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I need advice on spiders and insects in Australia!!?

Question by Micah: I need advice on spiders and insects in Australia!!?
Hi people (ideally Australian people!)

An opportunity has come up for us to go on a fantastic sounding trip next spring to Australia, a 2-week holiday which would involve 1 week in Sydney, then flying over for a week in Cairns. We would be going to Ayers Rock at some point during our stay and I would love to visit the rainforests while we are there too. My fella is really excited and I am too, it sounds amazing and a real dream holiday. There’s just one problem for me, I am quite possibly the most arachnophobic person alive and I have a real intense fear of spiders and large insects.
I keep hearing horror stories about huge spiders in Australia, ones that come inside the house and hide in your shoes, inside your car, etc…I heard of one called the Sydney Funnel Web which is poisonous, does this species dwell in Sydney as its name suggests? Also is it BIG??!! If we go to stay in Sydney for a week and then Cairns, how likely is it that we will encounter a rather large 8-legged friend during our stay??
I really don’t want this to spoil my holiday, but I will honestly be terrified and constantly jumpy and on edge, not being able to sleep etc if what i have heard is true!
We live in the UK so obviously don’t get huge insects here, but even the big black house spiders we get here frighten the life out of me. I would love to get over this fear before we go to Oz, I know its irrational but I have had it all my life.

Sorry if I sound stupid but any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks guys

Best answer:

Answer by Gabby B RIP Bubba Perez & Sloane
The odds of you seeing one are pretty low, they usually only come out just after it has rained, when they start looking for a mate They are not huge spiders, the biggest I have every seen is about 8cm across (thats including the legs) The ones I would be more concerned about (not to freak you out, but to warn you) are “Huntsmen” they are much larger and look more venomous but the are NOT agressive, unless you start poking at them with a stick or whatever. They can jump, but again thats only if they are provoked. These spiders get pretty big, the biggest I have seen would have been close to 20cm (leg tip to leg tip). Another one I would be EXTREMELY cautious of is the red back, this little beauty is about 2cms in lenght and has red stripe down its back (well the females do anyway) as the name suggests. These spiders are really agressive, if you see one (usually in cracks, sheds, and in bricks) move away straight away, dont mess with these spiders. Now the one that you will most likely see is a Daddy Long Legs, these are not dangerous at all, they are also quite docile. They look like a weird shaped, small grain of rice with reallllly long legs, they are usually found hanging out in empty cupboards or ceiling corners I will find some pics so you know what you are looking for:

Sydney Funnel Web:

http://arachnophiliac.info/burrow/gallery/other/images/funnel_web.gif

Huntsmen:

http://blog.willamette.edu/people/pheck/journal/archives/HUNTSMAN.jpg

Red Back:

http://www.nikkish.net/jeff/blogpics/053005_redback.jpg

Daddy Long Legs (the nice one):

http://www.usq.edu.au/spider/find/spiders/images/508A10.jpg

Another thing to be cautious of is snakes, if you see a snake, if you are not to close, walk away, if you are right on top of it, then just stay still and wait for it to move.

Dont be too freaked out by the spiders, so long as you do the right thing around them you will be fine I have been living here my whole life and yet to be bitten

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!