I have tarantulas living in the yard - their holes are distinct and if I went out with a flashlight now they'd be nearby or perched in the opening waiting for dinner to pass by. But I'd have to lock up the dogs because I can't go look at anything without them tagging along, as dogs will do.
I think what you're calling the golden orb spider must be a relative of the Argiope in Texas (more info here), a large spider that works the web day and night (a lot of the other large web spiders around here put them up and night and pull most of the strands down by day, leaving just one very high and long one to start over again the next night). The argiope web is distinctive because they build a zigzag line into it.
The tarantulas are always here, some of the other spiders seem to appear for a couple of years then disappear for a while.