Ozexplorer

Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
appreciated.
cheers,
marc

Gerrit 't Hart

"ozexplorer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    > for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    > appreciated.
    > cheers,
    > marc

Watch out for the drop bears!

Gerrit

Frank Slootweg

Gerrit 't Hart <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > "ozexplorer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    > > for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    > > appreciated.
    > > cheers,
    > > marc
    >
    > Watch out for the drop bears!

And for people worried about healthrisks. They'll probably bore you to
death.

But seriously: Since you (the OP) did not give any clue *where* in
Australia you are going, I can only advise to get the Lonely Planet's
guide on Australia and read its relevant sections. The guide is very
handy anyway, so why not use it for this part of your preparation as
well?

For me *personally*, the biggest healthrisk in Australia is German
tourists in their Blitz campervans! Oops! Sorry about that! :-) [1]

[1] One of my worst experiences was with a German tourist and my
absolute best experience was also with a German couple, so I guess that
on average, you lot are quite OK! :-) [2]

[2] Says someone who goes on holiday in Germany about once a year, so
...

Mike McBain

ozexplorer <[email protected]> writes:

    >Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    >for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    >appreciated.

Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River Virus, Q fever.
Taipan, tiger snake, sea snake, king brown snake, red-bellied black snake.
Funnel-web spider, wolf spider, trapdoor spider, red-back spider.
Saltwater crocodile, great white pointer shark.
Various types of 'stinger jellyfish', irukandji.
Giant Queensland stinging tree.

There's more, but those are the main ones.

Peter

In article <41d7f35b$0$17982$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-
01.iinet.net.au>, Gerrit 't Hart says...
    >
    > "ozexplorer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    > > for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    > > appreciated.
    > > cheers,
    > > marc
    >
    > Watch out for the drop bears!

Drop bears are not commonly found in metropolitan areas. You are better
advised to be wary of imbibing too much beer. Wildlife attack isn't a
major problem, but you should consult a guidebook for specific and
regional warnings.

Get whatever shots (if any) are recommended by your doctor for travel.
Australia is pretty healthy, but you should be aware of things like Ross
River virus if you are going to be spend much time in the company of
mosquitos. Make sure you have adequate sunburn protection - I wouldn't
go outside for more than a few minutes in Queensland during summer
months without some sort of lotion applied to exposed skin.

Swimming in locations such as tropical water holes is an invitation to
crocodile attack - they snap up a tourist every year or two. Tourists
drown when they get into difficulties on unpatrolled surf beaches -
always best to swim between the flags at places like the Gold Coast.

Peter

In article <[email protected]>, Mike
McBain says...
    > ozexplorer <[email protected]> writes:
    >
    > >Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    > >for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    > >appreciated.
    >
    > Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River Virus, Q fever.
    > Taipan, tiger snake, sea snake, king brown snake, red-bellied black snake.
    > Funnel-web spider, wolf spider, trapdoor spider, red-back spider.
    > Saltwater crocodile, great white pointer shark.
    > Various types of 'stinger jellyfish', irukandji.
    > Giant Queensland stinging tree.
    >
    > There's more, but those are the main ones.

We lose about five people a year (out of twenty million) from all of the
above combined. Make sure you look both ways before stepping off the
kerb.

Tony Bailey

"Mike McBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:NSTBd.100355$K7.15683@news->
    > Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River Virus, Q fever.
    > Taipan, tiger snake, sea snake, king brown snake, red-bellied black snake.
    > Funnel-web spider, wolf spider, trapdoor spider, red-back spider.
    > Saltwater crocodile, great white pointer shark.
    > Various types of 'stinger jellyfish', irukandji.
    > Giant Queensland stinging tree.


With such an exensive list, how could you miss the most common one? -

The town drunk in the country pub - you're far more likely to be bored to
death by him.

--
Tony Bailey
Mercury Travel Books

Dave Campbell

"Mike McBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > ozexplorer <[email protected]> writes:
    >>Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    >>for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    >>appreciated.
    > Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River Virus, Q fever.
    > Taipan, tiger snake, sea snake, king brown snake, red-bellied black snake.
    > Funnel-web spider, wolf spider, trapdoor spider, red-back spider.
    > Saltwater crocodile, great white pointer shark.
    > Various types of 'stinger jellyfish', irukandji.
    > Giant Queensland stinging tree.
    > There's more, but those are the main ones.
That looks like the "oh Sh*t" list, the very mention of which strikes fear
into the heart of many a brave explorer. Now, for a few from the "yeah,
sure, whatever" list....

* Traffic. Coming from Europe, you're probably used to looking to the right
as you step out onto the road. This doesn't work in Aus. Look left. Obvious,
when you think about it... trouble is, you might not think about it until
you hear the screach of tyres and torrent of abuse.

* Dehydration. Drinking water is not always readily available. (Piped water
can be considered safe to drink in all cities and towns, although sometimes
it tastes pretty bad.) Carry water with you if you're going out of town,
bushwalking etc. Be sure to drink plenty, as the warmer climate may increase
your requirement more than you realise.

* Sunburn. A bad case of sunburn can make your holiday a misery, as well as
having longer-term effects. In summer, you can start to burn in under 15
minutes. The NSW Cancer Council
http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/edit...asp?pageid=397 has much more
information than I could give here. The short story though, is use a
broad-spectrum high-SPF (30+ is the maximum recognised under Australian
standards, although some 30+ sunscreens may offer much more protection than
that) and apply it BEFORE you go out. You will need to reapply it
periodically during the day, but once you start to burn NO amount of
sunscreen will save you. Better still, try to reduce your exposure to direct
sun. Stay under cover, or use clothing and a hat to protect you. (Bear in
mind, you can still get burnt through thin clothing.)

* Getting lost/breaking down/getting injured. (Bushwalking/outback) If
you're going into the outback or bushwalking, assume that you will be on
your own if something goes wrong. At the very least, make sure somebody
knows where you're going and when you expect to be back. Consider how you
will summon help in an emergency, and how to survive until help arrives.
This applies even for day trips. (Hikers frequently get lost in the Blue
Mountains - an hour or so from the centre of Sydney.)

These are all risks that are easily overcome, but many people - locals and
tourists alike - get into difficulties because they simply didn't think
about them.

Dave Campbell

A Mate

Looking the wrong way when stepping off the curb onto the road!!

Driving when excessively tired (especially if you've consumed alcohol!);
mainly since European drivers on empty roads in these circumstances have a
tendency to drive on the right!! Never a good move in Australia!




"ozexplorer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    > for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    > appreciated.
    > cheers,
    > marc

Ken Pisichko

This DOES kill people. I remember driving in OZ in 1971 (after I had been
there for several months) somewhere in the middle of Queensland wondering why
the approaching car was on MY side of the road - I was in the wrong. You have
to keep your mind on driving on the LH side of the road if you car coming from
North America.

With that experience in mind, my wife and I had no problems in 1985 when we
drove in OZ for about 6 weeks.

Mind you, we did hear of the North American tourist who killed herself and her
husband when she drove head-on into another vehicle (a BIG lorry I think it
was). She was driving on the RH side of the Princes Highway somewhere along
the Victoria coast......

Similar thoughts about stepping off the curb....

A Mate wrote:

    > Looking the wrong way when stepping off the curb onto the road!!
    > Driving when excessively tired (especially if you've consumed alcohol!);
    > mainly since European drivers on empty roads in these circumstances have a
    > tendency to drive on the right!! Never a good move in Australia!

Peter

In article <Iy%[email protected]>, Dave
Campbell says...
    > * Traffic. Coming from Europe, you're probably used to looking to the right
    > as you step out onto the road.

Probably not. Do this in Europe and you won't pass on your genes.
Evolution in action.

    > This doesn't work in Aus. Look left. Obvious,
    > when you think about it...

Not as obvious as you think!

    > trouble is, you might not think about it until
    > you hear the screach of tyres and torrent of abuse.

Look both ways, but be aware that when you step off the kerb, the
traffic is generally going to be coming from your right, unless it's a
one-way street or similar oddity.

Peter

In article <[email protected]>, Ken Pisichko says...
    > This DOES kill people. I remember driving in OZ in 1971 (after I had been
    > there for several months) somewhere in the middle of Queensland wondering why
    > the approaching car was on MY side of the road - I was in the wrong. You have
    > to keep your mind on driving on the LH side of the road if you car coming from
    > North America.

It's the narrow outback roads that'll get you. With line markings and
divided roads on the major (and minor) highways, you should be able to
keep on the correct side of the road. But when it shrinks to a single
lane of bitumen and passing cars have to put a wheel onto the shoulder,
or it's totally unpaved, well, it gets a bit more problematic. The
sudden appearance of an oncoming car at a bend or crest and the foreign
driver reflexively pulls to the right-hand side of the road, at the same
time as the oncoming driver reflexively pulls to the same side.

There's another place where oncoming traffic can be a little tricky, and
that's on Fraser Island, where the long ocean beach is an officially
gazetted road. In general, traffic keeps to the left, but sometimes,
depending on the waves and the firmness of the sand, cars will pass each
other on left side to left side. The protocol is to indicate which way
you are going with your blinkers and there is usually no problem because
visibility is excellent and you can see oncoming traffic for kilometres
in advance.

Pete, noting that it's that 0.001 percent of the time that will get you.

Wolf

Peter wrote:
    > In article <[email protected]>, Mike
    > McBain says...
    >
    >>ozexplorer <[email protected]> writes:
    >>>Are there any special health risks in Australia I have to prepare myself
    >>>for? I will just travel a few weeks there. Any recommendation is greatly
    >>>appreciated.
    >>Murray Valley encephalitis, Ross River Virus, Q fever.
    >>Taipan, tiger snake, sea snake, king brown snake, red-bellied black snake.
    >>Funnel-web spider, wolf spider, trapdoor spider, red-back spider.
    >>Saltwater crocodile, great white pointer shark.
    >>Various types of 'stinger jellyfish', irukandji.
    >>Giant Queensland stinging tree.
    >>There's more, but those are the main ones.
    >
    >
    > We lose about five people a year (out of twenty million) from all of the
    > above combined. Make sure you look both ways before stepping off the
    > kerb.

He's right. One of the closest brushes with death I've had was looking
the wrong way and stepping into the street in front of a speeding car
that missed me by inches.

Dave Campbell

"Peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] T...
    > In article <Iy%[email protected]>, Dave
    > Campbell says...
    >> * Traffic. Coming from Europe, you're probably used to looking to the
    >> right
    >> as you step out onto the road.
    > Probably not. Do this in Europe and you won't pass on your genes.
    > Evolution in action.
    >> This doesn't work in Aus. Look left. Obvious,
    >> when you think about it...
    > Not as obvious as you think!
    >> trouble is, you might not think about it until
    >> you hear the screach of tyres and torrent of abuse.
    > Look both ways, but be aware that when you step off the kerb, the
    > traffic is generally going to be coming from your right, unless it's a
    > one-way street or similar oddity.
Oops.... you are, of course, correct. Look right. Left is for Europe/US.
Left+right+behind+above+down manholes is for bicycle couriers. I've been a
little disoriented lately ;-)

Peter

In article <[email protected]>, Dave
Campbell says...
    > Look right. Left is for Europe/US.
    > Left+right+behind+above+down manholes is for bicycle couriers.

<grin>