Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretti nasti.
As for the beggars, I see a lot more bogan type Aussies begging in Melbourne than I do foreigners. And I am sick of being asked if I have a cigarette to share - people seem particularly shameless about that.
I’d actually have more sympathy for a young traveller who tried it - at least they had enough motivation to get off their backside and travel - and don’t have access to our welfare system which makes the local beggars even more inexcusable.
Sell them some loosies.
Yes, I agree. There also used to be a charitable attitude that one would help anyone who was on a journey - but the vast numbers of leeches make that impractical now. Although there are wonderful organisations like Traveller's Aid which continue this mission.
My pet hate is people who stop you to ask for directions, then use that as an excuse to ask for money. It eventually makes people unwilling to stop and answer any question from a stranger on the street.
In Sydney, there is a very bizarre sort of false beggar - fake Buddhist monks! Really. Apparently they wear all the gear, and have their head shaven - they are Asian in appearance, mainly men - and they want money. They tour about the streets. If you don't give them any money, they threaten with curses and bad karma. Some people - especially Vietnamese and Khmers - feel intimidated by them. They have, it seems, never been in a monastery nor ever qualified as Buddhist monks.