[Spicious]

You're thinking of New Zealand.

[Flipside]

Actually, Australia has a roughly 6/1 Sheep-Human ratio, 120 Million Sheep to NZ's roughly 50 million. Though in fairness, this is balanced out by the size difference. Sheep density is higher in New Zealand, but the number of them is higher in Australia

[FUBAR-BDHR]

More likely it's the sheep that have to worry about turning their backs. 

[Flipside]

To the inventor of Velcro Boots, this Bud's for you'

[Grimper]

damn roo rootin  tankgirl aussies, but where the geology isn't scary the spiders and snakes make up for it , and if thats not enough , you just lost at home .....(ok for the first time in a million years but you still lost)   happy new year mate!

Ugh don't remind me. It was pathetic...ok not pathetic, we tried hard, but still....the myth of aussie invincibility is gone... 

Bet there hasn't been any major sports teams in the US that have held a winning streak that long though.

[Hellstryker]

It's bound to happen sooner or later, but;

nah, it won't quite be that bad. most predictions expect the immediate danger zone to have a radius of 1000-1600km, with pumice & ash deposit probably covering all of California and most of the Midwest. but rather than being burned, most deaths/injuries will likely be caused by ash inhalation.

luckily, modern humans have the benefit of science and technology.given enough warning, most people within range of the volcanic
explosion and subsequent lava/pyroclastic flow (70,000 to 100,000+ individuals by some estimates) can be evacuated beforehand. everyone else will simply have to stay in doors for a couple of days before they too can be evacuated outside of the ash cover area.

the USGS seems pretty confident that the YVO monitoring program will detect any premonitory indicators (such as emissions of magmatic gases) of any such impending disaster. and studies indicate that, if there is a volcanic eruption, it is not likely to be a caldera-forming supervolcanic eruption due to insufficient rhyolitic magma-storage to sustain such an event.

in the event that a caldera-forming eruption takes place, then yes the ash will probably circle the entire globe and lower the temperature in the lower atmosphere for a few years, and that can have a severe impact on the ecology of the planet. but it's certainly survivable. and the chances of such an event actually occurring is still statistically insignificant--contrary to what is often reported, are are not "overdue" for a supervolcanic eruption. (the mean interval between such eruptions is 710,000 years, not 600,000 years.)

if others are interested, you can read the USGS's report on the Preliminary Assessment of Volcanic and Hydrothermal Hazards in Yellowstone National Park and Vicinity (the actual report is in PDF format).

From a comment on slashdot by lysergic.acid.

Sounds much more sensible to me.

[portej05]

Geology is trying to kill you all over the world though, so don't get too worked up about this. There are lots of other scary plaqces to worry about Fortunately, almost none of them are in Australia.

Yeah, but we don't have killer snakes and stingrays and koalas swarming all over the place, thirsty for our blood.

You forgot the drop-bears - one of the bigger things to watch out for when you're outdoors.

[StarSlayer]

Volcanic Winter? Perhaps it and Global Warming will cancel each other out.

 Not that a quarter of the North America going kaboom is funny but I couldn't help but think of the Futurama joke.

[Daniel P]

Volcanic Winter? Perhaps it and Global Warming will cancel each other out.

 Not that a quarter of the North America going kaboom is funny but I couldn't help but think of the Futurama joke.

No is not funny.

[Flipside]

Geology is trying to kill you all over the world though, so don't get too worked up about this. There are lots of other scary plaqces to worry about Fortunately, almost none of them are in Australia.

Yeah, but we don't have killer snakes and stingrays and koalas swarming all over the place, thirsty for our blood.

You forgot the drop-bears - one of the bigger things to watch out for when you're outdoors.

Wear a pointy hat, it worked for Rincewind