Australia: The Dangers and The Myths!

STINGERS (JELLYFISH)

While sharks grab the headlines if they attack someone, jellyfish kill eight times as many people worldwide each year. In Australia, there is an average of less than one jellyfish death per year. The box jellyfish – considered the most venomous animal in the world, is commonly found around the Great Barrier Reef. Stingers in general are mostly found around the top of Australia but can travel as far south as Sydney and Melbourne.

Take extra care during stinger season – October/November to May. During these months, it’s always safer to swim in places where they have stinger nets up. Just beware they never give 100% protection against stingers. Some places will offer stinger suit hire, and others will enforce the wearing of stinger suits whilst swimming off one of their boats. Don’t worry about making a fashion statement, you’ll all look the same! Besides, it offers good sun protection as a bonus. You should not only be careful when swimming in the sea but also when swimming in creeks, like on Fraser Island.

STINGRAYS

Let’s get one thing straight: Steve – “Crikey!” – Irwin was very unfortunate to die in a freak accident involving a stingray. Steve was stabbed right in the heart, adding to his misfortune and leading to his death. If he had been stabbed anywhere else, he probably would have lived to tell the tale. Though thousands of stingray injuries are reported worldwide each year, only five deaths have been recorded in Australia since 1945, and only about 17 worldwide.

DROP BEAR

The drop bear is probably the least known, yet most dangerous Australian animal to humans. Most commonly found on the East Coast of Australia, drop bears are carnivorous animals that for reasons currently unknown to us are 41 times more likely to attack a tourist than an Australian! Maybe it’s the smell of vegemite that puts them off, we have yet to conduct extensive research. Though they are related to koalas, they are much more vicious creatures you want to stay well away from. Drop bears hunt by ambushing ground-dwelling animals (like humans…) from above, waiting to make a surprise kill. They drop as much as eight meters to pounce on top of the unsuspecting victim.

Now for the real dangers. Australia isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Every year tourists seriously injure themselves or even die because they underestimate the dangers of the Australian climate/terrain/wildlife etc. No reason to panic, just take these things into consideration:

SUN (HEAT STROKES & BURNING)

Heatwaves have caused more deaths in Australia in the past 200 years than any other natural hazard. Australian sun hits different. This is because there is a hole in the Ozone layer above Australia. Did you know 2/3 of Australians get skin cancer in their life? No, that wasn’t a typo. Even if you never get burned (which, trust us, we’ve heard a lot of people say before, and… you guessed it: they got burned), it is a good idea to take these simple precautions.

• Wear a hat – not only will this protect your face from the sun, but it will also protect your eyes (to an extent), prevent your scalp from burning and if wearing a light colour and the right fabric, it can help keep your head cool.
• Wear sunglasses with UV400 to properly protect them.
• Wear sun-protective clothing, especially when in the water for a long time or if you know you will sweat off sunscreen. Wear 50+ sunscreen and make sure you keep reapplying every 2 hours and whenever you come out of the water!
• To avoid heatstroke, try to stay cool. Don’t exert yourself too much in the heat. If you are starting to feel unwell, try to find air-conditioned buildings to cool off. Alternatively, use a fan, cold/ice packs, or have a cool shower to cool you down.
• Also, make sure you drink enough water! Bringing us to our second danger.

Dehydration

Always bring enough water. Often you will be able to fill your water bottle, but don’t count on it! On long hikes, bring at least 2L of water and listen to your body: take a rest when you feel like you need to, and find the shade.