Snakes, Spiders, and Other Bugs in Australia

So, the bugs in Australia…

My husband originally said he wouldn’t live in Australia because of his fear of snakes and spiders. When we booked our accommodations for our 11 day trip on the way to New Zealand, we wondered how many spiders we’d see. I was expecting to see at least one big one, somewhere, and we actually kept our bags closed all the time at the first 2 of 3 places we stayed. I’m pleased to report that we didn’t actually see any big spiders at all! I was surprised to only see very small ones, about the size of an ant.

There are lots of photos and articles that go around on social media and in the news, that give the impression that Australia is just crawling with horrible creatures at every turn. This, we found to be untrue; however, we did discover through talks with the locals, that the bugs actually are a pretty concerning issue. In the northern part of Australia, it is apparently more likely to come across lots of snakes and spiders, and in the outback, they’re definitely common. In the south, the huge Huntsmans aren’t as common, but they are still present.

At our first winery visit in McLaren Vale, we were told that staff are no longer allowed to take visitors on tours of the actual vineyard, partially due to safety reasons. They say that snakes like to live in the vines. Okay – so no going into vineyards or tall grasses or any untamed garden type areas…

We also discovered some other news about spiders through our Airbnb hosts. They warned us about “White Tip Spiders,” and said that if we ever see one, we need to kill it. They explained ever so nonchalantly that the White Tips wouldn’t kill us, but that if we were bit, we would get a high temperature, and an ulcer in the area that would last for years. The bite requires antibiotics as well. They had been cleaning out their garage that afternoon, and only found one, which they said was great for not having gone through it in a couple of years. Those awful little guys also like to live in or around plants. Got it – no plants!

We asked how we would know if we were bitten by one of the poisonous spiders, as opposed to the other ones, and they said that if we notice a red line going from the site of the bite towards our hearts, that means it will kill us and we need to get to the hospital for the anti-venom ASAP. They were surprised that we didn’t know this procedure, and asked how we deal with poisonous bites at home; we explained that in Canada, that’s not a thing! Frost bite is the only bite we need to worry about.

We did conclude that the idea that spiders and snakes are everywhere in Australia, has about the same level of truth to it as the expectation of seeing Moose, Beavers and igloos does, when visiting Canada. Yes, we have those things, but it’s not common to see them.

On another note, their black flies are different from ours, and are extremely annoying! They don’t fly away with the simple wave of a hand near them. They will land on you and sit there until you actually wipe them off. They land on your face. They land right on your face when you’re eating, and just sit there! It’s pretty gross.

We also learned about these big toads they have, that were brought over from Asia in the 70’s as an attempt to rid the country of some other bugs, but there is no predator in Australia that eats them, so now they’ve become a pest. These toads aren’t apparently harmful to humans, but they spit out venom at cats, dogs and other small animals that will paralyze the animal and kill it within hours. People have been losing their pets to this toad venom, and it’s becoming a bit of a problem. So as long as you don’t have an issue with very large toads that spit at you, or a pet you want to keep, you don’t need to worry about those.

Finally, let’s discuss the millipede, which graced the cover of this article. We had heard about them, and been told that tourists freak out when they see them, but they’re quite harmless. This ugly bugger was hiding under my suitcase, and I’m not sure how long he was there! When I folded the lid over and closed up the bag, there he was, crawling at me at much too high of a pace, with all his squiggly legs! I’ll admit, I freaked out, like people said I would!

Greg was thankfully outside, and I discovered the millipede alone. Then I found another dead one, with only half a body, on the other side of the same room. I tried to remember that they’re “harmless.” They may be harmless to my health, sure, but what about my peace of mind? I was glad I didn’t discover these guys until our last day, or I would have been nervous walking to the bathroom at night in bare feet, and the sheets would have been more thoroughly checked! I do believe NZ has bugs like this though… so we may be learning to deal with them, as much as I don’t want to.

We are thankful we didn’t see any snakes or any huge spiders during our time in Australia, and we are looking forward to living in the land of no snakes and no big spiders! On another positive note, at least we know what to look for if we come across those poisonous bites, and now you all do too. You’re welcome?

If you ever visit Australia, now you’ll be prepared. If you have already been, feel free to correct any misinformation, or add a comment with your own experiences and tips! Thanks for reading, blog family.