ABD79

Hello!
I've heard so many people say how they moved to Australia because it's so much more "outdoorsie" so they decided to go to have more of an outdoor life for their children. But I've recently seen a lot of comments saying that the heat in the summer means that so many people stay inside all summer. Which got me thinking about the UK. I was walking this morning with my 2 year old on s footpath and he darted into the woods, so off we went to explore. All my boys love the woods - climbing trees, building dens, looking for bugs and critters under logs and rocks. So it suddenly hit me that obviously with all the spiders and snakes in Australia, we'd lose that aspect of our lives, and they'd lose that aspect of their childhood, should we move. With summers here getting mildly hot we can still enjoy the outdoors all summer long and with winters being so mild, rain aside, we can still go places and only get a bit cold so it means basically that the whole year is fairly accessible for outdoor pursuits. So I was wondering what life was like outdoors in the Melbourne/Brisbane area?
I'm guessing no woodland trails and den building! So what else does everyone with children get up to? I'd like enough to do that on any given day we could go off somewhere any have fun. So any great advice would be well received! Many thanks

compo76

oo good question - I can't help you as I've not made the move yet - however would be very interested in peoples opinions.

Dorothy

As outdoorsie as you are now. If you stay inside now , moving to Australia is not going to suddenly transform your family into outside types.

ABD79

Dorothy - that was my point We are very outdoorsie at home in the UK...all year round. But obviously Australia is extremely hot and many people have said in this forum that they stay inside in the summer and hot months around it. So that could potentially take out nearly 8 months of the year if living in Brisbane. Also, in the UK my children climb trees and build dens in the woods. They paddle in the rivers and streems and play hide and seek in the woods. Now with all the poisonous spiders, snakes and other dangerous animals in Australia, I'm guessing this isn't something Australian children do. So, my question was, how outdoorsie is Melbourne and Brisbane...as in what activities, what do people do, what's there for children to do, how often do people do things outside given the heat? Does the heat prevent people from being outdoorsie and if so, for how much of the year? But mostly what is there for children and families to do around those areas? Hope that helps.

GarryP

What I would say is that if you want to be 'outdoorsie', there is much more outdoors here to go into.

In the UK you are generally within hailing distance of some civilisation (and a pub). Here, however, it is relatively easy to get a long way from other people. It's a big continent. Something that most natives don't really even notice.

If you want to stay inside, well you can source a bigger house than in the UK. But if you want to get in touch with nature, you'll find lots of options for you to explore.

The gaps are bigger.

aries

Australia is not hot all the time, there is plenty of opportunity to spend time outside.

In fact, I would say there is more opportunity to be outside than in the UK. Whatever you want to do is a matter of adapting to the conditions.

sr71

I found the UK to be more outdoorsie with far more opportunities to do stuff like that.

The compact nature of the UK allows that. (Plus cheaper in many cases)

Just so much opportunity to go walking, cycling, mountain biking, motorsports, sailing, team sports etc.

Ultimately it depends on you, but in Australia there can be limited facilities and it can take a long, boring drive to get there. And more seasonal, mountain biking in summer heat can be awful.

verystormy

I have always been a very outdoors person, to the extent I chose my career on that basis. But, I have and am much more outdoors in the UK. Simply because summer in Oz is too hot. The last thing you want to do is spend much outdoors in 40c.

Unfortunately, I did and have joined the one in three Australians with skin cancer.

ABD79

sr71 - thank you! That's what I thought based on some comments I'd seen elsewhere. With three little ones who love the outdoors (and all are fair haired/fair skinned), I'm starting to think they're outdoors here more than they would be in Australia as the summer isn't so intense of course and the other seasons throughout the year are all quite mild. Plus, as mentioned, I can't really imagine many children going exploring in wooded areas in Australia, building forts and climbing trees I feel anxious just thinking about what they would find! Of course there would be stunning beach walks which would be unrivalled. I don't think we'd ever get bored of that!!!

ABD79

Oh dear :-/ Yes that's a big fear of mine. I'm fair skinned/fair hair (blonde and green eyes), and our boys are all blonde with green eyes and very fair skin. I have atypical moles, with 5 being removed. 3 were fine but 2 contained cells that were fine now, but likely would have gone on to cause something later down the line. So the sun is a big issue really. I'd have to cover up and not be out too much in it. Hopefully still able to enjoy a bit of outdoor life though with sun cream and hats etc? 1 in 3 is high...just goes to show while people aren't built for the sun! :-/

ozzieeagle

Certainly eat a lot more outdoors here than the UK, Every Cafe here that I know of has outdoor seating 365 days a year. Also in relation to dog walking and snakes, we've been here for 36 years, owned dogs all of that time, and never kept our dog on a lead when walking in the bush or down the local park, where there are snakes that I've seen. Never had an incident yet and everyone I know that owns a dog lets them off lead in bush and park areas.

I will admit re the 40 degree days, it's not the best going out, in fact I'd say even over 33 degrees for me. However the other 48 weeks of the year here in Melbourne, I'd say I'm more outside than I was in the UK. I'd do at least a 30 minute recreational walk for 300 days of the year, mostly with the Dogs I've owned over the years.

Not known of one person personally have an snake incident with a dog... Heard of Kangaroo ones though. In fact one of ours did have an issue with a mob of Kangaroos years back.

You do hear of snake incidents with dogs in the Media etc. I am in the inner city though mostly.

Here's our local councils advice on the issue...

http://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/commu...nimals/snakes/d

Here's the last reported issue of a snake bite in our area of Melbourne.... which does have one of the major creeks of Melbourne running through it's entire length, with 100's of off lead dog walkers every day.

3 years ago this.... A relatively unusual and reportable event in Melbourne, to the extent it made the Melbourne daily paper at the time.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/n...6b6a82f5cee717


There was also a surge in Snake Bites on Dogs about 2 years back in Melbourne, where 20 animals (including cats) got bitten in one month.... However that's usually around the reported total for a year in a city of 4.8 million people.

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...-cats-and-dogs

quoll

Personally I am one of those who are much more outdoors in UK than Aus. Living in suburbia (which most Aussies do) doesn't lend itself to the same den building, tree climbing, bike riding stuff that you may now be enjoying - it's not just the bugs and biters but the environment. You're fine if you can land yourself 1/4 acre somewhere but the trend is now for big McMansions on tiny blocks. In suburbia, too, you're more likely to find the garage door syndrome with fewer opportunities for kids to play out in the street with other kids (they're often inside playing with their wiis or trawling the malls). You might find you have to do more organising for outdoor activities than having the kids being spontaneous.

Beoz

I have never seen a poisonous snake or spider in Sydney. Apparently poisonous spiders exist somewhere, but if you can find, point it out to me.

ozzieeagle

Leave a few flower pots in your back yard upside down for 6 months.... then you'll get some. Guaranteed.... Still most people know this and avoid those kind of cavities. I actually got rid of my BBQ cover for that reason, found a bloody red back under it after 2 months of non use, missed my fingers by about 2 inches and was the biggest spider scare I've had since arriving in 1980.

You have to know where they will be and in Melbourne It's Red Backs in dark cavity type places outside.

I could definitely find one in my Backyard if I looked hard enough today, But I'm no going looking and once again I've not known of one person getting bitten by one.

Heard of plenty of people that are allergic to bees ending up in hospital though.... AFAIK they are the worlds most dangerous creature for humans Plenty of those in the UK.


https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/01/t...ralia-is-bees/

Beoz

I guess there's no point coming to Australia if you want to hang out in dark cavities with redbacks.