The famous Redback spider is a cultural icon in Australia- but is it really Australian? My work has lead me to spend way too
much time wandering about in the bush looking in crevices, caves and hollow logs and once I get more than a few kilometres
from buildings or farms, I just don't find Redbacks. Hence I strongly suspect that they are an introduced spider, sort of like
a punk Black Widow. They have a potentially fatal bite and like a lot of spiders where the female is substantially larger than
the male, is inclined to eat her husband after mating..
This lovely female was on the back of the door of the Butcher's Creek Hut at Lake Burragorang.