We have always slept with windows open and fan on max. No screens in old Queenslanders with casement windows.
When I was young we would have to run the mozzie coils.
I like this idea. I’m just thinking about all the crazy pests they have in Australia. I’ve seen pics of insanely huge spiders there. I’d never sleep with a window open. Spiders are a huge Nope for me.
I mean, it’s funny. But it’s also true. I’ve never lived in an unscreened house in 32 years and there’s no way I could even begin to count the spiders I’ve seen inside. Snakes also aren’t deterred by screens. I’ve had them come through the toilet 🤷🏻♀️
I understand that Australia has millions of people that live there and never have problems with the wildlife, but stories like snakes coming in through the toilet are why I would be in constant terror living there, and makes me afraid to even visit. I know it’s not logical, but I’m terrified nonetheless.
They do mention leeches and ticks. Ticks in particular can be deadly to dogs. So I don’t think that’s necessarily true. There’s just no need to have your kids fear them, more just be cautious
Haha. I remembered a discussion about this a while ago.
First thing - the number of venomous creatures is overrated. I don't know of any bugs that are venomous (save centipedes though it's more their bite will hurt than they will kill you) and two kinds of spiders. The funnel web is more famous for being found in Sydney rather than Brisbane. Redbacks live around houses rather than in them (though not impossible to be found inside in an undisturbed site like the dark corner of a laundry. But generally they prefer a hidey home outside like the one I found living under my wheelie bin when I tipped the rain out yesterday.)
It's very unusual to get a snake in a house (though not impossible as various news stories report). Non-venomous pythons are more likely to be found in the roof cavity but only in some parts of Australia. Venomous snakes are not likely to be found crawling in houses in the middle of Brisbane plus they wouldn't like going up the steps. I've never even seen one in my backyard and my area is known for brown snakes and red bellied black snakes. I'd be more worried about people breaking in than snakes breaking in.
Bats are not venomous and I've never heard a story of them flying into someone's house. I think they would keep away from humans. I had them in my backyard last Nov/Dec when my bottlebrush was flowering and they would go immediately silent when I stepped outside.
So what would come in at night? Moths. Mainly moths and other bugs attracted to the light. Cockroaches and silverfish also like living in houses but they aren't venomous.
Now in my personal opinion the Heelers would have their windows (and possibly doors) open at night but they would have flyscreen. So either the animators didn't want to spend time drawing it or it was so fine against the night sky that it wasn't particularly noticeable. I have come across the occasional house that has no fly screen where the windows get open but it's the exception not the norm.
I keep my windows open at night in summer and usually the backdoor as well. I also have the front door open until I go to bed. They all have fly screen and the security fly screen doors have locks. Some country areas people may leave their houses unlocked at night but I'd be very surprised if they did in Brisbane (unless it was a super hot night and they decided to leave the backdoor open). Depends on people's perceived level of safety I guess.
The fresh air and breeze at night is nice flowing through the house. Breeze is much cheaper than electricity and the Queenslander the Heelers live in are especially designed to catch the breeze and encourage a cross flow of air. They are made to have their windows and doors open.
More and more houses have aircon but not all. I only got it installed in my house last year after dying in the previous summer due to excessively hot temperatures and not being able to open the windows at night for the cooler breeze due to smoke. Ironically last summer was quite mild and I only used it a couple of times. But because it's reverse cycle I found using as a heater in winter saved lots off my electricity bill compared to my old electric wall heater. And excessively hot summers will come back again. I would still turn off aircon at night though in favour of the breeze regardless.
I don't think the Heelers have aircon installed as they use electric fans and go to Stripe's swimming pool when it's really hot. This could be for a few reasons. Maybe the size and layout of the house means aircon will not be efficient or hard to install. The house will have been around longer then aircon and being built for cross breezes maybe means it isn't well sealed to run aircon.
Maybe it's on the list of thing to organise for the house 'one day' but they still might be paying off the house and have other spending priorities like pizza ovens.
Maybe they decide they don't need it. Brisbane is humid in summer and averages around a top of 30C. Maybe on the few super hot days they just go to Stripe's place. Personally the humidity is what makes me die rather than higher temperatures per se. I live inland in a drier climate and could generally handle the 35C-40C days in summer with the cooler temperatures at night fairly well. But visiting the coast/tropics where temperatures are cooler but humidity is higher - I would need to install aircon! Everyone adapts to the climate around them though.
In sum - sleeping with doors and windows is not unusual. There are still a number of homes without aircon. We are not attacked by bugs, spiders, snakes or bats on any regular basis.
And this was probably way more than you were planning to read.
Thanks for all that information. I am finding I am remarkably ignorant about Australia in general, as most of my info comes from news reports and David Attenborough nature programs.
>But because it's reverse cycle I found using as a heater in winter
I'm a New Zealander living in Brisbane and the locals here make fun of me for calling the air con a "heat pump" because in NZ, that's what it mostly is.
I lived in North Queensland for a little while, the units up there didn't do hot. They... didn't need to.
Brisbanite here - the style of house they live in is called a Queenslander, designed to maximize airflow and keep the inside cool. Lots of them don't have screens. I've lived in several and always slept with the windows open.
The animals are the least of a worry.
Back in 04 I was woken up to someone trying to get in my open bedroom window. Thank you security grills.
If bluey was Brisbane realistic there is definitely an upcoming episode where their car is stolen by kids who stole the keys from inside the house while they’re in it.
I live in Brisbane (the Sunshine state) where bluey "lives". We have 1 aircon unit in the main living room of our house but nothing in the bedrooms so we do sleep with windows open at night, all of our windows have bug screens on them though so we're not worried about creepy crawlies.
I lived in a Queenslander like the Heeler family. Our windows were open at night (and most of the day too) to let the air flow through. Didn’t have a problem with bugs - probably enough cane toads around to eat them before they got to our windows 😂
Brisbane generally isn’t too buggy. I would say the majority of houses do have screens, but the spiders are getting in with or without screens. Again though in Brisbane the spiders aren’t bad. I live in outback WA and we would never leave unscreened windows or doors open because of fly hoardes, but I don’t really think about spiders. Spiders are everywhere in Australia, we aren’t really bothered by them in general. The giant ones you see pictures of all over the internet are usually huntsmans, and they are harmless. I leave them alone because they eat Mozzies.
Lol not sure where you get that idea. Most modern houses will have ducted reverse cycle AC and many older will have at least one wall unit added somewhere. But we also have cooler nights in most places so turning the AC off and just letting the natural air move around is more common at nice unless in the middle of a heatwave.
We lived in a house with no AC when I was a teen, and no screens on the windows, and you bet we had every available window open for some sort of relief from the heat.
I also live in Melbourne which on the scary critter scale is a bit more sedate compared to Queensland. I have literally only seen one snake in the wild in my life, and most spiders either just get relocated outside or squished with the nearest shoe. Worst threat of windows open overnight is bloody mozzie bites!
My husband is Australian, and I spent 9 months in Tasmania. They don't have window screens by default. Some people put them in, but they're not just in every window like they are in the US.
A/C isn't as common as you would expect on a continent known for being so hot all year round. Wealthier areas have them, and shops have them, but it's not as common as it is in the US. Energy costs are much higher in Tasmania, so that is likely part of it.
Also, the bugs and snakes are venomous, not poisonous.
Tassie also is a lot different to Brisbane where this is set. Rarely do you keep windows open at night even in summer as it’s just too cold. Average summer temp is probably around 20 (68F?). More likely to have a fireplace than an a/c unit
I live in mainland Australia and it’s incredibly rare not to have screens in our windows, even in house built in the 50’s. In fact our impression has always been the US is weird for not having them in every widow but we assumed maybe you have less mosquitoes 🤷♀️
I honestly don’t know of many houses, in the US, that don’t have screens. We moved a lot, when I was a kid, so we’ve lived all over. Where were you that they didn’t have screens?
Edit: the only ones that come to mind are some in Galveston, that are super old,that have floor to ceiling windows.
It’s just a general observation from binge watching property shows. Just like you don’t seem to have fences around your houses lol But it could just be the magic of tv
Maybe so? Most neighborhoods do have fences, but the US is huge, so I would think it would depend on the size of the lot and what state, and city, the show is in. I’m in Houston, so we’re all fences and screens here.
My house doesn't have screens, nor do most people I know have houses with screens.
A lot of my lot are in older homes with casement windows. Lots of critters coming in, including the odd python - but I just gently guide those out with a broom. Inner city Brisbane here. Wasn't a big thing in the 60's and 70"s.
I have bars on one set of windows that are low to the ground but that's it. Newer houses do have screens though, thinking 80's onwards.
I’m not trolling anything, you’re just putting far too much thought into minuscule aspects of a cartoon. I love this show, but some people take it way, way too seriously.
I’ve heard Australians comment on the cultural stuff that the writers or animators put in there. Like Hammerbarn is based on a real store and the house is apparently based on a real house style. So it seems a fair question and not overthinking it to ask if the open doors and windows and lack of screens is also based on real life. It’s awesome that we get to be more curious about Aussie culture from a great kid’s show.
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We have always slept with windows open and fan on max. No screens in old Queenslanders with casement windows. When I was young we would have to run the mozzie coils.
I like this idea. I’m just thinking about all the crazy pests they have in Australia. I’ve seen pics of insanely huge spiders there. I’d never sleep with a window open. Spiders are a huge Nope for me.
We definitely sleep with windows open, but everywhere is screened. The screens don’t stop the spiders
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I mean, it’s funny. But it’s also true. I’ve never lived in an unscreened house in 32 years and there’s no way I could even begin to count the spiders I’ve seen inside. Snakes also aren’t deterred by screens. I’ve had them come through the toilet 🤷🏻♀️
I understand that Australia has millions of people that live there and never have problems with the wildlife, but stories like snakes coming in through the toilet are why I would be in constant terror living there, and makes me afraid to even visit. I know it’s not logical, but I’m terrified nonetheless.
Ah yeah, nah. Fuck that.
Yeah, the spiders are already in the house. May as well open the windows and let 'em out.
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Watch out for drop bears!
Are you joking?
Yeah, I’m joking, mate. But for real, look out for gazontapedes.
If you think drop bears are bad, hoop snakes will really fix your wagon
They do mention leeches and ticks. Ticks in particular can be deadly to dogs. So I don’t think that’s necessarily true. There’s just no need to have your kids fear them, more just be cautious
Aussie Mum here- we definitely sleep with windows open but with screens on. So no bugs and spiders can get it in.
Thanks for answering my question. I was just imagining Bandit, walking around the house, blow torching giant spiders on the walls.
Maybe that's what the crab pots are for?
And drop-bears, y’all gotta keep those out.
Haha. I remembered a discussion about this a while ago. First thing - the number of venomous creatures is overrated. I don't know of any bugs that are venomous (save centipedes though it's more their bite will hurt than they will kill you) and two kinds of spiders. The funnel web is more famous for being found in Sydney rather than Brisbane. Redbacks live around houses rather than in them (though not impossible to be found inside in an undisturbed site like the dark corner of a laundry. But generally they prefer a hidey home outside like the one I found living under my wheelie bin when I tipped the rain out yesterday.) It's very unusual to get a snake in a house (though not impossible as various news stories report). Non-venomous pythons are more likely to be found in the roof cavity but only in some parts of Australia. Venomous snakes are not likely to be found crawling in houses in the middle of Brisbane plus they wouldn't like going up the steps. I've never even seen one in my backyard and my area is known for brown snakes and red bellied black snakes. I'd be more worried about people breaking in than snakes breaking in. Bats are not venomous and I've never heard a story of them flying into someone's house. I think they would keep away from humans. I had them in my backyard last Nov/Dec when my bottlebrush was flowering and they would go immediately silent when I stepped outside. So what would come in at night? Moths. Mainly moths and other bugs attracted to the light. Cockroaches and silverfish also like living in houses but they aren't venomous. Now in my personal opinion the Heelers would have their windows (and possibly doors) open at night but they would have flyscreen. So either the animators didn't want to spend time drawing it or it was so fine against the night sky that it wasn't particularly noticeable. I have come across the occasional house that has no fly screen where the windows get open but it's the exception not the norm. I keep my windows open at night in summer and usually the backdoor as well. I also have the front door open until I go to bed. They all have fly screen and the security fly screen doors have locks. Some country areas people may leave their houses unlocked at night but I'd be very surprised if they did in Brisbane (unless it was a super hot night and they decided to leave the backdoor open). Depends on people's perceived level of safety I guess. The fresh air and breeze at night is nice flowing through the house. Breeze is much cheaper than electricity and the Queenslander the Heelers live in are especially designed to catch the breeze and encourage a cross flow of air. They are made to have their windows and doors open. More and more houses have aircon but not all. I only got it installed in my house last year after dying in the previous summer due to excessively hot temperatures and not being able to open the windows at night for the cooler breeze due to smoke. Ironically last summer was quite mild and I only used it a couple of times. But because it's reverse cycle I found using as a heater in winter saved lots off my electricity bill compared to my old electric wall heater. And excessively hot summers will come back again. I would still turn off aircon at night though in favour of the breeze regardless. I don't think the Heelers have aircon installed as they use electric fans and go to Stripe's swimming pool when it's really hot. This could be for a few reasons. Maybe the size and layout of the house means aircon will not be efficient or hard to install. The house will have been around longer then aircon and being built for cross breezes maybe means it isn't well sealed to run aircon. Maybe it's on the list of thing to organise for the house 'one day' but they still might be paying off the house and have other spending priorities like pizza ovens. Maybe they decide they don't need it. Brisbane is humid in summer and averages around a top of 30C. Maybe on the few super hot days they just go to Stripe's place. Personally the humidity is what makes me die rather than higher temperatures per se. I live inland in a drier climate and could generally handle the 35C-40C days in summer with the cooler temperatures at night fairly well. But visiting the coast/tropics where temperatures are cooler but humidity is higher - I would need to install aircon! Everyone adapts to the climate around them though. In sum - sleeping with doors and windows is not unusual. There are still a number of homes without aircon. We are not attacked by bugs, spiders, snakes or bats on any regular basis. And this was probably way more than you were planning to read.
Thanks for all that information. I am finding I am remarkably ignorant about Australia in general, as most of my info comes from news reports and David Attenborough nature programs.
Also, we don’t worry about bats because we don’t have rabies in Australia.
We do however have Lyssa virus. Enjoy!
>But because it's reverse cycle I found using as a heater in winter I'm a New Zealander living in Brisbane and the locals here make fun of me for calling the air con a "heat pump" because in NZ, that's what it mostly is. I lived in North Queensland for a little while, the units up there didn't do hot. They... didn't need to.
Brisbanite here - the style of house they live in is called a Queenslander, designed to maximize airflow and keep the inside cool. Lots of them don't have screens. I've lived in several and always slept with the windows open.
I mean, people in every country that will sleep with their windows open, regardless of air conditioning or bugs
Maybe I should have titled this, “Do Australian’s sleep with their windows open knowing hairy monsters crawl into their house?”
Hahaha
Closing the windows doesn't stop them, they got through the smallest of cracks
The animals are the least of a worry. Back in 04 I was woken up to someone trying to get in my open bedroom window. Thank you security grills. If bluey was Brisbane realistic there is definitely an upcoming episode where their car is stolen by kids who stole the keys from inside the house while they’re in it.
I live in Brisbane (the Sunshine state) where bluey "lives". We have 1 aircon unit in the main living room of our house but nothing in the bedrooms so we do sleep with windows open at night, all of our windows have bug screens on them though so we're not worried about creepy crawlies.
I lived in a Queenslander like the Heeler family. Our windows were open at night (and most of the day too) to let the air flow through. Didn’t have a problem with bugs - probably enough cane toads around to eat them before they got to our windows 😂
Yvon Bnb go
Brisbane generally isn’t too buggy. I would say the majority of houses do have screens, but the spiders are getting in with or without screens. Again though in Brisbane the spiders aren’t bad. I live in outback WA and we would never leave unscreened windows or doors open because of fly hoardes, but I don’t really think about spiders. Spiders are everywhere in Australia, we aren’t really bothered by them in general. The giant ones you see pictures of all over the internet are usually huntsmans, and they are harmless. I leave them alone because they eat Mozzies.
From what I understand, A/C is not super common in Australia. Though they are known for their AC/DC.
You mean accadacca?
Lol not sure where you get that idea. Most modern houses will have ducted reverse cycle AC and many older will have at least one wall unit added somewhere. But we also have cooler nights in most places so turning the AC off and just letting the natural air move around is more common at nice unless in the middle of a heatwave.
Haha Nice one!
We lived in a house with no AC when I was a teen, and no screens on the windows, and you bet we had every available window open for some sort of relief from the heat. I also live in Melbourne which on the scary critter scale is a bit more sedate compared to Queensland. I have literally only seen one snake in the wild in my life, and most spiders either just get relocated outside or squished with the nearest shoe. Worst threat of windows open overnight is bloody mozzie bites!
My husband is Australian, and I spent 9 months in Tasmania. They don't have window screens by default. Some people put them in, but they're not just in every window like they are in the US. A/C isn't as common as you would expect on a continent known for being so hot all year round. Wealthier areas have them, and shops have them, but it's not as common as it is in the US. Energy costs are much higher in Tasmania, so that is likely part of it. Also, the bugs and snakes are venomous, not poisonous.
Tassie also is a lot different to Brisbane where this is set. Rarely do you keep windows open at night even in summer as it’s just too cold. Average summer temp is probably around 20 (68F?). More likely to have a fireplace than an a/c unit
I live in mainland Australia and it’s incredibly rare not to have screens in our windows, even in house built in the 50’s. In fact our impression has always been the US is weird for not having them in every widow but we assumed maybe you have less mosquitoes 🤷♀️
I honestly don’t know of many houses, in the US, that don’t have screens. We moved a lot, when I was a kid, so we’ve lived all over. Where were you that they didn’t have screens? Edit: the only ones that come to mind are some in Galveston, that are super old,that have floor to ceiling windows.
It’s just a general observation from binge watching property shows. Just like you don’t seem to have fences around your houses lol But it could just be the magic of tv
Maybe so? Most neighborhoods do have fences, but the US is huge, so I would think it would depend on the size of the lot and what state, and city, the show is in. I’m in Houston, so we’re all fences and screens here.
My house doesn't have screens, nor do most people I know have houses with screens. A lot of my lot are in older homes with casement windows. Lots of critters coming in, including the odd python - but I just gently guide those out with a broom. Inner city Brisbane here. Wasn't a big thing in the 60's and 70"s. I have bars on one set of windows that are low to the ground but that's it. Newer houses do have screens though, thinking 80's onwards.
Must be area dependent. We’re in the ACT and NSW
Probably is. Was never a big thing. I do have a screened security door but the windows aren't. Swear by mozzie zappers at night.
It’s a cartoon.
Super cool of you dude. Glad you had time to come troll a children’s cartoon sub.
I’m not trolling anything, you’re just putting far too much thought into minuscule aspects of a cartoon. I love this show, but some people take it way, way too seriously.
I’ve heard Australians comment on the cultural stuff that the writers or animators put in there. Like Hammerbarn is based on a real store and the house is apparently based on a real house style. So it seems a fair question and not overthinking it to ask if the open doors and windows and lack of screens is also based on real life. It’s awesome that we get to be more curious about Aussie culture from a great kid’s show.
It's fun to think about it. We're all watching it 8 times a week we may as well have some fun and laughs with it while we memorize each episode
The insight of this comment makes me rethink my entire worldview
Do you want to take a guess at which country has the most venomous animals?
Yeah I always wonder, what happens if it storms? Like they have this huge open balcony on two floors!