Funny that people think our critters are strange.....we have grown up with them. They are just part of who we are. We have some of the world's most venomous creatures but when they are part of the landscape (especially in country areas) you just learn to live with them.
Aussies for the most part, are very down to earth people, who tell it like it is, so we are not big on formalities and meaningless niceties.....which is sometimes seen as rudeness, but it just means that we don't just nibble around the edges of matters but we like to cut to the chase and get to the point.
Talking to people in other countries on forums like this is interesting from this perspective. Political correctness is not high on our list of concerns and seeing people take offence at what is said is often puzzling. Our response here would be a stern "get over yourself"....so please keep this in mind when discussing things with Aussies.
We don't mean to imitate our critters. Like crocs, we just don't tip-toe very well.