Gonna Be In Australia For One Year

**Wrath** · 06-21-2010

Since I've successfully completed my pre-degree I need to study one year abroad in order to finalize my bachelor/diploma thesis. As it turned out, I will be in OZ (Melbourne) in 5 weeks time and am pretty excited and nervous at the same time.

To all you Aussies: Is it true that spiders will haunt you in your bed?

Seriously though, how's life in Australia? What should I definitely see and how are the chicks?

**Cliché-Skating** · 06-21-2010

I wanna retire in Australia.

**Royals** · 06-21-2010

Congrats, not sure about the life there though but it seems to look nice.

**spyrde** · 06-21-2010

Well as a gamer, not the best country, but I'd def love to go there someday, congrats.

**DreDayDetox** · 06-21-2010

lol Kylie Minogue's a minx, who's from Australia, but I'm pretty sure there are beautiful women there, just like in every country. I would love to go there, is your program by any chance for journalism? because one of the programs at the college I go to has that deal, where you spend one year in Australia, also for a BA degree...

Apparently you might get a spider in there if you live in a house, so just choose a condo I guess, I have arachnophobia, so there's no way I'd live somewhere where I'm prone to meet a spider...

**richie217** · 06-22-2010

Nice. Don't think many of the nasty critters we have in Oz live in Melb, thinking it is probably too cold for the snakes (which are much scarier than the spiders).

As for the women folk, there are plenty of fine ones walking around these parts.

Only other advice I have for you is to get used to hangovers, we like the odd drink or 30

**Next Level** · 06-22-2010

The one reason I wouldn't go to Australia is because of poisonous things. Simply **** that. I'm sure it's not as bad as I and other people make out, but the non poisonous spiders over here are already too much for me.

**GreekWarrior** · 06-22-2010

1. Welcome to our wonder country.
2. Don't touch any plants or animals or you will die.

It's nice here but you should come in summer (australian summer) and you should go to the more northern capital citys like sydney or brisbane to check out the beaches because they're some of the best in the world.

**mickice** · 06-22-2010

Originally Posted by Cliché-Skating

I wanna retire in Australia.

Such a silly thing to say, you probably don't know much about Aust. xD

**Bigdoggy** · 06-22-2010

Wrath, whatever you do, do NOT sit under or stand under these trees for a long time. Actually.....give it a try. hehe

Australia Stinging trees.

Also, if you see any fire wood laying in a pile, pick a few up and you will see a nice big juicy spider.

**SpyroViper** · 06-22-2010

Goodluck dude, I hear everything can kill you over there.. even the AIR!

**DreDayDetox** · 06-22-2010

Originally Posted by GreekWarrior

1. Welcome to our wonder country.
2. Don't touch any plants or animals or you will die.

It's nice here but you should come in summer (australian summer) and you should go to the more northern capital citys like sydney or brisbane to check out the beaches because they're some of the best in the world.

jesus christ that last animal looks like a ****ing demon from hell...I think if I saw it opening its mouth like that, I'd die of shock while ****ting my pants at the same time

**ShiniXz** · 06-22-2010

haha, i love theses fact about Australia. Dont worry, im from Melbourne studying at Uni as well. Can i ask what Uni you are attending and what suburb you're staying at? Lol dont worry about spiders and any other creatures.. its too cold here for it. Melbourne is like any other big city with plenty of things to do.

**bayster** · 06-22-2010

Tasmania is the place to be lol. Also that thing def extinct sorry, it the tassie tiger. They trying to breed one some how lol. Also bear grylls didn't 'escape' aus wilderness in his show he jsut found longest fence in the world and said how he has great respect for the aboriginal people

So don't get lost in rural areas and don't watch ACA or Today Tonight. Do get hd reciever though so u can have ONE 24 hr sport free channel although ALOT of montages.

**neoxthexone** · 06-22-2010

IIT: Has just proved never to go to australia unless you want to have bladder problems.

**bayster** · 06-22-2010

Also as big said look out for aus stinging tree I remember a thread like this before when us aussie warning him about tree. Seriously it BAD.

**SpyroViper** · 06-22-2010

Isn't the Thylocine only in Tazmania?

Which is some good news.. because who goes to Tazmania unless you live there?

**bayster** · 06-22-2010

Tasmania no 'z' Even though most people say it like a 'z'.

Some guy made a song about it lol

Most of jokes only tassie people get.

**SpyroViper** · 06-22-2010

Your right.. I didn't get it =(

Though it's a bit of a long way to Exeter from Tasmania ;p

**Gilly3** · 06-22-2010

well i wouldnt worry about the bugs and things in Melbourne. personally i dont like the city much, its dirty and i thought kind of boring.

biggest things you will have to worry about is probably the crap public transport, taxi drivers who dont speak a word of english (and dont know where they are going) and the long distances you have to travel to get anywhere.

**Wrath** · 06-22-2010

Originally Posted by ShiniXz

haha, i love theses fact about Australia. Dont worry, im from Melbourne studying at Uni as well. Can i ask what Uni you are attending and what suburb you're staying at? Lol dont worry about spiders and any other creatures.. its too cold here for it. Melbourne is like any other big city with plenty of things to do.

I'll be staying in Seddon and will attend Victoria University if that means anything to you.

Originally Posted by bayster

Also as big said look out for aus stinging tree I remember a thread like this before when us aussie warning him about tree. Seriously it BAD.

What might happen to me if I stay under one of these for too long? Will they eat my soul?

**bayster** · 06-22-2010

You would wish it just ate your soul.

The leaves and stems are covered in thick hairs that, if touched, inflict a painful sting. These hairs are manufactured from mineral silica, the chief constituent of glass. If you brush against them, their tips penetrate the skin, break off, and release an irritant poison. The effect of this sting may last for months.
Now wait for the punchline; There is no effective antidote known for the stinging tree.

**Bigdoggy** · 06-22-2010

Originally Posted by Wrath

What might happen to me if I stay under one of these for too long? Will they eat my soul?

you just might, LOL.

Experiments have been done with hairs that were collected nearly a century ago, and they can still cause pain. The reaction depends on what species of animal gets stung, and how many hairs get stuck in the skin. But humans feel something between mild irritation and intense pain and death. The pain comes immediately after touching the plant, and it gradually increases to a peak after about 20-30 minutes. The Dutch Botanist H. J. Winkler made the only official recording of Death By Stinging Tree, for a human. It was in New Guinea, back in the early 1920s.

But you can suffer even if you don't touch the plant. The plants continuously shed their stinging hairs. Stay close to the stinging trees for more than an hour, and you can get an allergic reaction - intensely painful and continuous bouts of sneezing. You can even get nose bleeds from these silicon hairs floating in the air. There are two strange things about these stinging trees. First, these stinging trees are harmless to many native Australian species, but very nasty to introduced species such as humans, horses and dogs.

The second thing is the pain is real and intense, but your body does not suffer any damage. Fire and snake bites cause pain, and they damage you as well. But it seems that the pain from this tree could be the only pain that is not related to any damage. The pain may last anywhere from a few days, months, to even a year.

http://www.blueswami.com/stinging_trees.html

**SpyroViper** · 06-22-2010

these stinging trees are harmless to many native Australian species, but very nasty to introduced species such as humans

Here's me thinking that Aboriginal Humans were in fact, native to Australia..

**Fiasco** · 06-22-2010

make sure you do not just stay in melbourne.... prob the worst weather in all of australia

get to every state if you can.

perth.... lovely and become a very nice place, and is booming atm. will soon be as big as sydney and melb.

sydney and melb. nice more modern than other states and much more built up and busy, they are also good for sport. also... check out AFL, give it time the sport will grow on you after you learn the rules, it is a great game.

adelaide is also really nice and quiet, a naturally nice state, and the type of place to settle down in, and retire.

the women are good, but i dont think as giving as the americans, although, give them time and you will get in there. (most of the girls here believe they are celebrities, and are high maintenance)

the animals..... you guys are crazy.. you hardly see spiders, snakes, etc.

australia is awesome, most major cities, it is a 15min drive from the city centre to the beach.