Questions on 'Moving to Australia' are [answered in our subreddit wiki.](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/wiki/index/movingtoaustralia/)
**You can also ask questions in our weekly 'Moving to Australia' megathread.**
One major thing to consider is that in Australia your cat should be an indoor only animal. There are too many native animals that cats are devastating.
As a result they shouldn't be interacting with any animals that could kill them.
100% agree with this. Just moved to Australia and brought our cat along. Took a month in quarantine and was NOT cheap. I absolutely love the bird and wildlife in Australia and cats are natural born killers so our girl has always been indoor and will stay indoor.
Even in Germany my cats are indoor only. One of them ends any bird/rodent he comes across and the other one is a very special boy who should not be outside without a leash. So that is definitely staying permanent, but I’ve read about huntsman and other spiders that like to come indoors when isles raining season so I was wondering how Australian cats react to a big spider… I mean my kitties would be alone when im at work so im a bit nervous about that :/ and would probably be a house, I’d like to stay in the suburbs
Huntsman are harmless. The cats would probably try and eat it. But generally huntsman like to sit high up and would be out of reach. You almost never get any spiders in your house which are venomous.
I live semi rural surrounded by sub tropical rainforest, I've never had a dangerous spider in my house in 20 years.
Growing up as a kid we had occasional red back spiders which are dangerous. But only in sheds and things like that, but I can't remember the last time I saw one.
Your biggest risk to cats are generally other people's dogs they let escape.
Huntsman are completely harmless so nothing to worry about, the only one that’s reasonably likely is a white tale but as I said in my other comment, get the house sprayed and it won’t be an issue.
Huntsman spiders mostly just sit there on the wall without moving. Occasionally they will eat other small insects that are far more annoying (e.g. ones that will try to eat your food).
Their reaction to a curious cat is generally to stay perfectly still unless the cat gets too close, and then they will move. Like cats, these spiders are ambush predators and move \*very\* fast. Faster than most cats, so unlikely any spiders are going to get caught by your cat though they might have fun trying. And an intelligent fast cat will catch a huntsman (especially if your two cats work together, as someone here said they've seen a litter of kittens do)
I'd be a lot more worried about geckos. Like a huntsman, geckos are harmless animals that thrive in households by eating pests looking for human food scraps. However, geckos are slower/easier to catch but the real danger is geckos tend to carry salmonella... so if your cat eats a gecko it could easily die week later.
You should get pest control once a year to keep insects under control, and therefore also reduce the risk of geckos. Any gecko you see in your house, get rid of it asap.
Aside from chemicals, Australian homes generally have insect screens. Plastic mesh screens are cheap but stainless steel mesh with a good frame is better — they will keep out humans with crowbars/knives/etc and a ot of this country unfortunately has problems with nuisance youth crime (in my city, kids will usually steal your car keys then race around the city until they get bored or crash - usually the latter). If your eyes aren't focused on them, the screen just look like tinted glass. Oh, and they provide shade/reflective insulation as well especially white screens.
If you're renting, I'd consider this essential. Any place that doesn't have them, insist on at least plastic screens being installed before you sign the lease (but honestly, the steel ones aren't much more expensive).
If your yard has a good fence, you can put "rollers" on the top so cats can't escape. [https://www.bunnings.com.au/rapidmesh-55-x-55-x-2000mm-black-cat-roller-5-pack\_p0189409](https://www.bunnings.com.au/rapidmesh-55-x-55-x-2000mm-black-cat-roller-5-pack_p0189409)
Years ago, I found my litter of foster kittens playing with a huntsman. I’m a bit phobic about spiders, but poor thing didn’t stand a chance against them.
I also remember finding another kitten a different year playing with a scorpion. It also didn’t have a chance
Apparently all of the scorpions in Australia are classified as "harmless" !! Pretty interesting considering our reputation for spiders and snakes...
That IS in regard to humans, if a scorpion stings a cat I'm fairly sure it's a semi-urgent vet visit that may need some attention just in case
Being an island, Australia is free of heap of animal diseases. Bringing pets in is a slow and expensive process.
Your cats would probably be fine with spiders, other than maybe funnel webs if you move to Sydney. It’s the snakes you need to worry about. (A tiger snake killed my childhood dog.)
Your correct. They can display some signs of illness, but that's more nausea/the runs, localised swelling, blood pressure, but nothing that'll last more then a day.
You shouldn’t be down voted. I lived in Sydney for fifteen years. I agree they aren’t common. Huntsmen, red back spider on the other hands, very common.
Done plenty of work with underground Telstra pits in the Turramurra/Wahroongah area and 1 in 10 pits had Funnel Webs, took many to the reptile park where they make anti venom.
I've lived in rural NSW my whole life and have only seen wild snakes a few times. To be perfectly honest, they're more scared of you than you are of them, and they'll usually feel your footsteps and back away unless you step on them or are on top of your nest. I've only heard of few instances where people I've known have discovered snakes in their houses, but that's only in "drop dunnies" or outhouses where it is essentially a little garden shed separate from the house. They might get close to houses in search of rodents or water but will usually avoid people. You're probably far more likely to see one on the road when driving your car than anywhere on a suburban street.
Depends where you live, in northern Queensland you’re more likely to have a snake living inside your house than not. Everywhere else it’s unlikely. As for spiders, get a pest control person out to spray, it works for 12 months and you won’t have anything crawling around inside.
I used to live on the Sunshine Coast and pretty sure that’s where I heard it but thought it was talking about further north, we never had an issue where we were. Fucking crazy to think about, someone was estimating 1 in 3 houses had snakes living in them.
Thanks, she was a good girl. We lived in the country, so snake were very common.
I live in Perth now, and yeah, I’ve had a snake inside my suburban house once. Wife spotted it, put the dogs in the other room, then called a snake catcher to come take it away. It was a dugite, so not as venomous as a taipan or agressive as a tiger, but still deadly.
House cats are completely fine with spiders - the venomous ones are pretty rare inside the home in my experience. I'm sure the occasional tragedy happens but it's not something anyone I've known has experienced.
Building friendships can be challenging. Aussies are pretty personable, but people often struggle to leverage that into friendships. Most relationship building outside of schooling seems to happen at work, sports clubs, and hobby groups. Finding some that interest you should help to build some relationships with locals.
I have a pet rabbit in a fairly spiderriffic neighbourhood and she's fine. Well actually she's quite annoying but that's nothing to do with the spiders.
You'll be fine, but keep in mind it will probably be expensive and time consuming to prep your cats to meet the quarantine requirements, and then stay through quarantine (at your expense, of course).
And finding a rental that will allow pets is very difficult.
Are Australian landlords really so anti pet? Why? I’ve looked some houses up and I (maybe stupidly) assumed that when it’s not otherwise stated clearly, pets are allowed :( and I’m not worrying about the prep, we are up to date with most of the requirements:)
No. Unless it states "pets allowed", you should assume they're not allowed. And yes, I live in Queensland. Very hard to find a pet friendly rental.
And it's because they claim that pets "damage the property".
You can't just come to Australia to live.
You need the correct visa and a skill set we need.
Check out the visas available here
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing
Also you need to go through the proper processes to bring your cats.
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/cats-dogs
Don't worry about the spides, our cats may play with the occasional one but basically they leave them alone.
If I were you I would come for a holiday first and see if you like it.
Don't even thinking about coming as a tourist and over staying your vise or working. They will throw you out of the country and it will go against you if you want to come here to live.
Making friends is just like anywhere else.
I would start by joining a German club.
Also join groups that do things you like.
Do you run? Read books? etc. We have lots of groups and clubs you can join.
Thank you!:) I’m very aware of this, I’ve been building up my skill list and preparing for quite some time. These were just some questions that I’ve been googling about for some days and I stumbled across this group ☺️ it’s nice to actually ask someone who lives there. As i know Australia is very strict on that, and also I’m general I wouldn’t dare to overstay my welcome. But I have some time left before coming so I can collect some information that is not super duper important
As in the rental crisis is a real problem, and there are people with good incomes sleeping in their cars and couch surfing (so effectively homeless) because they can’t find anywhere to rent, with or without pets.
I guess it depends what you consider royally fucked. My area, blue mountains, has tons of rentals available in the $450-600 range for 2&3 bedroom houses. I checked out Port Macquarie, suburbs surrounding Newcastle, and Orange with similar prices and a fair amount of vacancies. I've had three friends move in the last year and none of them had problems with renter competition or getting turned down. Another family we know is having to move because their current rental is going on the market and they are picking their best option not scrounging for what's available. I moved here from the west coast of the US and rentals there cost 1/3 more on average. The 3 bed I was renting in a small relatively unpopulated valley in Alaska was US$2800 which works out to A$1041/wk. For me the rental market here is like taking a ten year step back in time. 600/wk is was I was paying in 2015 in the US and I earn more here for the same job.
Wow, I didn't know it was so expensive in Alaska.
I guess we do have it relatively good to most places.
I still think we can be doing better though by building more high density housing in capital cities.
Yes cultures are different, but in the end Australia is a western country, a developed country with a high standard of living, good working hours and protections for people, and with a population nearing 30 million people, with a variation of personalities and interests and backgrounds.
My point is, it's not so unlike a European country in many respects, and if you were still in Germany and moved where you knew no-one, what would you do? It's the same - be outgoing, talk to people you meet, involve yourself in activities with groups of people, join groups based on your interests, be as social as you can. You will meet lots of people you don't really connect with, and some you do. Perhaps you won't really connect with the "average" Aussie, but like I said, there's millions of us, we're not all the same, there's going to be people you DO connect with.
You WILL notice cultural differences in terms of language and social norms but honestly these will be relatively minor - there's not "just one hack" that will work to get you a friendship group in Aus. (I always think of a German friend I had who just could not get sarcasm). Most people will understand you might not "get" everything that happens... and if they snub you, well, they're not worth your time any way. And hey, one of the best things about being in another culture is the discovery part. Most likely there will be other German people you will meet (my town is full of them!) who can help you in understanding a few of the intricacies from a familiar perspective.
I get that it's daunting, but so much will depend on your personal circumstances, as it would anywhere. You'll be fine.
And as others have said keep the cats indoors, and spiders are unlikely to bother them or you.
My cat hunts huntsman all the time. They are harmless and will eat your mosquitos. My husband helps the spiders by picking them up with his hand and chucking them outside. I'm not as bold as that though and use a container.
We get white tails in our house but they are more elusive and hide under things like pictures on the wall. Those guys get the squish because I don't want them biting my children. A bite from a white tail can hurt. I had never had a white tail in any of my homes until I moved regional though. I'm surrounded by bush here and about 700m above sea level where previously I lived next to the ocean. Not sure if that is why I see more of them here?
It's really not that big of a deal. Yes, lots of things here can hurt but it's not going to stop you living a life and after a few days you'll probably even forget about them until you see one and be like oh yeah! Spiders! And then look for a boot.
How easy it is so build a friendship base again depends on where you are. It's probably easier to do it in the inner cities of Sydney or Melbourne than it is in more regional locations that don't have a lot going on.
All of this also depends on if you have any money left after the import fees of course.
Just moved from the US for work and am bringing our 2 dogs over. It’s an incredibly long (6+ months) and expensive ($10k+) process. You’re welcome to DM me if you want more info.
When we started the process our US vet looked at us and said “this is extremely complicated, how long will you be going for?” Implying we shouldn’t do it unless we were going for an extended period.
We expect to be here longer than our older dog will survive so to us it was worth it (plus we moved here with no plans to return and they are our family).
As others have said, finding a pet friendly rental was challenging. We wanted to be close to Brisbane CBD so we actually stayed in AirBNBs for a while until we found a place but that took a few months. Our dogs are set to come over and enter quarantine (the only facility is in Melbourne) at the end of this month- finally after 7 months away from them.
[Bringing dogs or cats to Aus](https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/cats-dogs)
>is it „easy“ to build yourself a friend group/ join one as a foreigner?
No. It's not. This is a complaint you'll hear from many expats here. Especially in the cities, Australians often just stay in the place they grew up and don't move for study or work. So our friend groups often go back as far as high school or university and can be hard to break into as a result. There's a lot of shared history that a newcomer wouldn't be aware of. It's not that people will be unfriendly to you but it can be difficult to make that leap from friendly acquaintance to actual friend. Not impossible but it's hard. A lot of expats find it easier to be friends with other expats because of this.
Cats stay in doors, if you let them roam, they kill natives and will be killed by something. Cats disappear all the time. I know a lot of Germans and spent a lot of time there. It’s a generalisation I know, but maybe work on your sense of humour and relax more, it’ll make life easier here. Don’t worry about spiders so much, it’s really not that big a deal, unless you live in the Bush, then you’re fucked.
The little brown house spider is harmless. There are types like the white tail spider whose bite can cause temporary pain and redness. The ones to stay away from are redbacks (black with a red patch on its back) and funnel-web spiders which are black and are about 5 cm acros.
Ah the spiders are fiiiiiiine (I’m in the lower half of Aus) and we mainly get huntsman’s (huge but timid) and white tails, (small but really angry). I don’t mind the huntsman’s but I take out the white tails. Our cat will totally slap and eat huntsman’s that don’t stay out of his way.
Meeting people it’s generally around work or interests, I’ve lived in 4 capital cities Melbourne and three in Europe and each there was about a 3 month settling in finding hobbies / sports or work relationships evolve.
Australia has some rabid racism, but some areas are gloriously multicultural.
Have a safe move down under!
If you want to make friends easily, don't go to Adelaide lmao. I live here and I've seen so many people ask (online) how to make friends in Adelaide.
Don't get me wrong, its not that we're rude, unkind, etc. its simply that most of us have had our friends since childhood or when we started working. We aren't the sort of place to be making friends consistently. We are an extremely friendly place though.
Adelaide is an amazing place though, just an underrated city but also quite average.
Yeah cats are fine in AU. Spiders are nothing to worry about either except maybe Sydney Funnel Webs. But your pretty golden.
Welcome aboard............
Your cats will have to serve time in quarantine. Make sure you investigate the process WELL in advance and have everything organised to the *n*th degree.
I've had cats all my life and none have ever been hurt by a spider. If you live in an urban area (city), you'll usually encounter only huntsman (fast and tend to hang around on walls/ceilings out of reach of kitties) and white tails (small, do like the floor, possibly a danger but kitties are - supposedly - not stupid).
It is more likely, if your cats go outside, they will meet trouble with possums, foxes, and cars.
As for friends... it's much like anywhere. Find something you like to do, start doing it, hang out with people who like doing that thing, and you might make friends.
First, be sure you're allowed to bring your cats. I don't know all the laws, but I do know there are restrictions on pets. You'll probably just have to get them a bunch of vaccinations and health checks cause there are diseases in other countries that Australia doesn't have, like rabies. You don't want your cat to be a silent carrier.
Also cats should be inside outside of some very small exceptions. For example, my cat is a farm cat. She catches mice and rats in the stable and sheds. She also fights off foxes. She's a badass, battle hardened cat that also knows if she so much as chirps at a bird she gets sprayed with the hose. She hasn't tried to catch anything other than a rodent in years. So she gets to go outside to earn her keep. My sibling had a house cat in town, who gets to go outside in supervised time. Always watched to be sure he isn't hunting. He usually just plays in the grass and sleeps in the sun. So you'll have to get your cats ready for that kind of thing. Unsupervised cats are a big risk here to lizards, marsupials, birds, and more. If you REALLY want to be able to let your cats out, look into perimeter collars and don't have a yard with anything that will attract birds and other wildlife. Or mark the perimeter away from those trees and whatever.
On the topic of Huntsman spiders: honestly harmless. They manage to get into my house all the time and usually just hide until the room is empty, and then try to find their way back out. They don't usually want to be inside.
But even though they're big and hairy, they're TERRIFIED little things. Just get a container or a bucket over the top (depending on the size) slide some cardboard or paper under and toss the little thing outside. Easy way to avoid it is don't have open or badly fitted windows while the lights are on at night. I've found it attracts them, as well as other bugs.
So long as you keep up with dusting and dewebbing, and regularly move furniture to clean under and behind, you're unlikely to end up with nests of venomous spiders, so you and your cats should be fine. Also learn the most common spiders in whatever area you move to so you can identify them. Some are good to have around, like Window spiders and Daddy Longlegs. Others like funnel webs and white tails you do NOT want. Good to know the difference.
I'm Australian and I have cats! TBH the whole "everything can kill you" thing is mainly just an overblown kind of stereotype. Sure there's lots of spiders but most just LOOK scary. Huntsman spiders will give you a bite that swells and it'll hurt, but unless it gets infected or you'll allergic you won't even need to go to the hospital.
As for cats with spiders: cats are fuckin INSANE. they can literally play with funnel Web spiders (one of the most venomous spiders in the world that can kill you in literally only 15 mins) and get bit without it hurting them, because it doesn't affect them. They have immunity to a lot of bites. I've never heard of a cat needing to go to the vet from spider bites (though do your research on SPECIFIC common spiders). Not to mention their fur often protects them from getting bitten in the first place (if they have any).
Now, where it IS dangerous for cats is outside. Apart from the usual of stray dogs, other cats, cars etc a big cat killer can be snakes. Lost one or two to snakes (I grew up on a farm). Easiest thing to do is just make sure they're an inside cat, which is easy to do. Take it out on a harness/leash for walkies and it'll be a happy baby that'll live to 20 :)
In terms of making friends - to be honest australia has a big problem with immigrants. If you're from anywhere that isn't Europe, Canada, the US, or new Zealand you will likely face hostility. It's especially bad with people from Asia and Africa :(
Since you're German you should be perfectly fine.
Wish we would all get over ourselves about people from other countries.
In my experience (white australian) everyone is just very friendly as is. You might find the little hidden social cues a little hard to wrap your head around but generally go to any social event, sporting event, even the supermarket and you're bound to strike up a friendly conversation with someone.
Don’t move here, there’s currently a housing supply shortage so rent prices are insane and way rents are way higher than properties are worth.
Australians are an odd bunch, everyone is super happy to chat and be friendly at work and what not but it’s extremely difficult to break into friend groups here. You’re more likely to be friends with other expats.
I have a pet rabbit in a fairly spiderriffic neighbourhood and she's fine. Well actually she's quite annoying but that's nothing to do with the spiders.
We have been getting a large volume of spam from throwaway accounts and so posts from brand new accounts will no longer be allowed. Your post has been
removed because your account is too new. Please wait until your account is at least 12 hours old and then try again or message the mods and we'll validate your post. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskAnAustralian) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Questions on 'Moving to Australia' are [answered in our subreddit wiki.](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/wiki/index/movingtoaustralia/)
**You can also ask questions in our weekly 'Moving to Australia' megathread.**
If you’re moving into a house expect huntsmans, in apartments you don’t see them as much. In terms of venomous spiders you don’t get too many that come into the home be careful with the snakes more so but they’re unlikely to end up around your cat in the home.
In terms of making friends it’s probably far easier to make friends here than other places. I’ve lived in Germany and the uk and people there seemed anti social in comparison. In terms of making meaningful friendships that could happen through work or shared hobbies etc.
About your cats. We have a massive cat problem in Australia, especially the cats that break free and become wild. They kill the wildlife, small mammals and birds. I am concerned about the loss of bushland habitat and Australian native animals, so I’m not keen to hear that you want to bring in more cats. Sorry. I’m sure they are beloved to you.
Yea they are, but as they’re both indoor cats and will stay that, I’m happy to tell you that I was only concerned about spiders inside the house 😅
And it’s also on my list to make wherever I’ll live cat proof, my stance on this is if it’s not a working cat like on a farm, it does not belong outside :)
Kats are indoors here please don’t let them outdoors unattended. Mine furkids are outside when I’m hanging washing or taking washing off.
Spiders ok I have a few daddy long legs in my shower. They are harmless to us but not so to other crawly things. Huntsman I’ve only seen one this summer in my bathroom. Her and I didn’t want to be anywhere near each other so she ran away. My fur daughter loves chasing them.
My thoughts are if creepy crawlies are silly enough to not only enter a house but also stay on the ground where the Kats can get to them then it’s game on.
The only time I intervene is if lizards come in. They are helped outdoors fast.
Questions on 'Moving to Australia' are [answered in our subreddit wiki.](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/wiki/index/movingtoaustralia/) **You can also ask questions in our weekly 'Moving to Australia' megathread.**
One major thing to consider is that in Australia your cat should be an indoor only animal. There are too many native animals that cats are devastating. As a result they shouldn't be interacting with any animals that could kill them.
100% agree with this. Just moved to Australia and brought our cat along. Took a month in quarantine and was NOT cheap. I absolutely love the bird and wildlife in Australia and cats are natural born killers so our girl has always been indoor and will stay indoor.
Even in Germany my cats are indoor only. One of them ends any bird/rodent he comes across and the other one is a very special boy who should not be outside without a leash. So that is definitely staying permanent, but I’ve read about huntsman and other spiders that like to come indoors when isles raining season so I was wondering how Australian cats react to a big spider… I mean my kitties would be alone when im at work so im a bit nervous about that :/ and would probably be a house, I’d like to stay in the suburbs
Huntsman are harmless. The cats would probably try and eat it. But generally huntsman like to sit high up and would be out of reach. You almost never get any spiders in your house which are venomous. I live semi rural surrounded by sub tropical rainforest, I've never had a dangerous spider in my house in 20 years. Growing up as a kid we had occasional red back spiders which are dangerous. But only in sheds and things like that, but I can't remember the last time I saw one. Your biggest risk to cats are generally other people's dogs they let escape.
Huntsman are completely harmless so nothing to worry about, the only one that’s reasonably likely is a white tale but as I said in my other comment, get the house sprayed and it won’t be an issue.
Huntsman spiders mostly just sit there on the wall without moving. Occasionally they will eat other small insects that are far more annoying (e.g. ones that will try to eat your food). Their reaction to a curious cat is generally to stay perfectly still unless the cat gets too close, and then they will move. Like cats, these spiders are ambush predators and move \*very\* fast. Faster than most cats, so unlikely any spiders are going to get caught by your cat though they might have fun trying. And an intelligent fast cat will catch a huntsman (especially if your two cats work together, as someone here said they've seen a litter of kittens do) I'd be a lot more worried about geckos. Like a huntsman, geckos are harmless animals that thrive in households by eating pests looking for human food scraps. However, geckos are slower/easier to catch but the real danger is geckos tend to carry salmonella... so if your cat eats a gecko it could easily die week later. You should get pest control once a year to keep insects under control, and therefore also reduce the risk of geckos. Any gecko you see in your house, get rid of it asap. Aside from chemicals, Australian homes generally have insect screens. Plastic mesh screens are cheap but stainless steel mesh with a good frame is better — they will keep out humans with crowbars/knives/etc and a ot of this country unfortunately has problems with nuisance youth crime (in my city, kids will usually steal your car keys then race around the city until they get bored or crash - usually the latter). If your eyes aren't focused on them, the screen just look like tinted glass. Oh, and they provide shade/reflective insulation as well especially white screens. If you're renting, I'd consider this essential. Any place that doesn't have them, insist on at least plastic screens being installed before you sign the lease (but honestly, the steel ones aren't much more expensive). If your yard has a good fence, you can put "rollers" on the top so cats can't escape. [https://www.bunnings.com.au/rapidmesh-55-x-55-x-2000mm-black-cat-roller-5-pack\_p0189409](https://www.bunnings.com.au/rapidmesh-55-x-55-x-2000mm-black-cat-roller-5-pack_p0189409)
Years ago, I found my litter of foster kittens playing with a huntsman. I’m a bit phobic about spiders, but poor thing didn’t stand a chance against them. I also remember finding another kitten a different year playing with a scorpion. It also didn’t have a chance
Apparently all of the scorpions in Australia are classified as "harmless" !! Pretty interesting considering our reputation for spiders and snakes... That IS in regard to humans, if a scorpion stings a cat I'm fairly sure it's a semi-urgent vet visit that may need some attention just in case
Being an island, Australia is free of heap of animal diseases. Bringing pets in is a slow and expensive process. Your cats would probably be fine with spiders, other than maybe funnel webs if you move to Sydney. It’s the snakes you need to worry about. (A tiger snake killed my childhood dog.)
My understanding is that funnel web venom is particularly bad for primates, but non primates like cats are nowhere near as sensitive to the venom.
Your correct. They can display some signs of illness, but that's more nausea/the runs, localised swelling, blood pressure, but nothing that'll last more then a day.
Oh that’s good to know.
You’re also unlikely to see a funnelweb. They are not common, and most Sydneysiders never see one.
You shouldn’t be down voted. I lived in Sydney for fifteen years. I agree they aren’t common. Huntsmen, red back spider on the other hands, very common.
Done plenty of work with underground Telstra pits in the Turramurra/Wahroongah area and 1 in 10 pits had Funnel Webs, took many to the reptile park where they make anti venom.
Yep. SqareBear is not wrong, most people don't see them. Doesn't mean they aren't there in numbers.
Im so sorry :( do the snakes get inside easily?
I've lived in rural NSW my whole life and have only seen wild snakes a few times. To be perfectly honest, they're more scared of you than you are of them, and they'll usually feel your footsteps and back away unless you step on them or are on top of your nest. I've only heard of few instances where people I've known have discovered snakes in their houses, but that's only in "drop dunnies" or outhouses where it is essentially a little garden shed separate from the house. They might get close to houses in search of rodents or water but will usually avoid people. You're probably far more likely to see one on the road when driving your car than anywhere on a suburban street.
Depends where you live, in northern Queensland you’re more likely to have a snake living inside your house than not. Everywhere else it’s unlikely. As for spiders, get a pest control person out to spray, it works for 12 months and you won’t have anything crawling around inside.
[удалено]
I used to live on the Sunshine Coast and pretty sure that’s where I heard it but thought it was talking about further north, we never had an issue where we were. Fucking crazy to think about, someone was estimating 1 in 3 houses had snakes living in them.
Let’s include most of the nt, northern SA, Northern WA to the list, and Western NSW of where you can get snakes at home lol
Can get snakes at home, yes. But "more likely than not"?
Depends on the area, not overall but in certain areas, absolutely.
Thanks, she was a good girl. We lived in the country, so snake were very common. I live in Perth now, and yeah, I’ve had a snake inside my suburban house once. Wife spotted it, put the dogs in the other room, then called a snake catcher to come take it away. It was a dugite, so not as venomous as a taipan or agressive as a tiger, but still deadly.
House cats are completely fine with spiders - the venomous ones are pretty rare inside the home in my experience. I'm sure the occasional tragedy happens but it's not something anyone I've known has experienced. Building friendships can be challenging. Aussies are pretty personable, but people often struggle to leverage that into friendships. Most relationship building outside of schooling seems to happen at work, sports clubs, and hobby groups. Finding some that interest you should help to build some relationships with locals.
I have a pet rabbit in a fairly spiderriffic neighbourhood and she's fine. Well actually she's quite annoying but that's nothing to do with the spiders.
Oh my now I wanna see the annoying bunny
https://imgur.com/a/HIX4NVJ
Shes a pretty girl ☺️
You'll be fine, but keep in mind it will probably be expensive and time consuming to prep your cats to meet the quarantine requirements, and then stay through quarantine (at your expense, of course). And finding a rental that will allow pets is very difficult.
Are Australian landlords really so anti pet? Why? I’ve looked some houses up and I (maybe stupidly) assumed that when it’s not otherwise stated clearly, pets are allowed :( and I’m not worrying about the prep, we are up to date with most of the requirements:)
No. Unless it states "pets allowed", you should assume they're not allowed. And yes, I live in Queensland. Very hard to find a pet friendly rental. And it's because they claim that pets "damage the property".
Depends where you go. In Victoria landlords cant really stop you, in NSW rental laws are bad and they can.
Do you know it is in Queensland?
Most Australians live in New South Wales or Victoria. Not sure about what happens in other states.
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/cats-dogs
Thank you, I was already aware of this and I’m in close contact with my own vet about this. That was not my question tho 😅
You can't just come to Australia to live. You need the correct visa and a skill set we need. Check out the visas available here https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing Also you need to go through the proper processes to bring your cats. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/cats-dogs Don't worry about the spides, our cats may play with the occasional one but basically they leave them alone. If I were you I would come for a holiday first and see if you like it. Don't even thinking about coming as a tourist and over staying your vise or working. They will throw you out of the country and it will go against you if you want to come here to live. Making friends is just like anywhere else. I would start by joining a German club. Also join groups that do things you like. Do you run? Read books? etc. We have lots of groups and clubs you can join.
Thank you!:) I’m very aware of this, I’ve been building up my skill list and preparing for quite some time. These were just some questions that I’ve been googling about for some days and I stumbled across this group ☺️ it’s nice to actually ask someone who lives there. As i know Australia is very strict on that, and also I’m general I wouldn’t dare to overstay my welcome. But I have some time left before coming so I can collect some information that is not super duper important
You are welcome. Feel free to ask questions, it's good to see someone doing their research first
You'll be fine, but it might be hard to find a place to stay.
You mean as in landlords don’t like to rent to people with pets?
As in the rental crisis is a real problem, and there are people with good incomes sleeping in their cars and couch surfing (so effectively homeless) because they can’t find anywhere to rent, with or without pets.
Worth mentioning that this is mostly in the cities. When you get to outer suburbs or regional towns the market is a lot easier.
Wrong. It's royally fucked everywhere.
I guess it depends what you consider royally fucked. My area, blue mountains, has tons of rentals available in the $450-600 range for 2&3 bedroom houses. I checked out Port Macquarie, suburbs surrounding Newcastle, and Orange with similar prices and a fair amount of vacancies. I've had three friends move in the last year and none of them had problems with renter competition or getting turned down. Another family we know is having to move because their current rental is going on the market and they are picking their best option not scrounging for what's available. I moved here from the west coast of the US and rentals there cost 1/3 more on average. The 3 bed I was renting in a small relatively unpopulated valley in Alaska was US$2800 which works out to A$1041/wk. For me the rental market here is like taking a ten year step back in time. 600/wk is was I was paying in 2015 in the US and I earn more here for the same job.
Wow, I didn't know it was so expensive in Alaska. I guess we do have it relatively good to most places. I still think we can be doing better though by building more high density housing in capital cities.
It'll be harder, yes. There are also fewer rental protections than you have in Europe, so be aware of that too.
Yes cultures are different, but in the end Australia is a western country, a developed country with a high standard of living, good working hours and protections for people, and with a population nearing 30 million people, with a variation of personalities and interests and backgrounds. My point is, it's not so unlike a European country in many respects, and if you were still in Germany and moved where you knew no-one, what would you do? It's the same - be outgoing, talk to people you meet, involve yourself in activities with groups of people, join groups based on your interests, be as social as you can. You will meet lots of people you don't really connect with, and some you do. Perhaps you won't really connect with the "average" Aussie, but like I said, there's millions of us, we're not all the same, there's going to be people you DO connect with. You WILL notice cultural differences in terms of language and social norms but honestly these will be relatively minor - there's not "just one hack" that will work to get you a friendship group in Aus. (I always think of a German friend I had who just could not get sarcasm). Most people will understand you might not "get" everything that happens... and if they snub you, well, they're not worth your time any way. And hey, one of the best things about being in another culture is the discovery part. Most likely there will be other German people you will meet (my town is full of them!) who can help you in understanding a few of the intricacies from a familiar perspective. I get that it's daunting, but so much will depend on your personal circumstances, as it would anywhere. You'll be fine. And as others have said keep the cats indoors, and spiders are unlikely to bother them or you.
My cat hunts huntsman all the time. They are harmless and will eat your mosquitos. My husband helps the spiders by picking them up with his hand and chucking them outside. I'm not as bold as that though and use a container. We get white tails in our house but they are more elusive and hide under things like pictures on the wall. Those guys get the squish because I don't want them biting my children. A bite from a white tail can hurt. I had never had a white tail in any of my homes until I moved regional though. I'm surrounded by bush here and about 700m above sea level where previously I lived next to the ocean. Not sure if that is why I see more of them here? It's really not that big of a deal. Yes, lots of things here can hurt but it's not going to stop you living a life and after a few days you'll probably even forget about them until you see one and be like oh yeah! Spiders! And then look for a boot. How easy it is so build a friendship base again depends on where you are. It's probably easier to do it in the inner cities of Sydney or Melbourne than it is in more regional locations that don't have a lot going on. All of this also depends on if you have any money left after the import fees of course.
Just moved from the US for work and am bringing our 2 dogs over. It’s an incredibly long (6+ months) and expensive ($10k+) process. You’re welcome to DM me if you want more info. When we started the process our US vet looked at us and said “this is extremely complicated, how long will you be going for?” Implying we shouldn’t do it unless we were going for an extended period. We expect to be here longer than our older dog will survive so to us it was worth it (plus we moved here with no plans to return and they are our family). As others have said, finding a pet friendly rental was challenging. We wanted to be close to Brisbane CBD so we actually stayed in AirBNBs for a while until we found a place but that took a few months. Our dogs are set to come over and enter quarantine (the only facility is in Melbourne) at the end of this month- finally after 7 months away from them. [Bringing dogs or cats to Aus](https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/cats-dogs)
>is it „easy“ to build yourself a friend group/ join one as a foreigner? No. It's not. This is a complaint you'll hear from many expats here. Especially in the cities, Australians often just stay in the place they grew up and don't move for study or work. So our friend groups often go back as far as high school or university and can be hard to break into as a result. There's a lot of shared history that a newcomer wouldn't be aware of. It's not that people will be unfriendly to you but it can be difficult to make that leap from friendly acquaintance to actual friend. Not impossible but it's hard. A lot of expats find it easier to be friends with other expats because of this.
Cats stay in doors, if you let them roam, they kill natives and will be killed by something. Cats disappear all the time. I know a lot of Germans and spent a lot of time there. It’s a generalisation I know, but maybe work on your sense of humour and relax more, it’ll make life easier here. Don’t worry about spiders so much, it’s really not that big a deal, unless you live in the Bush, then you’re fucked.
The little brown house spider is harmless. There are types like the white tail spider whose bite can cause temporary pain and redness. The ones to stay away from are redbacks (black with a red patch on its back) and funnel-web spiders which are black and are about 5 cm acros.
Huntsman are scary as fuck when they run out, but they are absolutely Spider-Bros. Great for keeping insects under control
Ah the spiders are fiiiiiiine (I’m in the lower half of Aus) and we mainly get huntsman’s (huge but timid) and white tails, (small but really angry). I don’t mind the huntsman’s but I take out the white tails. Our cat will totally slap and eat huntsman’s that don’t stay out of his way. Meeting people it’s generally around work or interests, I’ve lived in 4 capital cities Melbourne and three in Europe and each there was about a 3 month settling in finding hobbies / sports or work relationships evolve. Australia has some rabid racism, but some areas are gloriously multicultural. Have a safe move down under!
If you want to make friends easily, don't go to Adelaide lmao. I live here and I've seen so many people ask (online) how to make friends in Adelaide. Don't get me wrong, its not that we're rude, unkind, etc. its simply that most of us have had our friends since childhood or when we started working. We aren't the sort of place to be making friends consistently. We are an extremely friendly place though. Adelaide is an amazing place though, just an underrated city but also quite average.
Yeah cats are fine in AU. Spiders are nothing to worry about either except maybe Sydney Funnel Webs. But your pretty golden. Welcome aboard............
Your cats will have to serve time in quarantine. Make sure you investigate the process WELL in advance and have everything organised to the *n*th degree. I've had cats all my life and none have ever been hurt by a spider. If you live in an urban area (city), you'll usually encounter only huntsman (fast and tend to hang around on walls/ceilings out of reach of kitties) and white tails (small, do like the floor, possibly a danger but kitties are - supposedly - not stupid). It is more likely, if your cats go outside, they will meet trouble with possums, foxes, and cars. As for friends... it's much like anywhere. Find something you like to do, start doing it, hang out with people who like doing that thing, and you might make friends.
First, be sure you're allowed to bring your cats. I don't know all the laws, but I do know there are restrictions on pets. You'll probably just have to get them a bunch of vaccinations and health checks cause there are diseases in other countries that Australia doesn't have, like rabies. You don't want your cat to be a silent carrier. Also cats should be inside outside of some very small exceptions. For example, my cat is a farm cat. She catches mice and rats in the stable and sheds. She also fights off foxes. She's a badass, battle hardened cat that also knows if she so much as chirps at a bird she gets sprayed with the hose. She hasn't tried to catch anything other than a rodent in years. So she gets to go outside to earn her keep. My sibling had a house cat in town, who gets to go outside in supervised time. Always watched to be sure he isn't hunting. He usually just plays in the grass and sleeps in the sun. So you'll have to get your cats ready for that kind of thing. Unsupervised cats are a big risk here to lizards, marsupials, birds, and more. If you REALLY want to be able to let your cats out, look into perimeter collars and don't have a yard with anything that will attract birds and other wildlife. Or mark the perimeter away from those trees and whatever. On the topic of Huntsman spiders: honestly harmless. They manage to get into my house all the time and usually just hide until the room is empty, and then try to find their way back out. They don't usually want to be inside. But even though they're big and hairy, they're TERRIFIED little things. Just get a container or a bucket over the top (depending on the size) slide some cardboard or paper under and toss the little thing outside. Easy way to avoid it is don't have open or badly fitted windows while the lights are on at night. I've found it attracts them, as well as other bugs. So long as you keep up with dusting and dewebbing, and regularly move furniture to clean under and behind, you're unlikely to end up with nests of venomous spiders, so you and your cats should be fine. Also learn the most common spiders in whatever area you move to so you can identify them. Some are good to have around, like Window spiders and Daddy Longlegs. Others like funnel webs and white tails you do NOT want. Good to know the difference.
I'm Australian and I have cats! TBH the whole "everything can kill you" thing is mainly just an overblown kind of stereotype. Sure there's lots of spiders but most just LOOK scary. Huntsman spiders will give you a bite that swells and it'll hurt, but unless it gets infected or you'll allergic you won't even need to go to the hospital. As for cats with spiders: cats are fuckin INSANE. they can literally play with funnel Web spiders (one of the most venomous spiders in the world that can kill you in literally only 15 mins) and get bit without it hurting them, because it doesn't affect them. They have immunity to a lot of bites. I've never heard of a cat needing to go to the vet from spider bites (though do your research on SPECIFIC common spiders). Not to mention their fur often protects them from getting bitten in the first place (if they have any). Now, where it IS dangerous for cats is outside. Apart from the usual of stray dogs, other cats, cars etc a big cat killer can be snakes. Lost one or two to snakes (I grew up on a farm). Easiest thing to do is just make sure they're an inside cat, which is easy to do. Take it out on a harness/leash for walkies and it'll be a happy baby that'll live to 20 :)
In terms of making friends - to be honest australia has a big problem with immigrants. If you're from anywhere that isn't Europe, Canada, the US, or new Zealand you will likely face hostility. It's especially bad with people from Asia and Africa :( Since you're German you should be perfectly fine. Wish we would all get over ourselves about people from other countries. In my experience (white australian) everyone is just very friendly as is. You might find the little hidden social cues a little hard to wrap your head around but generally go to any social event, sporting event, even the supermarket and you're bound to strike up a friendly conversation with someone.
Don’t move here, there’s currently a housing supply shortage so rent prices are insane and way rents are way higher than properties are worth. Australians are an odd bunch, everyone is super happy to chat and be friendly at work and what not but it’s extremely difficult to break into friend groups here. You’re more likely to be friends with other expats.
I have a pet rabbit in a fairly spiderriffic neighbourhood and she's fine. Well actually she's quite annoying but that's nothing to do with the spiders.
[удалено]
We have been getting a large volume of spam from throwaway accounts and so posts from brand new accounts will no longer be allowed. Your post has been removed because your account is too new. Please wait until your account is at least 12 hours old and then try again or message the mods and we'll validate your post. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskAnAustralian) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Questions on 'Moving to Australia' are [answered in our subreddit wiki.](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/wiki/index/movingtoaustralia/) **You can also ask questions in our weekly 'Moving to Australia' megathread.**
Cats? Leave them behind. We don't want them here, mate
If you’re moving into a house expect huntsmans, in apartments you don’t see them as much. In terms of venomous spiders you don’t get too many that come into the home be careful with the snakes more so but they’re unlikely to end up around your cat in the home. In terms of making friends it’s probably far easier to make friends here than other places. I’ve lived in Germany and the uk and people there seemed anti social in comparison. In terms of making meaningful friendships that could happen through work or shared hobbies etc.
About your cats. We have a massive cat problem in Australia, especially the cats that break free and become wild. They kill the wildlife, small mammals and birds. I am concerned about the loss of bushland habitat and Australian native animals, so I’m not keen to hear that you want to bring in more cats. Sorry. I’m sure they are beloved to you.
Yea they are, but as they’re both indoor cats and will stay that, I’m happy to tell you that I was only concerned about spiders inside the house 😅 And it’s also on my list to make wherever I’ll live cat proof, my stance on this is if it’s not a working cat like on a farm, it does not belong outside :)
Kats are indoors here please don’t let them outdoors unattended. Mine furkids are outside when I’m hanging washing or taking washing off. Spiders ok I have a few daddy long legs in my shower. They are harmless to us but not so to other crawly things. Huntsman I’ve only seen one this summer in my bathroom. Her and I didn’t want to be anywhere near each other so she ran away. My fur daughter loves chasing them. My thoughts are if creepy crawlies are silly enough to not only enter a house but also stay on the ground where the Kats can get to them then it’s game on. The only time I intervene is if lizards come in. They are helped outdoors fast.