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Original poster

OMG! Just seen my first spider in Australia - and boy, was it a biggie!

35 replies

ghosty · 02/10/2006 12:20

Am here in Melbourne for a week, casing the joint. Looking at schools, checking out the shopping etc (all top notch I have to say)
Staying with DH and kids in teeny weeny flat ....
And today, my biggest nightmare happened - it was MASSIVE, thick hairy legs thicker than my fingers, in total bigger than DH's whole hand
Puts Suzy's kitten's paw story to shame I tell you ....

Ok ... so it was behind glass in Melbourne Museum - and isn't a native of Australia (a Brazilian Elephant Eating Jumping Tree Spider or something) BUT I have seen a spider on Australian soil and I am still ALIVE!!!!!

BTW ... not seen anything more scary than a couple of teeny ants after DD's biscuit crumbs in the flat

Quite nice here really

OP posts:
almostanangel · 02/10/2006 12:22

aww ,,,im so jealous [of oz not the spider] we were in queensland for 3 weeks last year and i only saw one spider too,,a huntsman,,,,

tissy · 02/10/2006 12:23

one of my reasons for not being in a hurry to visit Australia (apart from it being on the other side of the world!) is the existence of spiders that are reputed to be the size of dinner plates, that lurk under your car's fold-down sunvisor-thingy, and fall into your lap when you're driving along and need to shield your eyes from the sun....

almostanangel · 02/10/2006 12:23

the teeny ants are a real pain they get in everything ,,,have you seen the big green arsed ants!!

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 12:40

tissy in my 34 years of living in Aus including in the country and travelling out bush - hvae never ever seen a spider that large drop from my visor onto my lap whilst driving - urban myth!!!

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 12:41

ohh green ants - nasty little beggars wait til one of them bites you and you'll know it....

sits back and waits for ghosty's first red back sighting......

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 12:44

ghosty....you got me all going then....I have seen the huntsmen here & they are big enough...I was thinking "I hope that one's native to melb....

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 12:45

we should have a spider topic....

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 12:47

at haunted....

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 12:48

just remembered one of our school dads was bitten by a redback and they just observed him overnight and sent him home on panadol and ice at site of bite.

Apparently make adults sick but can be dangerous for littlies.

tissy · 02/10/2006 12:53

this one looks big enough, although, admittedly doesn't seem to favour cars as a habitat....

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 12:54

we had one in the garage, right next to the car door...freaked dh out

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 12:55

that is why you ahve a pair of double pluggers

also called thongs

ready to slap them dead!!

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 12:57

remember dh's first sighting of a redback - Christmas Day 04 - getting girls paddling pool out of shed.... ready for dd1 and neice ( 2yo at time) to swim in.

comes upstairs and asks if a spider with a red dab on its back is dangerous and if so what should he do!! me worried the pool is full of them and ready to bite wee ones - races around grabbing shoes to kill them - only 1. Could not believe how laid back he was - oh until I told him it was a redback - then he changed his tune. Now he is like the great redback hunter!!

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 12:58

lol...I still haven't got out of the habit of putting splipper on EVERY time I walk around the house or shoes when I go outside....

tissy · 02/10/2006 13:00

I've made myself feel quite ill looking at that australian spider website...

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 13:01

shoes all the time - having said that - dh is a creature of habit and often wears shoes inside and out - quite strange...

almostanangel · 02/10/2006 13:02

mmmm changing subject for one second ..im now craving "cherry ripes" thanks!!

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 13:04

is it sad that I also look inside my shoes and slippers before I put them on?

I was bitten by an ant, just the teeny ones that you see scurying around all over the place (like the ones in the uk) dh said 'wait till you see/get bitten by the other ants"..whoa!

INCH ants???

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 13:04

oh yum - although dds had a freddo today and I had a turkish delight .....

they were one of the things I missed whilst in the UK - cherry ripes. Must have talked about it a lot as one of my 6th form students went to aus and brought me back some

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 13:05

green ants - somewhat large but bloody hurt for a little while - pain goes eventually.

mozzies are dh's bugbear - they love him - I rarely get bitten - he gets covered.

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 13:05

YUK...cherry ripes!!!

almostanangel · 02/10/2006 13:06

my bro is in oz on holiday at the mo and i slipped a piece of paper in his pocket saying DO NOT FORGET CHERRY RIPES FOR SISTER !!! lol

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 13:07

great....I always get bitten by stuff in the uk, and now I'll get bitten by the mozzies....what fun!

HauntedsandCastle · 02/10/2006 13:07

almost...lol. I hope you get some

eidsvold · 02/10/2006 13:09

AAA - you can get them from the aussie shop if you are desparate - they deliver.

got a care pack once - cherry ripes, fruit tingles, allens snakes, polly waffle for dh to try, some clinkers, arnotts shapes, and chiccos.

here