Right before I moved to Australia with my husband, who is Australian, I watched a television show about the ten most deadly creatures in the world. I looked right at my husband and joked, that, if all ten were from Australia I was not moving. Little did I know I was not far off. Nine out of the ten creatures were from Australia.
My first encounter with a local arachnid came late one night when I wondered why there was a large frog shaped thing on the wall by the light switch as big as my hand. It all became clear when the light was switched on as it turned out to be a Huntsman Spider that got the shock of its life as much as I did and reared up on its hind legs and jumped at me , just missing my head and scampered away as fast as I did but in the opposite direction . These spiders, I later found out are not harmful, in fact, its good ,apparently, to have one in your house to eat the blowies (Blue bottles flies). I never did find my uninvited guest again but hoped it had been as traumatized as I was and moved out. My Husband told me that a whole can of insect Spray wont kill the big ones (mine was medium size) and they often used to fall on him when he used to clean the family car under the car port If only he had told me about that BEFORE I moved half way across the world .
Needless to say I am no better in the water .The slightest touch of something on my skin while in the sea sends me swimming faster than an Olympian even if it does turn out to be seaweed. I am not a strong swimmer so the currents terrify me , the knowledge of the fact that box- jelly fish AND killer sharks dwell in these waters petrifies me " so when Husband suggests a romantic sailing holiday in the Whitsundays , North Queensland , I have to admit to not being immediately keen but I agreed .
Whitsundays, was breathtakingly beautiful. Turtles were swimming in the shallow waters and dolphins surrounded us in the deeper waters. After trip I became a little braver about swimming in the ocean.
The water was crystal clear and mesmerizing, but was quickly ruined by a dark shadow in the depths below that seemed to be coming nearer. I began shrieking like a banshee, jumped up the ladder and found my husband laughing and pointing to what I had been swimming from. Was it a shark...NO, was it a jelly fish....NO. Just a harmless Clown Fish, the size of a dinner plate.
My first encounter with a local arachnid came late one night when I wondered why there was a large frog shaped thing on the wall by the light switch as big as my hand. It all became clear when the light was switched on as it turned out to be a Huntsman Spider that got the shock of its life as much as I did and reared up on its hind legs and jumped at me , just missing my head and scampered away as fast as I did but in the opposite direction . These spiders, I later found out are not harmful, in fact, its good ,apparently, to have one in your house to eat the blowies (Blue bottles flies). I never did find my uninvited guest again but hoped it had been as traumatized as I was and moved out. My Husband told me that a whole can of insect Spray wont kill the big ones (mine was medium size) and they often used to fall on him when he used to clean the family car under the car port If only he had told me about that BEFORE I moved half way across the world .
Needless to say I am no better in the water .The slightest touch of something on my skin while in the sea sends me swimming faster than an Olympian even if it does turn out to be seaweed. I am not a strong swimmer so the currents terrify me , the knowledge of the fact that box- jelly fish AND killer sharks dwell in these waters petrifies me " so when Husband suggests a romantic sailing holiday in the Whitsundays , North Queensland , I have to admit to not being immediately keen but I agreed .
Whitsundays, was breathtakingly beautiful. Turtles were swimming in the shallow waters and dolphins surrounded us in the deeper waters. After trip I became a little braver about swimming in the ocean.
The water was crystal clear and mesmerizing, but was quickly ruined by a dark shadow in the depths below that seemed to be coming nearer. I began shrieking like a banshee, jumped up the ladder and found my husband laughing and pointing to what I had been swimming from. Was it a shark...NO, was it a jelly fish....NO. Just a harmless Clown Fish, the size of a dinner plate.
About the Author:
Before you travel to Australia for your next vacation, check out www.TropicalNorthQueensland.com.au. From port douglas accommodation and port douglas hotels to information on local events and travel guides. They have everything you will need for an enjoyable time.
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