QUESTION:

What happens in your country regularly that people in most countries would find strange or bizarre?

We don't get killed by our critters!!!

Come on. You think of Australia, your mind first goes to plethora of ways you can die- via our 'predators'. Snakes, spiders, crocodiles, sharks, stingrays the size of cars- heck even one of our kangaroos might well engage you in a kickboxing match, on a suburban street! That's what you think.

There are over 26 million of us. We live in diverse environments- from alpine to desert to rainforest to coastal. And we do have some nasty critters here, sure.

A few of us get gnashed by a shark annually- but that's nature. It's not like they come to land and stalk lycra-wearing power walkers! Those who have a chunk of leg go missing- they chose to swim in shark water.

Same withour crocs. Signs everywhere: "CROCODILES. DANGER! UNSAFE TO SWIM." If you want to either be a hero or a moron, sure, swim in that river. (Just don't bitch about your prosthetic limb or loss of self afterwards.)

Stingrays? Yeah, they got Steve Irwin. But he's the only one I know about. Can't think of another occasion off the top of my head. Boys and I swam around them (feet away) for years. As did thousands of others (except for tourists) without the merest incident.

Spiders? Meh. If it's a baddie, kill it if an immediate threat, take it outside if not. If it's a goodie, talk nice to it and either let it be, or take it outside. Simple. (I did get bit on the arse by a whitetail and it did hurt and it has left a scar. But it was sleeping cosy in my bed. I plonked my arse on it without looking- what else was it gonna do?)

So that's what happens regularly here: We don't get killed. Maybe a handful (of mostly idiots) a year. But it's not the dangerous fearsome place you guys think.

What's strange over at yours?