I'm not sure I ever want to go back to Melbourne

[jefmcg]

I'm ok with snakes and spiders and jelly fish and even the occasional shark.

But man-eating sea lice? Not so much.

Spoiler: It's pretty bloody

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...eatures-eat-teenagers-legs-at-melbourne-beach

 

[welsh dragon]

Blimey. Australia isn't somewhere i want to go, even more so after seeing that. Seems to me just about everything tries to bite, sting or poison you.

My son loved Australia mind you and he would go back in a heartbeat.

 

[Profpointy]

never mind a few flea bites, their (so-called) beer is rubbish

 

[Levo-Lon]

If the locals are like what's being portrayed in top of the lake , I'd not want to go there..
My wife's niece has married a gold coast man..he is an acquired taste..

No that's it I'm not going

 

[threebikesmcginty]

never mind a few flea bites, their (so-called) beer is rubbish

That's getting straight to the main problem with Australia, I found a few good ones but it was an unnecessarily difficult struggle.

 

[Profpointy]

That's getting straight to the main problem with Australia, I found a few good ones but it was an unnecessarily difficult struggle.

To be fair, things improved after six months when I made do with drinking wine instead. It was a bit of a wrench, but their wine is perfectly OK, especially their "Champagne" for (then) 5 bucks a bottle.

The other thing was their ridiculously opressive rules. My sport of caving was so constrained by access rules in the national parks that you could really only visit the shitty caves with most of the really good caves effectivley out of bounds. The anti cycling hatred and rules was also symptomatic of a "can't do this, can't do that" ethos rather than merely rules I personally didn't like.

Very friendly and hospitable people though, and I loved the wildlife, even if some, like in the OP need a bit of care

 

[jefmcg]

Just to be clear, this is something new. Brighton has a lovely beach, and people flock there. I've swum in that water hundreds of times. It's as shocking to see this happening at Brighton, Melbourne as it would be in Brighton, Sussex.

Note that a lot of container ship go through there, so these nasties may have come from anywhere in the world

 

[Globalti]

The ignorance displayed by the medical staff in that article is amazing - don't they know that many parasites and bugs inject their victims with an anti-coagulant?

Friends of Mrs Gti emigrated to Australia and for about a year she kept receiving irritating emails with pictures of the kids frolicking on the beach, barbecueing, water skiing etc. I could tell she was a little bit envious. Then it all went quiet and next thing we knew they had returned to the UK and were only living in Egremont, one of the wettest places in England. It turned out that somebody they new had been scoffed by a great white shark and they had suddenly realised they actually missed England and Australia was full of animals that sting, bite or even eat humans.

Mrs Gti has other friends who have emigrated to the Costa del Crime and keep sending irritating boasting emails. I understand they found their first winter there a little depressing and are now spending a small fortune getting their rather ostentatious villa insulated and fitted with central heating. Gawd knows how they are coping with the current heat wave.

 

[Hacienda71]

I used to live 100 meters from Brighton Beach as a kid. It is a lovely beach.

 

[Accy cyclist]

new. Brighton

New Brighton as in Liverpool?

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/must-do-things-new-brighton-12556256

 

[jefmcg]

Local newspaper has more information.

Apparently they are sea fleas not sea lice.

And with this helpful illustration ...

(coin is a little bigger than a 5p. Don't you love Australian currency?)

 

[guitarpete247]

There was a barmaid at my old local who went our to Oz with her husband a 2 kids. Husband having been offered promotion. They were given 6 month trial period. They were back after 3 months.
Thankfully the sale if their house hadn't gone through and she got her old jobs back. She said that she was terrified for her kids.

 

[Accy cyclist]

She said that she was terrified for her kids.

Was that around 1982?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWOS6HwMhmY

 

[classic33]

Blimey. Australia isn't somewhere i want to go, even more so after seeing that. Seems to me just about everything tries to bite, sting or poison you.

My son loved Australia mind you and he would go back in a heartbeat.

You should be safe, it'll be your son who's to watch it.

 

[numbnuts]

I drove through Melbourne, didn't like the place so didn't stop