Bitten by a big black spider?
Call 000 for an ambulance straight away, even with no symptoms. healthdirect says to lie the person down and keep them still, then apply a pressure bandage over the bite and along the whole limb, without cutting off circulation, and splint it.
Living against the escarpment
The park boundary
NPWS says the conservation area borders urban communities mainly along its eastern side, and names Austinmer, Thirroul and Bulli. Its forest runs from subtropical rainforest to eucalypts and cedars.
What the park manages
NPWS names foxes, feral cats and feral deer as its major pest animals, with goats and rabbits in some areas. It says dumped or escaped domestic animals are a significant source of them.
Ticks in the long grass
NSW Health says ticks favour bushland, long grass and humid places along the east coast. Spring is when to be most careful: adult paralysis ticks, the most dangerous stage, peak from September to December, according to NSW Health Pathology.
Damp slopes and funnel-webs
Sydney funnel-webs like shady gullies and bushy suburbs, and the Australian Museum has records from Wollongong, outside their main range. We can't tell you they're on your street, only that it's worth knowing the first aid.
Habits for a bush edge block
- Bring shoes in at night, and shake out anything left on the floor.
- Keep logs and leaf litter away from doors.
- Check kids and dogs after time in the scrub.
- Put pet food away overnight, so you aren't feeding whatever comes down the hill.
- Keep garden waste out of the bush: it spreads weeds and gives pests cover.
Building and pest inspection in Thirroul
Timber near damp ground deserves a proper look, and a building report alone won't tell you if timber pests are still around. Get your own timber pest inspection. NSW Government advice is that a seller's report can help, but it doesn't replace an independent one.
Ask each inspector about their professional indemnity insurance. Our pre-purchase page covers what the report should include, and the Wollongong termite page covers the signs.
Possums
Bush this close means possums in the roof are common enough. They're protected in NSW, so the answer is proofing, plus lawful catch and release by someone who holds a licence, at dusk and within 150 metres. Our possums page explains how it works.
If it were our house in Thirroul
We'd learn the spider first aid, make a tick check part of coming home from a walk, and watch the roofline at dusk for a week. If something's still bothering you after that, tell us what you've seen and where.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
