Australia is Not for the Faint of Heart

The fascination of Down Under had always brought certain picturesque images to my mind:

The Great Barrier Reef

Ayers Rock/Uluru

Wild Kangaroos hoping along the beach

Cuddly Koalas hanging out in the trees.

All of these things I have found to be true of magnificent and majestic Australia.  It is an expansive country with a huge array of amazing things to see and do.  There are beautifully stunning beaches that rival even the most fantastic coastlines in the world.  I always knew that I would visit here; I never thought I would ever be so lucky to live here (Thanks Michael!).  During my time here, I haven't even touched the surface of the awesome that is Australia.

As a potential visitor, I certainly saw OZ through rose colored glasses.  Since moving here, I have now adjusted my sights back to the reality of life in the Outback.  Ignorance was bliss for a short sweet time.  There have been some major natural disasters since I've moved here:  the "biblical" flood of Queensland that covered an area the size of France and Germany, some out of control brush fires effecting Western Australia, and now the category 5 cyclone Yasi that will hit the coast of Northern Queensland tonight.

Besides the flooding, cyclones and fires, some of the world's deadliest animals call Australia home.  There are Great White Sharks swimming freely off the Southern coasts, vicious Salt water Crocodiles swimming in the Northern waters, and fatal box jellyfish that keep you out of the waters for up to 6 months at a time!  Now if you are too afraid to swim in the water here, consider your enemies on shore.  Five of the world's top ten deadliest snakes are found in Australia, including the brown snake that we found hanging out at our front door a few weeks ago.  Luckily, only two of the world's deadliest spiders are found here in Australia.  Number six on the list is the red back spider which we can commonly find hanging out under our grill cover or on our back porch furniture.  For the first few months living here, I checked the sheets for spiders before getting into bed!  I've been scared to death of all these deadly creatures hence why I think Australia is not for the faint at heart.  Thank goodness I have learned to adapt and love Australia!

Cyclone Yasi projection as of 4pm today, Wednesday, February 2, 2011.  Check this website for any updates on Cyclone Yasi.