In a follow up to our post, 5 things we miss about Australia when travelling, here we look at 5 things we don’t miss about Australia when travelling
Deadly animals
Contents
Flies, mosquitoes, spiders and snakes, cockroaches and sharks for a start.
Australia is home to some of the world’s deadliest animals. In many respects we grow up with an awareness of and healthy respect for being careful around some of these. There is ample information given to us to know what is deadly and what is harmless. We give funnel web spiders and red back spiders a very wide berth. Simple huntsmen spiders that are constantly in our houses are not an issue and pose no threat. We have however, had people staying who have threatened to pack their bags and move out, if we didn’t get them out of the house. We (my family) don’t kill them; we just move them outside with a gentle nudge with a broom.
Snakes are another issue. I for one can cope with spiders easily but snakes, not a chance. Red belly black snakes, tiger and brown snakes are to be avoided. True story; my niece woke one night not long ago and was using her mobile phone as a light to get a drink of water from the kitchen. She sensed something move and saw a snake outside of her parents door. She screamed and hopped up on the breakfast bar. My sister and husband woke to this and saw the snake and jumped up on their bed debating what to do. They called the police to ask advice that sent a squad car over. One policeman joined my niece on the breakfast bar, while the policewoman dispatched the snake. And they live in the city
Flies are not deadly just damn annoying. We have lots of flies, which is where ‘the great Australian salute’ originated from as we are constantly brushing away these creatures. There are many theories as to why Australia has so many, but one with some creditability is that flies like to breed in moist dung and Australia has lots of sheep and cattle. Mozzies are a damn pest and are more attracted to some people that other, namely me.
Cockroaches – are just a pest and deserve to be permanently got rid of. They seem to like everywhere in Australia. Cane toads are also a bit of pest up north.
Sharks, yes we are aware and alert when that shark siren goes off at the beach. But we don’t go to the beach thinking that a shark will get us. We have the best lifesavers and the best aerial patrols to alert us to a risk. However it is nice to go for a swim and not thing that Jaws might be loitering about.
So I do not miss any of our dangerous and deadly animals when we are travelling.
Rules, rules and more bloody rules
We are a nation with rules for everything that you can think of. There are rules for driving, drinking, walking, peeing, you name it and Australia has a rule for it. Unlike other countries where things like a red light are a suggestion only, yes Asia I am talking about you, in Australia we don’t take suggestions lightly. Be aware that we like (not literally) our rules a lot apparently and it worth being very familiar with them, so I do not miss all of our rules in Australia.
High cost of living
Australia is expensive so when we travel we are delighted with the prices, so we don’t miss the cost of everything in Australia. It is actually one bonus for being so far away from anywhere that when we do ‘get’ somewhere we are very pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the prices are. It makes coming home and paying twice what we have paid overseas difficult.
Public Transport
I don’t miss Australian public transport because we don’t use it, with the exception of the Sydney ferries and the trams of Melbourne and Adelaide, which we love. We don’t use the buses and trains because our system is not very reliable and not overly great. When we see how schmick, which in the Australian urban dictionary mean anything sick, cool, tight or excellent, the transport systems are in other countries we wonder why ours is so lacking. Japan has it nailed with all of their trains, unless a natural phenomenon closes the lines and then they are at a complete loss. Turkey has the most efficient bus services I have ever seen. Trains that we have experienced in Germany, Italy, Austria, Netherland, Switzerland and more are just totally efficient. Australia’s are not, so needless to say I don’t miss it our public transport.
Isolation – we are a long way away
When we are travelling I do not miss the fact that we live so far away. It is very true that I love my country Australia very much, but we are just so bloody far away. At times I would like to be just a bit closer to more things that I want to see and to do without enduring a long haul flight. For us an 8 hour flight is a quickie. In saying that we do feel quite unique in being far away but sometimes it would just that much easier.
Isolation is probably why I haven’t been to Australia yet. I’ve just never lived anywhere near it (Europe, North America). I’d like to go one day, despite your #1 on the list…
You will love it despite number 1. Australia is unique 🙂
Paula, nice summary! I think for the average urban living Australian that my life is typical in that the only creepy crawlies that we encounter on a regular basis are red back spiders in the garage, on/under the trampoline (if we haven’t used it for a while) and on the outdoor furniture (bring out the insect spray!). Cockroaches too – I actually injured my thumb a couple of months ago trying to take a big one out with the classic Aussie cockroach killer – a shoe (in my hand)!
Cost of living are high here as you have said which helps to keep most of us Aussies working hard! Rules yes, both good and less good sometimes.
Isolation I agree – trying to save up enough money to get to the USA with my family of five is a pain. It will cost at least $A6000-8000 (or more if we travel during school holidays) to just purchase the flights!
And finally public transport. We have two cars which we use most days… And we do use public transport if we are going into the city on a weekend – Sydney has a great cheap fare called a Funday Sunday for people travelling with children. Apart from that option it can often be crazy expensive to use public transport any other day for five of us in comparison with paying the road tolls and car parking…
I hear you about school holidays. As a teacher and a mother with kids where we could only travel in school holidays and rates went through the roof I understand totally. It was a massive expense. I created a ‘holiday’ account where I had money directly put in which I didn’t touch until time to book. It added up very quickly.
I just moved to Berlin after living in Melbourne for seven years. I don’t miss the creepy crawlies either.
The costs of living In Australia are ridiculously high … but to be fair, it got much better over the last years. I still get excited when I buy stuff in Berlin or other places in Europe (since every item I buy feels like a present).
Public transport in inner Melbourne is great, but to travel further afield ….?!?
Australia and its rules are a totally different story compared to other countries. It is very regulated, sometimes I felt like in a corset. I was most surprised at how obeying people are.
If Australia would not be so remote and far away from everything else, I most certainly would not have moved back to Europe. It is a great place for being outdoors, I loved to drive up to the Great Ocean Road or Philip Island. And I still suffer that I can not walk to the beach and look at sunsets in St Kilda. I had a pretty good life in Australia.
Agree totally with everything that you have said 🙂
I’m with you on the high cost of living, every time I come back from a trip, I still feel dismayed. but like you said this is why we are very appreciative when we go overseas, and go ‘crazy’ when we see a sale. we’d be silly not to. 🙂
We are a very expensive but lucky country 🙂
I’ve lived Down Under for 1.5 years now – there’s a lot to like. But what I don’t like is the high cost of living which includes public transport – it’s as if they are begging us to drive. In a nation where everything is at least 30% more expensive than the US and is often 50% more, I have not figured out why the public doesn’t demand change. However, having moved most recently from Berlin, I have to say – the weather here in Brisbane is beyond reproach (Melbourne…not so much!). Same goes for the friendliness of the people.
Take a gander at my latest missive Paula and thanks for sharing 😉
http://mivastock.zenfolio.com/blog/2014/4/many-snap-but-few-ever-really-focus
The weather is our big draw card. Will certainly check your post out 🙂
I went to Australia only once years ago and only to Perth and Melbourne which it means I don’t know this country that much, but I certainly wouldn’t miss the deadly animals too!
You can have them if you want 🙂
I have a soft spot for the venomous creatures, but other than that, yes.
Oh, and I don’t really miss the “excess” of rules, since we now live in Singapore. 🙂 But I get what you mean.
The venomous creatures are all ours 🙂