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/53 "2010-01-05T01:40:58Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > The poll didn’t have my answer which is, “I don’t plan on visiting Australia because it takes like 3 days to fly there.” Probably because the poll question is not: “why don’t you want to come to Australia?”. I don’t doubt there are dozens of good answers to that question, but it’s not the question I was curious about. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/54 "2010-01-05T01:47:23Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > In nearly 50 years of living in Australia, I’ve never seen a huntsman spider. I have, however, seen several species of spider in my backyard that can kill you (though they probably won’t, since they rarely bite, and if they do, antivenemes are easily available). Huh, my cats gift me with the carcass of at least one a week, when I don’t see it crawling on the walls first. They’re big, not dangerous. Geez. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/55 "2010-01-05T01:49:30Z")
I like to poke around places so I’d need a primer on what will kill me when I’m not in the city playing knifey spoony. That and the rail service from Europe is seriously lacking. In reality it’s in the middle of nowhere and the economy ate into my retirement fund. It’s currently still cheaper than vacationing on the space station but not by much. I’ll have to stick to exotic Canada to get my UK freak on. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/56 "2010-01-05T01:50:54Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Then again, one must wonder why Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-John, The Bee Gees and Darren Hayes no longer live there. > > Hmmm Dunno about the rest, but I suspect that 2/3 of the BeeGees don’t live anywhere anymore… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/57 "2010-01-05T02:17:15Z")
I have 2 very good friends in Australia and they tell me and send me pics of some of the wildlife they see on an almost-daily basis, but I answered that I would visit with no trepidations. Q ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/58 "2010-01-05T02:21:44Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > Dunno about the rest, but I suspect that 2/3 of the BeeGees don’t live anywhere anymore… 😉 Elvis still lives there, at least the watered down version. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/59 "2010-01-05T03:20:34Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Probably because the poll question is not: “why don’t you want to come to Australia?”. I don’t doubt there are dozens of good answers to that question, but it’s not the question I was curious about. Next time I have a week to kill, I’ll come and apologize in person for my failed attempt at humor. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612/60 "2010-01-05T05:00:00Z")
Zis iss Austria, ve haf no senz of humour here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-are-you-reluctant-to-come-to-australia-because-of-dangerous-wildlife/523612.md?page=4)