For those that fear coming to Australia!

[kevinlms]

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/bitten-teens-dad-films-brighton-beach-sea-fleas-enjoying-a-meal-of-fresh-meat-20170806-gxql3d.html

 

Not a joke, this is quite serious. A challenge for the medical staff at two hospitals, who apparently have never seen it before.

 

[Horsetan]

Reminds me of when I was taken aside at Melbourne Airport and had my riding kit thoroughly disinfected by the authorities before I was allowed to enter the country. Of course, Australia seems quite happy for people to take their lethal creatures out of the jurisdiction, but not the other way around!

[kevinlms]

Reminds me of when I was taken aside at Melbourne Airport and had my riding kit thoroughly disinfected by the authorities before I was allowed to enter the country.

 

I should hope so too!

 

Remember Australia is an isolated island & most wildlife/plant life has no immunity to overseas diseases & pests.

 

 

"Of course, Australia seems quite happy for people to take their lethal creatures out of the jurisdiction, but not the other way around!"

 

Not so sure about that. When you see photos of suitcases and the like stuffed with birds and other wildlife, seized by customs. Most of which die. Very distressing.

Edited August 7, 2017 by kevinlms

[EddieB]

Much less severe, but I was disturbed to find something having a bite at my ankles - sufficient to draw blood - in the Mediterranean earlier in the year.  A very strange and quite unnerving situation - I made a hasty exit.

 

In the absence of any other identification, I've decided to call it the Norman Hunterfish.

[45568]

Well, if you will go to Victoria....!

 Seriously our indig wildlife can scent the 'new Pom' whether it be in water or walking around. The mozzies love that protein-rich blood, and the pale skin makes you an easy target. Best bet, stay in your hotel rooms, call 0088Aussiehelp, and we'll find someone to take you back to the airport.  ....Bless

 By the way, that really is scarlet on a redback spider, so check under the bog seat, a King Brown is: A] A 750ml bottle of beer, B] A snake that can kill you in around 4 minutes...Your call, be careful what you ask for...!

Perhaps better to stay at home and watch 'Neighbours', we all do!

 Died twice and didn't know it,

 From Oz,

Peter C.

[newbryford]

Well, if you will go to Victoria....!

 Seriously our indig wildlife can scent the 'new Pom' whether it be in water or walking around. The mozzies love that protein-rich blood, and the pale skin makes you an easy target. Best bet, stay in your hotel rooms, call 0088Aussiehelp, and we'll find someone to take you back to the airport.  ....Bless

 By the way, that really is scarlet on a redback spider, so check under the bog seat, a King Brown is: A] A 750ml bottle of beer, B] A snake that can kill you in around 4 minutes...Your call, be careful what you ask for...!

Perhaps better to stay at home and watch 'Neighbours', we all do!

 Died twice and didn't know it,

 From Oz,

Peter C.

 

That's put paid to my request for a visit to the other office...........

 

Cheers,

Mick

[45568]

That's put paid to my request for a visit to the other office...........

 

Cheers,

Mick

For you Michael, we'll put on a 'special' welcome.... See you in September!

[Horsetan]

I should hope so too!

 

Remember Australia is an isolated island & most wildlife/plant life has no immunity to overseas diseases & pests.

I remember I even had to eat the orange that I had on the flight from Singapore before the Aussies would let me past immigration. They wouldn't even let that in undigested.

 

 

 

"Of course, Australia seems quite happy for people to take their lethal creatures out of the jurisdiction, but not the other way around!"

 

Not so sure about that. When you see photos of suitcases and the like stuffed with birds and other wildlife, seized by customs. Most of which die. Very distressing.

 

Ah now that's the stuff that people blatantly try to smuggle out, but my understanding was that if you were taking fruit / veg out (or any stowaway creatures unbeknownst to you), they were fine with that. It was the stuff trying to come in that they took the zero-tolerance approach to.

 

Still, the month's holiday within Victoria (a month just doesn't even begin to cover it) was great. Didn't run into any funnelweb spiders (hilariously lethal), or come into contact with any jellyfish (also lethal). Fascinated by stringybark trees.

[Ozexpatriate]

Perhaps better to stay at home and watch 'Neighbours', we all do!

Shouldn't you warn them about the 'drop bears' too?

 

I've encountered plenty of bitey mites in the waters of Queensland, but none quite as vigorous as those Victorian ones. And the freshwater is frequently full of leeches, and when there's one, there's dozens.

Edited August 8, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[Horsetan]

Shouldn't you warn them about the 'drop bears' too?

 

What? What are those when they're at home?

[dhjgreen]

What? What are those when they're at home?

Click on the link.

[Hippel]

Then read the date of the article...!

 

Paul

[PhilJ W]

Shouldn't you warn them about the 'drop bears' too?

 

I've encountered plenty of bitey mites in the waters of Queensland, but none quite as vigorous as those Victorian ones. And the freshwater is frequently full of leeches, and when there's one, there's dozens.

I don't know whats worse, being attacked by a drop bear or walking about the bush with Vegemite behind your ears.

[Ceptic]

As my ol' Pappy used t'say "Always keep yr socks on Son".

[The Blue Streak]

When the US Marines started doing rotations to Oz in the 80's to work with the Royal Australian Regiment, they were warned about "Drop Bears".

They were a little bit dubious until one night a pair of Brawling possums fell onto a tent some of them were sharing.

Now possums have pretty fierce claws and can shred tents along with most other things, In the dark the Yank's first thoughts turned to Drop Bears and of course no one thought to tell them the truth....

Of course on returning home they perpetuated the story and the next load of Yanks didn't even need to be fed the Drop Bear warnings, they were already stressed about them on arrival.

Edited August 9, 2017 by The Blue Streak

[monkeysarefun]

I remember I even had to eat the orange that I had on the flight from Singapore before the Aussies would let me past immigration. They wouldn't even let that in undigested.

 

 

Ah now that's the stuff that people blatantly try to smuggle out, but my understanding was that if you were taking fruit / veg out (or any stowaway creatures unbeknownst to you), they were fine with that. It was the stuff trying to come in that they took the zero-tolerance approach to.

 

Still, the month's holiday within Victoria (a month just doesn't even begin to cover it) was great. Didn't run into any funnelweb spiders (hilariously lethal), or come into contact with any jellyfish (also lethal). Fascinated by stringybark trees.

 

Its not just coming into the country with fruit that is banned, there's many parts of the country  where you can't even  drive down the road with it..

 

Edited August 9, 2017 by monkeysarefun

[Devo63]

Professor Lars Torders of Flinders University has recently announced that the Drop Bear numbers in the Adelaide Hills have increased significantly over the last few years. This has been based on the number of attacks he has personally experienced while on his morning run. Dr. Luka Busy of Adelaide University disagrees. He says that it is the same animal each time and that it has a 'bit of a downer' against Torders and attacks him at every opportunity.

 

The general decline of the Drop Bear population nationally is mainly due to illegal hunting. The thick, leathery hind quarters of the animal are highly sought after by classis car enthusiasts and there is a large black market for the hides. The tanned skin is perfect for polishing the paintwork on gold Falcon GT's, purple Valiant Chargers and baby-sick yellow Holden Monaros.

 

Dave R. 

[PatB]

When the US Marines started doing rotations to Oz in the 80's to work with the Royal Australian Regiment, they were warned about "Drop Bears".

They were a little bit dubious until one night a pair of Brawling possums fell onto a tent some of them were sharing.

Now possums have pretty fierce claws and can shred tents along with most other things, In the dark the Yank's first thoughts turned to Drop Bears and of course no one thought to tell them the truth....

Of course on returning home they perpetuated the story and the next load of Yanks didn't even need to be fed the Drop Bear warnings, they were already stressed about them on arrival.

 

Possums also sound pretty fearsome, with a sort of barking, coughing, basso profundo roar at a volume quite out of proportion to the size of the critter.

 

And, yes, they're a bit worrying in a confined space. A couple of years back, when I was in lodgings in Canberra, one of my housemates had one join him unexpectedly in the shower when it fell through a ceiling vent (they're quite clumsy). The screams were quite something, as was the struggle to get a now soggy and panicking marsupial out of the house before it completely wrecked the place .

Edited August 9, 2017 by PatB

[monkeysarefun]

Possums also sound pretty fearsome, with a sort of barking, coughing, basso profundo roar at a volume quite out of proportion to the size of the critter.

 

And, yes, they're a bit worrying in a confined space. A couple of years back, when I was in lodgings in Canberra, one of my housemates had one join him unexpectedly in the shower when it fell through a ceiling vent (they're quite clumsy). The screams were quite something, as was the struggle to get a now soggy and panicking marsupial out of the house before it completely wrecked the place .

 

A couple of years ago here at work there  were strange noises coming from inside one of the electrical distribution board cabinets in our server room. I opened the cabinet to find:

 

 

It is a Defence Dept classified server room so I guess this is the Australian version of a secret squirrel..

[Ozexpatriate]

I opened the cabinet to find:

Hello Possums!

[SRman]

Hello Possums!

 

That's another thing to be afraid of!

[The Blue Streak]

Possums also sound pretty fearsome, with a sort of barking, coughing, basso profundo roar at a volume quite out of proportion to the size of the critter.

 

 

I was shunting a grain train out the sticks about 0100 one morning, when I heard my first really vocal one, it was a bit unnerving and I've got to say I thought I might have had a feral pig on my hands in the dark (they can be pretty mean and quite dangerous).

Then there was an almighty crash and I got my torch on to it as it fell out of the tree it was in and ran away. I was pretty relieved to see it was just a possum, but glad it didn't fall on Me.

 

(I Should have saved this story for the "Tall Tales" Topic )

Edited August 9, 2017 by The Blue Streak

[ikks]

On my first holiday in Australia having emigrated in 1971, we went up through the back route from Melbourne to Coffs Harbour, we were caravanning and camping. At one of the roadside stops my mates sister got out of the caravan to take a leak. Minutes later we heard screaming and shouts for help, imagining the worst(snake big buck roo etc.), we all rushed out into the night armed with torches to her rescue. She was acutely embarrassed and we were very surprised to see a ring tail sitting on a branch about head height eye balling her, she never lived it down!!

 

Mike

[SRman]

In northern Queensland and New Guinea there are also tree kangaroos (yes, for real). These are considerably larger and heavier than possums, and also very ill-adapted* to life in the trees. They frequently fall out of the trees and woe betide anyone, or anything underneath them when they do!

* Poor adaptations include claws on their back feet that don't actually point downwards enough to grip the branches they are on. They are big and heavy, have stiff tails and short front limbs (proportionally slightly longer than 'normal' 'roos) and sort of shuffle along branches. Their faces and back feet are shorter than their ground-dwelling cousins, but that only assists their arboreal life style a little. They would probably have died out long ago if it wasn't for the fact their are no other animals competing for their habitat. Here in Melbourne there are a few in our zoo (which is well worth a visit if you are down here).

Edit: one other adaptation I almost forgot about: they can move their back legs independently, unlike 'normal' kangaroos and wallabies, which all have to move both back legs together. I find tree kangaroos fascinating simply because they are such unlikely creatures.

Edited August 9, 2017 by SRman

[PhilJ W]

Possums also sound pretty fearsome, with a sort of barking, coughing, basso profundo roar at a volume quite out of proportion to the size of the critter.

 

And, yes, they're a bit worrying in a confined space. A couple of years back, when I was in lodgings in Canberra, one of my housemates had one join him unexpectedly in the shower when it fell through a ceiling vent (they're quite clumsy). The screams were quite something, as was the struggle to get a now soggy and panicking marsupial out of the house before it completely wrecked the place .

Was it your housemate or the possum doing the screaming?

Edited August 9, 2017 by PhilJ W