OK - Tell me the truth about Spiders in OZ

OK - We've done the booking and I am determined to go despite my intense fear of spiders.:eek:

We will be renting a campervan and staying in Big 4 Holiday Parks between Melbourne & Sydney. :D

I've got to know.....and tell me the truth.....will I see any spiders....especially the big, hairy, terrifying ones with big teeth. :eek:

Oh my Gosh, just thinking about it..........I need a drink.:eek:

Sandra

Hi,

I've lived in New South Wales all my life (52 years). In that time I've never seen a funnel-web spider unless it was in a jar or under glass at the zoo etc.

I've probably seen 20 red-back spiders in my life. They are smaller than funnel-webs and less venomous.

Please don't be concerned.:)

Jenny

WE have a lot of different types of spiders, daddy long legs, general house spiders, red backs, funnel webs. You probably won't see any funnel webs as they are generally a bush type spider and live in holes. The red backs bite but the chances of being bitten by them are minimal. I find them around my outdoor furniture quite often but I live on the far north coast of NSW and they are pretty prevalent here.

I have plenty of people around me who are petrified of spiders and they have lived here all of their lives but have had to lear to live with them.

Don't be scared of them.

Staying in caravan parks you will almost definitely see spiders. Most of them are harmless but carry some bug spray with you to be on the safe side. Your risk of getting bitten by a venomous spider is about the same as getting bitten by a rattle snake in the USA.

Staying in caravan parks you will almost definitely see spiders. .

Holy S*#T. I'd better start looking into Hotels.

Sandra

OK... deep breath ... Relax

Yes, we do have spiders here.

I am not particularly fond of spiders myself.

I have been to many caravan parks on the East coast and I can't say I have come across many spiders. As a previous poster said, most are not harmful.

If you don't go looking for them, you probably will not see them.

Again, relax and enjoy our beautiful country, I assure you, we have a lot more to offer than a few spiders.

Linda

Yeah like victravellers said - take a deep breath and relax. They are just part of nature. Don't you have spiders in Canada?

Didn't mean to scare you about the caravan parks - but most of them tend to be near the bush (where there are more spiders). I live in an apartment and we still get spiders sometimes on our balcony and always in the garden. We don't take any notice of them.

We also have these cute little lizards that scoot out across the path from the garden. Its one of the signs of summer - lizards.

I've got to know.....and tell me the truth.....will I see any spiders....especially the big, hairy, terrifying ones with big teeth. :eek:

Seriously, I've spent many months in Australia, including living in a house that's right next to a bit of bush - a nature reserve in the city - and I have never yet seen anything more dangerous anywhere in Australia than the lid of a tin can, complete with sharp edges, sitting under six inches of water at the beach.

The spiders are there, but the reality is that you're unlikely to see many. And the vast majority of those you do see will be utterly harmless.

Don't worry....!

The spiders you will most likely see will be a Huntsman Spider.

Where Katy and I live they are the size of a tea cup saucer. No joke.

They are huge - but they are no bother. They can bite, but if you just stay out of the way, they keep the other spders at bay around the house and shed and so I don't mind too much. However - Katy does make me kill them if she sees them.

I read somewhere that in the average lifetime we eat 10 spiders in our sleep. Also, something like 20 cockroaches too. That grosses me out.

We have red back spiders, but they have very small fangs. My neighbour (when I was a young kid) who was a plumber used to pick them up and play with them to freak us kids out. He had serious callouses on his hands. However, if they do bite you on soft skin (bum for example) you can swell up and be very uncomfortable.

Again, where I live I was told of a local bloke who was bit on the bum (he was at the drop dunny) and his you know what swelled up so big they thought it would have to be amputated. Fortunately all is well now. :o

Moral of the story... don't play with spiders, watch where you sit on the toilet seat and take some bug spray with you!

Mark.

don't be nervous...I've lived in Australia all my life (errr thirty cough cough ahem eight years) and have never been bitten by any spider! have seen lots of harmless ones though!

head straight for the supermarket after you pick up your campervan and buy a can of 'mortein surface spray'...spray the outside and inside of the van doors and windows etc ....voila! you'll be fine!

ps- let the spray air out before going in the van...phewy it can be a strong smell!

you are going to have a grand adventure.... good luck!

head straight for the supermarket after you pick up your campervan and buy a can of 'mortein surface spray'...spray the outside and inside of the van doors and windows etc ....voila! you'll be fine!

Also spray your shoes. Especially if youy leave your shoes outside at ngiht. Give them a good hard bang in the morning - apparently spiders like to sleep in shoes.

Arr, those cute Huntsman spiders! They are the hairy, so-called tarantulas of Australia. Fortunately, they are harmless, though fearsome.

Growing up in Australia, I remember finding them on the ceilings or walls of the house at night. Sometimes on the bed, yikes. This gave me a huge fear of spiders to this day. But, I won't kill a spider. They have to be captured and taken outside, by someone else!

Definitely agree with mochuck. Always check your shoes before putting them on in case you have a little "guest" hiding there.

Hi - Thanks everyone for your honest information.

I will pick-up some "mortein surface spray" when we arrive and spray the camper.

Regardless of how freaked out I am right now (and I am a little freaked), I am sure we will have an absolutely incredible vacation. ;)

Oh....and I'll be making my darling husband shake out my shoes in the morning.

Mark, thanks so very much for the info about swallowing 10 spiders in our sleep in our lifetime. YOU'RE NOT HELPING !!!!! I think I'll use the new word I learned today - You "tosser". ;) ;)

Mochuck, we only have little spiders in Canada. We do have Grizzly Bears, though. You wouldn't want to come across one of those when you're camping. :eek:

Thanks again,

Sandra

Another hint - wind the windows up on your campervan when you bunk down for the night. Those huntsman spiders love to get inside cars and wait until you are travelling about 100kms/hour down a highway before making their presence known:eek: . I can't tell you how many times I have abandon my car in the middle of the road after being freaked out by a giant huntsman that had made itself comfortable inside my car.

Kellie;)

Mochuck, we only have little spiders in Canada. We do have Grizzly Bears, though. You wouldn't want to come across one of those when you're camping.

I'm coming over next year and can't wait to see your bears. but I can understand why you wouldn't be so excited about seeing our spiders.

I lived out in Queensland in the 60's and I can remember being absolutely terrified when a very large something jumped out when I opened a drawer. Told it was a flying beetle. It was enormous and I was never so scared in my life.

For spiders my friend that I had travelled with was terrified of any type of spider and I used to have to go into her room when there was anything there and scare it away. Not brave enough to kill it or touch it to remove it but I had to go in or she would be up all night screaming!

Sue

excellent use of the word tosser Sandra! lol 10/10 for your language test lol

Sandy and Carlz... being women you are wrong.. "tosser" is not very nice. I suggest you use "dag" as I personally don't like it. It is usually offensive, unless you know the person really well I guess, and you know where the person is coming from.

No offense taken though as I know that you meant well.

completely appropriate as it was all in jest!

dag is a very, very outdated term.... I'd say tosser (in fun and jest) is the dag of the millenium! :) cheers!

Excellent advice re spraying boots and not leaving them outside...plus a good shake before putting them on:eek: . Also don't leave bedding or clothes in piles on floor:rolleyes: . Some time ago I was support 4WD driver/cook on my daughter's horseback safaris in high country Victoria. Wore an old pair of her boots and noticed a blister on day 2 of the 7 day ride. Strange as boots were not rubbing :confused: . Next day felt ill and the blister had tripled in size and leg was swollen. Somehow I continued putting up tents/cooking/driving but went to A&E once back to civilisation....thank goodness for a great DR and obviously a good immune system. I had been bitten by a "White-tailed" spider aka "Wolf Spider"....eats your flesh - almost impossible to halt resulting in gangrene and amputation. Area was scraped and treated daily for a week....the most excruciating pain!!! 15 years later 4 red spots are still clearly visible below my ankle as a reminder:rolleyes: .

Don't let this scare you....I have visited country Victoria every year since, however don't borrow "old boots" and my daughter has the house sprayed for "creepies" annually. Perhaps Huntsmen are immune to the spray as I've seen one on a wall every day this visit :eek:

B E V

You guys are too funny. ;)

We had not planned on renting a Campervan with a shower and toilet but after reading Mark's advice about checking under the toilet seats.....I think we will.

I once had a 10 cm long centipede crawl up my leg in the shower. We were in the Cook Islands, on one of the outer Islands called "Atiu". Thank goodness it didn't bite me.

I am looking out my window now and it is snowing. Really pretty but unheard of at the end of March when the tulips and daffodils are blooming.

Sandra

Another point about many of our spiders is that while huntsman are big, white tails and red backs can be very little so you may not notice them. The white and red dots are also small and so you may not see it very well unless you are close up. A good point was made about clothes on the floor - spiders love areas like that as it provide good coverage and warmth. Also why they love shoes - in addition to shaking and banging on the ground a good idea (as my grandmother always told me) is after shaking to put your hand in before your foot. Sounds strange but apparently our hands are tougher and smaller so that we can do a quick scoop with our hands. Just be wary and keep your wits about you - dont put up rocks and old bucket without kicking them over first. I have lived here all my life and never been bitten - even after picking up a massive huntsman - by accident - thought it was the TV remote!!

I have lived here all my life and never been bitten - even after picking up a massive huntsman - by accident - thought it was the TV remote!!

Oh man - you're killing me.

Hello, been all over this great big country, mostly camping and hiking. Never been bitten yet.

Mind you I was really disconcerted last week while standing under the shower in our very own bathroom, when a Red Back popped out of the shower head. Hmm, sneaky little blighter.

And that Eastern Brown chased me through a paddock and over a barbed wire fence last spring.. . .

But I digress.

The Rules are simple: Don't leave boots outside for the nasties to crawl into. Don't swim up north unless you're 100% sure that there aren't any salties. Don't walk barefoot. If you see a cassowary walking towards you side step around the back of a tent or car or whatever (don't attempt to pat it). Don't try and walk through deep mangrove. Watch were you put your feet. Wear insect repellant or the mossies will cart you away. Observe all the signs up north about the crocs. Don't drive over snakes, drive around them (the little sweeties can curl up inside the engine etc). Assume most things out there will either maim you, or bite. Use common sense.

My heart swells with love for this country of mine :D Von

Hi Folks,

As me Aussie mate would describe them..."they're creepy crawly little buggers." Wrap up tight in your sleepsack.

Ciao for now!!!