Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy I love Australia. I've always said if I could go to 3 exotic places in the world, they would be the Amazon rain forest, the ruins of ancient Greece, and Australia (that was before I ever heard of Giraffe Manor in Kenya where giraffes roam the grounds and can stick their necks through the windows and surprise you over your shoulder and you can feed them, but I digress, lol). I've always loved Australian animals and the Aussie accents, and whenever I see something Australian on TV---most notably nature shows---it just makes me wanna hop on a jet down there so bad. So please, tell us (or at least me, lol) more about what it's like "down under": --Do any of you like your native kangaroos? I've heard on TV that farmers view them vehemently as pests, which boggles me, because I soooo love kangaroos! --How common is it to see the following: kangaroos/wallabies? koalas? playpusses (platypi?)? tasmanian devils? echidnas? emus? (I would love a pet 'roo and platypus!) --I once saw on a nature show the world's deadliest sp*d*r lives in Australia, and there is still NO CURE for its bite to this day (!!). Have you all ever seen one of these "in person"? (*gulp*) --Does it ever get cool/cold? Have you ever had snow in your country? Is there a "rainy season" or does it rain off and on throughout the year? Is the heat dry or humid or does it depend? --How do you all get milk? Are there cows there? (This one just came to me, lol...I suddenly reflected on the native animals I asked you about and realized some of *our* "normal" or "domesticated" animals may seem "strange" to you!) I may think of more questions as they come to me. If any other "outsiders" are curious about Awesome Australia, feel free to ask other questions as well. I can't wait to hear from some of our Aussie LPers!
Originally Posted By debtee Ok Byron ONE question at a time! LOL Although I'm an adopted Aussie I will try to answer some of your questions! I LOVE Australia...after growing up in the dismal East End of London ( sorry to my heritage but it's the truth ) Australia is Paradise! --Do any of you like your native kangaroos? I've heard on TV that farmers view them vehemently as pests, which boggles me, because I soooo love kangaroos! I like Kangaroos! I do have friends that are farmers and they do see the Kangaroo as a pest that's true. I just can't agree with them as they are so graceful moving about the bush and stop and STARE at you before they hop off! There is a place in Sydney you MUST visit when you finally get here called Featherdale Wildlife Park. I take all my relatives from England there as the animals are free to roam and you can walk up to the Kangaroos, wallabies, birds, koalas, and many other natives and stoke them and they let you, they don't bite or anything. My cousin Jacqui from London, was sooo scared to pet a Koala, it was so funny watching her we tried to tell her that the Koala is stoned ( on eucalyptus leaves) and won't react but she was scared he would bite her, once she got the courage up we couldn't get her away she LOVED him! My Sister lives on a property three hours west of Sydney and they have all the native animals roaming in their natural enviornment. You don't usually see a Kangaroo hopping around the city of Sydney!
Originally Posted By debtee It is COLD today! There was a thick fog across Sydney! It's our Winter here now. It does snow down in the Snowy Mountains which border NSW and Victoria. There is quite a big Snow season where people ski the slopes. I have only been once and it was beautiful but I keep going back to DL instead! haha --How do you all get milk? Are there cows there? (This one just came to me, lol...I suddenly reflected on the native animals I asked you about and realized some of *our* "normal" or "domesticated" animals may seem "strange" to you!) I get asked these questions all the time when I travel. Why do people think Australia is only about the OUTBACK! haha Sydney is a thriving CITY! Simular in some ways to LA but cleaner! Of course we hav COWS! and MILK! You are so funny Byron, you are making me laugh!
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <Ok Byron ONE question at a time! LOL> I can't help it, I love Australia! LOL Yeah, every time I hear how farmers see 'roos as pets, I know in my heart for sure that if my family was Aussie, my dad (a farmer) would get so fed up and hateful of the "varmints", and I'd be wantin' to hop out there and be a "kangaroo advocate", lol. Featherdale Wildlife Park sounds *awesome*---what sounds even more awesome are your words "when you finally get here"---! (let's hope someday! lol) koala stoned=koala on eucalyptus---too funny! I know what ya mean, I just hadn't thought of it in that term before, lol.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy "Snowy Mountains", huh? If I knew those existed I may have been able to guess about the snow, lol...good name. Oh and I do know Aussieland has cities (lol), it's just I'm so fascinated with nature. And I'm glad my wonderment makes you laugh, LOL.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy Ah, so y'all *do* have cows (which kinda makes my question look stupid, LOL)...I guess now my question is do they "moo" with an accent? ;-P
Originally Posted By debtee <--I once saw on a nature show the world's deadliest sp*d*r lives in Australia, and there is still NO CURE for its bite to this day (!!). Have you all ever seen one of these "in person"? (*gulp*)> Yes many of the world's deadliest Spiders and Snakes are here! I have never seen a snake in the wild only in Zoo's. We see spiders all the time. We just had about 200 RED BACK spiders in our back fense removed! They can kill you pretty quickly if you don't have the anti-venom which most hospitals would carry in stock. They don't really bother me and I don't usually bother them! We only got them removed because I was scared they could bite one of my boys ( woody & Toby ) if they poked at them with a paw and they would die instantly! My sister has the Black widow spider on her property and my Nieces and Nephews know not to play with them or they will kill you but most people just ignore them, they usually only bite if you sit on them or disturb them in some way.
Originally Posted By debtee ^LOL! Well see that's something I have noticed after moving here Aussie's are a tough breed! They can "handle" most things with ease nothing worries them! In fact "No worries Mate" is commonly heard! Must be coming from that good Convict stock only the fittest survived! Could be why we are great at Sport!
Originally Posted By quincytoo We have Black Widows up here in BC and I think ours are of a gentler nature....which means that when they bite you (and they DO) they won't kill you just really really hurts and swells up. Nathan got bit by one once....That what he gets for playing near the woodpile. We also have rattlesnakes in parts of BC and they won't kill you like some rattelsnake vemon will.... must be that whole "nice Canadian thing"
Originally Posted By quincytoo OOOPS Not that I meant to imply that Australians are NOT nice..cause they sooo are...When I lived in Whistler I had so many Aussie and Kiwi friends...
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <---picks self up, splashes cold water in face, sits down while shaking Yeah, I-I guess so, deb...more power to 'em! *phew*... The world's deadliest spider is, it turns out, the male Sydney Funnel-Web Spider (I get chills just typing that, like it's watching me...*gulp*...) But when I was Googling to find out, I stumbled upon *this* little gem: <a href="http://www.reptilepark.com.au/park_spiderWorld_main.asp" target="_blank">http://www.reptilepark.com.au/ park_spiderWorld_main.asp</a> {please mentally increase the font so the following is HUGE "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!"
Originally Posted By debtee ^ Now why did you get the gentle relatives of all the deadly animals we have?? LOL
Originally Posted By debtee Ohh I have been there TDG! It's got a BIRD eating spider in a glass exhibit and it's FREAKY to think that spider can eat a BIRD! Although it's called the Sydney Funnel web you don't usually see them in Sydney unless in a very old property. Where my sister lives across the Blue Mountains into Lithgow, now they are all over the place there and you see them walking around they like dark spaces mainly! However Spiders are not so interested in humans UNLESS we disturb them in some way! I don't like killing any animal especially spiders, I leave them alone. The things I HATE are cockroaches! OMG... nothing gets me more worked up then those MASSIVE ones we have here in Summer. I'm sure everyone in the neighbourhood knows when I have come across one! lol
Originally Posted By quincytoo ^^Deb I dunno..... funny cause we Canadian, Australians and New Zealanders are hail from England....Well most of us do...
Originally Posted By debtee Pleased you think we are nice quincytoo! I'd LOVE to go to Whistler! My post #13 was in answer to your previous post!
Originally Posted By quincytoo Snakes are what I fear... URRGHH... I saw a dead garter sanke last week and screamed ...badly scaring my dad.
Originally Posted By quincytoo Deb You would love Whistler and if you were in Whistler then Victoria is but a mere ferry ride ...
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy In that case Deb, there's a certain episode of "ALF" in Season 1 you may not care to view: "Fans of Jerry Stahl's book Permanent Midnight: A Memoir, in which the Hollywood writer describes working on ALF while supporting a severe drug habit, will be interested in his season 1 scripts, particularly the surreal "La Cucaracha," in which ALF and Willie do battle with a car-size cockroach---a cockroach from ALF's spaceship gets loose and a can of bug spray causes it to greatly increase in size."
