Advice re Katoomba & Spiders!

Not the Karl Orff wrote in message ...
uh no, You are perpetuating myths. No one has been killed by wolves in
Canada for a generation or 2. Dogs, definitewly, dingoes definitely,
but not wolves.
Oh, that does it. I'm never going north of the border again--Cujo the
Dingo might kill me!

Back to the question of dangerous critters... Yes, there is an amazing
diversity of them in Australia. But I think the real problem is that
people tend to leave their common sense or alertness behind when they
go on vacation. Kathy my guess is that BC has poison ivy/oak/sumac, or
venomous spiders, or hornet nests, etc. Yet both you and your nephew
are still alive. The odds are strongly in your favor of returning from
Australia unscathed as well--provided you don't assume "I'm on
vacation! I can poke around blindly under rocks!"

If you're really worried, go ahead and do a quick bed check for peace
of mind (even here in North America, summertime means I do a quick
night check for earwigs on the sheet and mosquitoes on the walls, and
a quick morning check for spiders before I take a shower) and use a
flashlight if you head to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Nancy

"Tony Bailey" wrote in message
...
"Not the Karl Orff" wrote in message news:canwine-
I wager more Aussies die from spiders in..... 6 months than Canadians
from wolves in the past 20 years


For those interested in snake bite treatment -

http://www.rfds.org.au/monographs/snakebite.pdf

I liked the following section:

Snake bite sometimes follows alcohol consumption. This can make initial
management difficult. Stories of drunks and snakes abound, and a favourite
true one is of a drunken man who was bitten by a Brown Snake and so returned
the compliment. He arrived in casualty holding a well-chewed snake and
promptly collapsed, having succumbed to the combined effects of alcohol and
snake venom.

LOL!

Tom

P.S. On my last rtip to Australia, I saw 4 snakes, all of which I think were
Tiger Snakes. This was during a 10 day trip to the SW corner of WA. We came
across them hiking, and in all instances they slithered away very quickly -
they were not going to hang around. Of course, we took the precaution of
walking with very heavy footsteps when we were in or near long grass or
thick overgrowth.


This paper seems to suggest that snake bite treatment is so advanced in
Australia, that, if you must be bitten - Australia, in the vicinity of a
hospital, is probably the safest place to have it happen -

BTW 2.6 deaths per year - MVA about 3 000!

--
Tony Bailey
Mercury Travel Books

in article , ncurtis at
wrote on 5/12/04 10:41 AM:

Not the Karl Orff wrote in message
...
uh no, You are perpetuating myths. No one has been killed by wolves in
Canada for a generation or 2. Dogs, definitewly, dingoes definitely,
but not wolves.
Oh, that does it. I'm never going north of the border again--Cujo the
Dingo might kill me!


Nah. He's on prison duty as the Canadian contribution in Iraq 8-)

Hey thanks Peter, Nancy and everyone for your input. Basically, we'd
been "talked to" about
Australian spiders from an old Australian ex-patriot. That, and a few
Australian flora/fauna
websites basically scared the bejeezus out of my nephew and it took hold
of us. But, I thought
seeing as this is an information newsgroup, I'd risk sounding too silly
and pose a spider question.
Done. Many thanks again. Yes, we have creepy crawlies here in BC but not
huge hairy ones
that jump so many feet. Egads. Anyhow, we do plan on hiking in the
gumtree bush in Katoomba.
I'll follow up on the sites different folks have suggested. It's really
been a pleasure and I hope
to use this great service again soon if we think of anything that needs
some good Aussie advice...

Kindest Regards,
Kathy in BC

Peter Webb wrote:

I had never seen a funnel web spider until we put a swimming pool in our
backyard - now I fish 2 or 3 out of the pool every year. Nor had I ever seen
a snake in the suburbs; I dragged one out of the pool filter box last Xmas
day. Not bad for 12 kms from the centre of Sydney! (Am I making you feel
any better yet?)

As Tony and the others said, you have essentially zero chance of dying from
spider bite. About 2 or 3 people in Sydney are bitten each year (Sydney is
the centre of the funnel-webs range); there have been no deaths at all since
about 1970 when an anti-venene was discovered. I doubt a tourist has ever
been bitten by a funnel web, let alone died from a bite. Redbacks are less
of a concern, as they are not as poisonous - typically only children and the
elderly are at real risk of death if bitten.

Despite the overseas image of Australia as inhabited by spiders, snakes,
sharks, crocodiles, box jellyfish, baby-eating dingos, blue-ringed
octopusses and serial killers (he seemed a nice man, but kept to himself a
lot), Australia would have to be one of the safest countries in the world
for inhabitants and visitors alike.

Chill, and remember to drive on the left when you are here - that really
will kill you a damn site faster than any spider you may find in your
underpants.



"Kathy Garner" wrote in message
news:%xfoc.66$RM.40@edtnps89...


Hi, I've another question. We'd like to visit Katoomba. Could anyone
reccommend a good place
to stay that would range from 120-170 a night for 6 people? Like most
people, we're trying to do
things on the cheap but a lot of the websites for Katoomba list very
expensive accommodation.

Also, my nephew is freaked out about Australian spiders and thinks there
will be one lurking under
each blanket. What is it with the spiders anyhow? They'd be deep in the
bush, right? He thinks we
have to be extra cautious or something. Now he's got my mom worried and
it's getting contagious.
What's the real story? Thanks.

Kathy in BC, Canada

"Tony Bailey" writes:

"Not the Karl Orff" wrote in message news:canwine-
I wager more Aussies die from spiders in..... 6 months than Canadians
from wolves in the past 20 years


For those interested in snake bite treatment -

http://www.rfds.org.au/monographs/snakebite.pdf

This paper seems to suggest that snake bite treatment is so advanced in
Australia, that, if you must be bitten - Australia, in the vicinity of a
hospital, is probably the safest place to have it happen -

Because treatment with antivenene is now the norm, and is highly effective.
Even the exceedingly neurotoxic venom secreted by sea snakes can be
treated with the antinvenene for the land-based tiger snake.
Same deal with funnelweb bites.

Not many deaths from sea wasps these days, either. Most jellyfish stings
can be neutralised with vinegar, which is why you see large plastic bottles
of the stuff on beaches along the east coast.

But there's always sal****er crocodiles. Crocodylus porosus still gets a few
tourists every year.

Mike McBain
Melbourne, Australia

Kathy - this a good general site put together by students at Charles Sturt University:

http://www.csu.edu.au/australia/

Jumping spiders - never in my 63 years have I seen one...........
Be interesting tho'!!!!
"Kathy Garner" wrote in message news:YVCoc.4071$j6.3251@edtnps84...
Hey thanks Peter, Nancy and everyone for your input. Basically, we'd been "talked to" about
Australian spiders from an old Australian ex-patriot. That, and a few Australian flora/fauna
websites basically scared the bejeezus out of my nephew and it took hold of us. But, I thought
seeing as this is an information newsgroup, I'd risk sounding too silly and pose a spider question.
Done. Many thanks again. Yes, we have creepy crawlies here in BC but not huge hairy ones
that jump so many feet. Egads. Anyhow, we do plan on hiking in the gumtree bush in Katoomba.
I'll follow up on the sites different folks have suggested. It's really been a pleasure and I hope
to use this great service again soon if we think of anything that needs some good Aussie advice...

Kindest Regards,
Kathy in BC

Peter Webb wrote:

I had never seen a funnel web spider until we put a swimming pool in our
backyard - now I fish 2 or 3 out of the pool every year. Nor had I ever seen
a snake in the suburbs; I dragged one out of the pool filter box last Xmas
day. Not bad for 12 kms from the centre of Sydney! (Am I making you feel
any better yet?)

As Tony and the others said, you have essentially zero chance of dying from
spider bite. About 2 or 3 people in Sydney are bitten each year (Sydney is
the centre of the funnel-webs range); there have been no deaths at all since
about 1970 when an anti-venene was discovered. I doubt a tourist has ever
been bitten by a funnel web, let alone died from a bite. Redbacks are less
of a concern, as they are not as poisonous - typically only children and the
elderly are at real risk of death if bitten.

Despite the overseas image of Australia as inhabited by spiders, snakes,
sharks, crocodiles, box jellyfish, baby-eating dingos, blue-ringed
octopusses and serial killers (he seemed a nice man, but kept to himself a
lot), Australia would have to be one of the safest countries in the world
for inhabitants and visitors alike.

Chill, and remember to drive on the left when you are here - that really
will kill you a damn site faster than any spider you may find in your
underpants.



"Kathy Garner" wrote in message
news:%xfoc.66$RM.40@edtnps89...
Hi, I've another question. We'd like to visit Katoomba. Could anyone
reccommend a good place
to stay that would range from 120-170 a night for 6 people? Like most
people, we're trying to do
things on the cheap but a lot of the websites for Katoomba list very
expensive accommodation.

Also, my nephew is freaked out about Australian spiders and thinks there
will be one lurking under
each blanket. What is it with the spiders anyhow? They'd be deep in the
bush, right? He thinks we
have to be extra cautious or something. Now he's got my mom worried and
it's getting contagious.
What's the real story? Thanks.

Kathy in BC, Canada

A Mate wrote:


snip

Jumping spiders - never in my 63 years have I seen one...........
Be interesting tho'!!!!

Same species as drop bears perhaps ?

Anne
South Australia


--
The privacy.net address is a spam trap.
Please reply to

"Kathy Garner" wrote in message news:%xfoc.66$RM.40@edtnps89...

Also, my nephew is freaked out about Australian spiders and thinks there
will be one lurking under each blanket. What is it with the spiders
anyhow? They'd be deep in the bush, right?

The most frightening spider [to visitors, that is] is the huntsman.
This is a large rather hairy spider which is often found in houses.
Large in this context means about the size of the palm of your hand.
For most of the time they just sit stuck to the wall, but if approached
[such as with a broom], they can move quickly. They are completely
harmless, but boy do they look like the sort of thing Wes Craven would
put in a movie about evil mutant spiders taking over the earth.

Mike McBain

On Fri, 14 May 2004 18:58:12 GMT, Mike McBain
wrote:

"Kathy Garner" wrote in message news:%xfoc.66$RM.40@edtnps89...

Also, my nephew is freaked out about Australian spiders and thinks there
will be one lurking under each blanket. What is it with the spiders
anyhow? They'd be deep in the bush, right?

The most frightening spider [to visitors, that is] is the huntsman.

Very frightening as well to us locals who are arachnaphobic (like me).

This is a large rather hairy spider which is often found in houses.
Large in this context means about the size of the palm of your hand.
For most of the time they just sit stuck to the wall, but if approached
[such as with a broom], they can move quickly. They are completely
harmless, but boy do they look like the sort of thing Wes Craven would
put in a movie about evil mutant spiders taking over the earth.

My head knows they are harmless. I *know* they can't hurt me. I am
still a quivering wreck when one is a few feet from me.

Now deadly snakes on the other hand are another matter, I can handle
them, even if not defanged, without a drama. It is just something
about something with 8 legs, it ain't natural.....

Dave

=====

NSW Rural Fire Service - become a volunteer today.

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/

Hey Dave,

Yup, that would be a amazing to see something so awful in one's
house!Anyhow, I really doubt we will....
although someone's suggestion to take a flashlight to the bathroom at
night gives me the creeps!!!

We saw a huge snake on our journey to Echuca on our last trip.
We weren't sure if it was alive or not but we knew not to get out of the
car. I tossed a candy bar at it and it
slithered off very quickly. We've got some great photos but wonder what
type of snake it might have been. It
was very large, long and probably about 2" in diameter and a
brownish/grey colour. Believe it or not, it was a
real highlight for us to have heard about the Australian snakes and to
have actually seen one in the wild. I have
a feeling my nephews want a repeat experience with a spider. I'm not so
sure about that one....

Kathy in BC

Dave Proctor wrote:

On Fri, 14 May 2004 18:58:12 GMT, Mike McBain
wrote:



"Kathy Garner" wrote in message news:%xfoc.66$RM.40@edtnps89...



Also, my nephew is freaked out about Australian spiders and thinks there
will be one lurking under each blanket. What is it with the spiders
anyhow? They'd be deep in the bush, right?


The most frightening spider [to visitors, that is] is the huntsman.



Very frightening as well to us locals who are arachnaphobic (like me).



This is a large rather hairy spider which is often found in houses.
Large in this context means about the size of the palm of your hand.
For most of the time they just sit stuck to the wall, but if approached
[such as with a broom], they can move quickly. They are completely
harmless, but boy do they look like the sort of thing Wes Craven would
put in a movie about evil mutant spiders taking over the earth.



My head knows they are harmless. I *know* they can't hurt me. I am
still a quivering wreck when one is a few feet from me.

Now deadly snakes on the other hand are another matter, I can handle
them, even if not defanged, without a drama. It is just something
about something with 8 legs, it ain't natural.....

Dave

=====

NSW Rural Fire Service - become a volunteer today.

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/