I'm from New York, and I'm going to be a foreign exchange student for my junior year of high school. There are many countries that I MAY be going to, and Australia is one of my top choices. So, say I get to go to Australia. What is the safest place to live there? By "safest", I mean, least amount of fatal insects/spiders/animals. What big city is the safest? Or, what part of Australia? (Western, Southern, Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory?)
Other - Australia - 15 Answers
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1 :
Mate, there aren't that many fatal insects/animals, if there were we would all be dead. If you stick to a big city you will be fine, you might see a fly or mozzie but that's it. In the outback and bush is where you will find the bad creepy crawlies. I would avoid the Northern Territory. Probably the most exciting cities for you to spend a year in would be (in no particular order) Queensland - Brisbane or Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and to a lesser extent Perth (mostly because you can't really travel so much as it's quite remote from the rest of Aus)
2 :
they are all the same in one way or another. if you dont like your creapy crawlies and snakes, then I would suggest to choose another country. you will encounter a lot of spiders, maybe a snake and a hell of a lot of insects anywhere in Australia. thats the way it is. sorry, but if you dont like those kinds of things, then it may be best if you did not come.
3 :
It's not really that bad. When I was travelling in America and the UK, I noticed that Australia always featured in the newspaper for some sort of snake attack or someone being eaten by a croc. Really, it is so rare and only happens to people who are in extremely remote areas and don't take proper precautions. In the cities you will never come across snakes. There are probably dangerous spiders in the garden but they're not going to jump out and bite you. I've lived in Australia all my life in both the city and country and have only seen dangerous spiders a handful of times. It's not like they attack you - they just walk up the wall minding their own business. I've only ever seen a snake in the bush and it wasn't a poisonous one so really you've got nothing to worry about. Just don't go living on an outback station and you'll be right.
4 :
The bug problem is overstated, and you have to look hard to find the snakes. Spiders can be a problem in some localities, but even there, shake out your shoes before you put them on, and keep an eye out, and you will be fine. A little common sense will keep you safe from them. Far bigger hazard is the sunshine- use a lot of sunscreen all the time, even during the winter. As to the best cities- everyone has their opinion. My daughter did a year in Werris Creek, and now lives in Tamworth in NSW, and she will tell you it is the best. I disagree. I would go straight to Adelaide or one of its suburbs. The Northern Territory will surely offer a bit of culture shock, as most of the small towns are aboriginal communities, and there is great cultural exposure, but a general lack of educators, health care providers, shopping, and organized youth activities... Hope you enjoy some time in Australia- it is my second home, and I spend as much time there as I can.
5 :
22 million people live here and less than 5 will die per year from a bite of something. You've probably got more chance of dying from a drive-by shooting in NYC. Sydney and Brisbane will be very uneventful for dangerous animals, I imagine Melbourne would be the same. Darwin is extremely hot and humid which brings mosquitoes, flies and other things to life. Come on over - you'll love it! I promise our wildlife won't terrorise you!
6 :
None of the cities have dangerous or fatal creatures. I've been living here for all my life and never come across a dangerous creature, except for at the zoo. So don't let the thought that Australia is full of fatal creatures afect your decision. If you want to go to somewhere with city life try Melbourne (the shoping is eally good in sydney) or Sydney. If you want to go somewhere full of beaches, there are tonnes of beaces in Sydney but I would strongly suggest Brisbane or Cairns. If your lookng for a relaxed city try Adelaide or Perth. These cities aren't big but they have a certain charm. (I personaly love Adelaide, because I live there.) I've never been to Darwin but all I know is that it is VERY humid there.
7 :
You asking this question is the same as me saying I don't want to go to the USA because I don't want to be attacked by a grizzly bear, alligator or rattle snake. I know the chance of that happening is very remote. It's the same here. Don't believe all the hype on wildlife shows on tv etc. You rarely see dangerous animals, insects or spiders. Come on down, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.
8 :
I think you would feel more at home in Melbourne or Sydney. we don't have any big cities like New York but these 2 are our biggest. i totally hate bugs, but even though there are insects and stuff in the country i definitely recommend you travel out there, like to Wilson's Prom and Phillip Island in Victoria. it's the real australia. besides, you get used to the bugs when you are camping, there's not even that many any way and i doubt you'll come across anything too dangerous.
9 :
The more cooler regions in australia tend to have less nasty critters. However the white pointer shark is comfortable in the southern areas.There really is no need to be alarmed or paranoid about them.Encounters are usually quite rare.If you do get bitten or stung, then it probably is because you have done something careless or out of the ordinary.My advise is forget about them and enjoy your stay.Warning signs are around if there is a threat of a fatality.
10 :
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=eNEeq5qGh8I (For all you Aussies, it is the Scared Weird Little Guys singing Come to Australia) Funny but true!!
11 :
The only really fatal spider here in Adelaide is the redback, and no one has been killed by one since the antivenom was developed. Snakes aren't normally a problem in the cities, and as long as you don't go sticking your hands under rocks at the beach you're unlikely to have a problem with a blue-ringed octopus. The animal you're most likely to be killed by is the drop bear. They can be found in all the same places as koalas (every state except Tasmania and Western Australia) and, unlike most of the snakes and spiders, they're extremely aggressive. They drop down from the trees as you walk underneath and rip out your throat with their razor sharp claws. The government tries to cover it up (you can imagine the effect it would have on tourism if it got out) so no one really knows how many hundreds of victims these fearsome creatures claim every year.
12 :
*shakes head Theres no such thing as a safest place. Its all about knowing how to keep safe. We dont have dangerous animals roaming the streets.. And if you will be staying in a highly populated area, you will hardly see spiders.. But you will see insects but they wont hurt you at all.. You're not going to live in a tree in the bush are you? If not, then you really dont have to worry about spiders, insects and dangerous animals We hardly have dangerous animals around people.. If there was, then there wouldnt even be anyone living in Australia because we would have been killed already
13 :
I'm a NZer who has travelled to all the states of Aussie. Although you're more likely to die in a road accident than by shark, snake, spider, crocodile, jellyfish, octopus or bushfire, there are plenty of things you can do safely in New York or New Zealand that you wouldn't want to do in Aussie, even in Melbourne or Sydney. Climb around under your house to fix the plumbing for instance. Or pick up a brick, rock or piece of wood in your garden, or put your foot in a shoe without shaking it out first. Or go swimming outside the flags. Or walk on a rocky beach barefoot. The place where I felt safest was Tasmania, but even there I once walked along a dirt road with a ditch on each side with poisonous snakes swimming in them. I spent some time hitch hiking around the outback and saw a dead taipan nearly 2 metres long on the road. Sometimes you drive through a swollen stream and a snake wraps itself round an axle and gets you when you get out of the car. I slept in my sleeping bag on the ground and found out later that snakes often slide in and keep you company because they like the warmth. And outdoor toilets often have spiders under the seat. Don't let me put you off; you're unlikely to come to harm there, you'll have a great time, but your lifestyle will be restricted in some ways in the great outdoors. And of all the world's reported shark attacks, a third were in Australian waters.
14 :
Australia is known for having a large number of species of dangerous animals,spiders,and snakes. in urban areas,I doubt you would be any less safe than any urban area in the US. I would think this would be the least of concerns.
15 :
Cities are pretty safe. I live in the suburbs and I still get snakes in my back yard. I used to live near the bush and had kangaroos, in my front yard and a whole lot of snakes. You really don't have to worry about snakes or spiders, they stay away from people. If you see one, you give it a wide birth and alert people in the area to watch out. No big deal. That was for a snake, not a spider. I should say that this is on the gold coast. And most of our snakes aren't poisonous, they are tree snakes and carpet snakes.
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