You know what they say "everything in Australia is trying to KILL you..."
Not quite!! But there are some species of plants, animals, insects and even shells that are deadly. Don’t let this deter you from exploring the jaw dropping land down under and all its glory, however precautions should be taken to prevent an emergency and certain steps can be taken if one does happen.
Leave things alone and they will generally do the same
Staying Safe
Leave Things Alone
One standard rule to note is that if you leave things alone they will generally do the same… put it this way... you’re relaxing at home, minding your own business and a giant picked you up and started poking and prodding you, it’s very likely that you would try to attack them, probably with a bite!! And rightly so… that would be extremely irritating.
Always remember, you are in their home so leave them be… admire from afar if you wish, but LEAVE THEM ALONE! We can’t stress this enough!
Other Dangers
Besides the dangers to yourself from unknown creatures, it can also be harmful to them to be touched by humans as we have oils on our skin that transfer to them and can affect their natural ways.
And it’s not just bites and stings you have to take care of… you could fall along a remote trail, get dragged away by rip currents and even some plant life have deadly properties.
Stay Calm
If you do unfortunately get bitten, stung or hurt in some way, our first tip would be to try to stay calm (ye, sure!! A 10ft snake has just taken a nibble out of your tasty looking leg and we’re telling you to stay calm)!
Elevated stress levels increase the blood flow around your body and can spread venom a lot faster, so sit down and take slow breaths and call for help. Medics have every antivenom needed so relax as much as possible and wait for the treatment.
Plus Side
On a positive note, there have been little to no deaths in the past 50 years from any deadly bite because of the incredible anti-venoms stocked in the bucket loads in Australia…
But what if I’m in the middle of the Outback, or 15km along a rainforest trail…? Stay calm as help can find you just check out our list of the best numbers to contact in such event.
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State Emergency No.s
The standard National emergency number is 000 which connects you to all emergency services, however, this can take a long time if you are somewhere remote so there are some numbers to note down before going to a remote and potentially dangerous area.
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New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria:
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Southern Australia and Northern Territory:
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Western Australia:
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Queensland:
Not An Emergency?
Report a crime (anonymously):
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The Natural Disaster Helpline:
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The Poison Control Centre:
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None emergency police number:
(unless in Victoria, you’ll need to contact the local police)
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For all other emergencies contact the Embassy of your home country