lawrenson

I have read of the trials and tribulations of the process, with ups and downs. I have read that the grass is not green but different. I have read of those who are dissatisfied and want to return.

Could those of you who have made the move to Oz please take the time in your fabulous new life to list a few good points about having done it to help encourage those of us who are still feeling that it is the right thing to do that it really is.
I don't want the rose tinted generalisations but genuine practical good stuff. particularly from Victoria.

thanks
Lawrenson

PS the kids want to know a bit more about the spiders and snakes!! How prevelant are they?

Vash the Stampede

Unless you're living in an area which borders on the countryside and/or bushland, you'll never see a snake and you'll hardly ever see a spider.

nightnurse2

Awww Vash were's your avatar? Loved the other one. Don't tell me you are supporting England in the world cup!

Sorry for hijacking. To the OP there are too many pluses for moving to Oz. I'd say just give it a go because everyone's experience will be different and you won't know until you try.

Tracey

lawrenson

why are you in the black country and not in Oz? is it coz it's bostin?

lawrenson

kiwichild

This is bullshit Vash! I regularly find redback spiders in my letterbox and unit/flat. Snakes have also been found in new and outer metro suburbs, in particular Dhugahis amd King Browns (both deadly)

And what about the deadly funnel web spider that hides in your shoes and bedding in NSW?

It's fine you stick up for OZ but there is nothing to be gained in telling lies mate. People will find out soon enough.

Wendy

My aunt has lived in Australia for well over 30 years and has had hardly any spiders in her house ever. She lives in Adelaide but originally lived in Alice Springs.

She hasn't had much run in with snakes either.

nightnurse2

Must admit we've had 4 red backs in our garden over the summer and the electrician told us we had red backs and white tails in the loft :scared: Threw up some bombs and think (hope) they have gone!

Tracey

kiwichild

She may be lucky but they do exist and as urban sprawl continues they are found more and more often in new suburbs that used to be bushland but are now part of the wider metro area.

Incidentally I live in an old part of Perth and I have to regularly spray my letterbox and unit/flat to keep the redback spiders away. Snakes have been found only a couple of burbs from me as well.

kiwichild

Fly spray works too if you see any. You should regularly spray your letterbox and also check your car sills (bottom of the door) as they love to nest there.

Wendy

I'm not saying they are not there. But there is ways of keeping them out. The way you worded your original reply to Vash anyone would think that you had an infestation of the buggers. Whilst there is no need to skim over the fact that they are there, there is also no need to go into overkill.

Anyone who goes to live in Australia, should be aware of the risks. But no need to terrify people.

kiwichild

Point taken, and that wasn't my intention. I accept I could have worded it better. I was just genuinely shocked at what he had typed and thought the poor OP was really going to have false confidence.

If I offended Vash I apologise to him. I actually like Vash, he has been very helpful to me. But he does need to stop and think a bit before posting on these sort of topics. He has been out of OZ a while and some things have definitely changed.

Vash the Stampede

Actually, it was for St George's Day but I'm a day early by accident...

I'll change it back on the 24th.

kiwichild

Vash *Hugs* Good ta see ya pal

Vash the Stampede

OK. Let's approach this calmly.

Firstly I was speaking from experience, not "telling lies." I lived in suburban Perth, and never saw a single snake during the entire time. I saw a handful of spiders, but most of those were hunstman spiders and garden spiders of the harmless variety.

I said that people would "hardly ever" find spiders, and I think that is true.

Saying that certain snakes "have been found" in certain areas does not mean that they are usually found there. It's a bit like saying that a Croatian refugee was found under somebody's bed in Staffordshire; it's entirely possible, but it is certainly not the norm. It is also bloody rare.

You said that...

...which is perfectly consistent with my own post. New suburbs that used to be bushland are usually not far from bushland themselves, hence the more frequent occurrance of snakes.

You said that you used to live in an old part of Perth - which suburb was that, exactly? I'm curious to know. (I'm guessing that it wasn't far from a place with long grass and/or lots of trees.)

We are talking about regular suburban life here, kiwi - not what could happen, or might happen, but what happens most often. And I am telling you that most often, people do not encounter snakes in the suburbs at all, while spiders are rarely seen.

How many people do you know in Northbridge who've come home to find a King Brown in the living room, for crying out loud?

And just how often do people find Sydney Funnel Web spiders in their shoes and bedding? A monthly figure would be helpful, seeing as you're sucn an expert. (Not that it would be in any way relevant to Perth, of course.)

The bottom line is that people don't need to panic about the local wildlife. If they move to the 'burbs, they won't be fighting off hordes of venemous snakes and spiders every day; they'll just get on with life like the rest of us do. Anyone who tries to make it sound more dangerous than it really is, is wasting their time and other people's.

Good grief girl, you really do over-react some times.

Vash the Stampede

Do I get a kiss for my new black eye as well?