Ah! Lovely Australia

We just got back on Friday night. It was wonderful. Sydney is gorgeous. The people are great (No worries, Mate). We saw whales, koalas, tons-o-kangaroos, the rain forest etc. etc. The reef was absolutely awesome.



The thing that sort of got me (no, not this really nasty spider) is that Australia is so beautiful and plays host to so many really deadly flora and fauna.

This funnel spider, for example, not only can send you to the hospital, but it seems to really want to. They tell you, with an affable smile, "Check your shoes in the morning, Mate!"



Then you have the Taipan. This little bugger is considered the deadliest snake in the world. There are 5 sub species of them on the East coast of Oz. (good on-ya, Mate!)







Then you have this critter - the Cassowary. It can reach 6' tall. There are signs in the rain forest that tell you not to feed or provoke them if they should approach you. The signs remind one of the signage in the Western U.S. re. cougars. Basically they get mean and can rip you open.

Think "Raptor" in Jurassic Park.





We also did a "rain forest dream walk" with an aboriginal bloak. Really interesting stuff.

See this rather perky little plant here? It's called a stinging tree. If you even stand too close to it, you will have severe pain from little nuerotoxin filled hairs on it's leaves and in the air around it, that can last for months. There are stories of people killing themselves to escape the pain. The aboriginal guy said pulling up the plants root and using it on the spot will ease the pain. But don't count on it.





Then there are the wonderful box jelly fish that can give you cardiac arrest.







No wonder these people have a sense of humor. No wonder they learn to love "Vegemite". (by the way, Zed actually had a little every morning on toast. He really tried to acquire a taste for it, but never really succeeded.)

When they tell you "no worries", it's because they know what "worries" really can be.