I can understand that entirely. I've fielded lots of travel questions about OZ because I do travel and camp quite a bit. Just about every American that's ever asked me about coming here asks about the spiders and snakes. I think it's because too many shows/documentaries promote that fact, while we might have these bitey things, you don't encounter them very often. And we do not have any land based predators, animals that will go after you to eat you. A 200kg lump of fur that wants to kill me is a much scarier concept to me compared to a spider that will bite if I tread on him or a snake that will bite if I'm stupid enough to disturb him (walk noisily in the bush and you generally won't see snakes cause they get out of your way).

All that said, I've had snakes in my front yard (cause I live adjacent to 5000 acres of bushland). I do not take my dogs walking out there in the summer(snakes become more active in the warmer months) as they are Terriers and at least one of them is likely to hunt snakes and get bit. Seen a few crocs in 2002 in the Territory, boy do they move fast, you wouldn't stand a chance of outrunning one.

I'd rather have the snakes than the bears I think.

Al

Quote Originally Posted by Colin View Post
It's funny, of all the Aussies I know they are more afraid of the animals we have here in North America. A good friend just recently moved from Perth and has never seen a shark, crocodile, or had too much exposure to the snakes or spiders, but now lives in a neighborhood in BC where bears in the yard are really common, we have had cougars (not just the ones in leopard print either) and a wolverine in the area. We have coyotes outside all the time.

I'm still going one of these days as I hear the country is beautiful and based on the Aussie I have meet while traveling and while visiting the local "Australian province of Whistler, B.C." they are a fantastic bunch of people too.