Australia is probably the safest place in the world. Sure, if you walk down a dark alley late at night in the wrong part of town in a major city covered in 'bling' (jewelry), you may meet some less upstanding locals. If you wander through thick bushland in bare feet you may very well get bitten by something nasty, and if you drive off into the outback without enough fuel or water, you'll end up on the nightly news, or worse. But the truth is, to get into serious trouble in Australia, you have to be either fairly stupid, or incredibly unlucky. A summary of the main dangers of travelling in Australia appears below...
All other hazards in Australia aren't nearly as dangerous as the surf around Australia's coastline. Around 15 overseas tourists drown in Australia each year, almost all of those at surf beaches where the waves and currents can be deceptively fierce. The golden rule for swimming in the surf in Australia is to always swim at beaches patrolled by lifesavers, and to do so between the red and yellow flags. All major beachside cities in Australia have professional and volunteer lifeguards keeping an eye on things and they save around 5000 people each year, but when tourists swim at unpatrolled beaches, things regularly turn tragic. If you are in the water at a patrolled beach and get into trouble, raise your hand in the air to attract the attention of the lifeguards.
Australia is home to the deadliest collection of animals in the world; man-eating sharks, lethal jellyfish, red back spiders, crocodiles, snakes, scorpions, Tasmanian devils, dingoes, wild pigs, toxic octopuses, killer kangaroos, stonefish, sting rays and many, many more. But the truth is, they rarely harm anyone. In fact you'd have to be trying mighty hard to even see most of those creatures. Most Australians have never seen any of those animals outside a zoo, but that's not to say they aren't out there.
In urban areas your chances of being harmed by wildlife are minimal. Snakes rarely, if ever venture into the city. Deadly spiders come in all shapes and sizes, but unless you go sticking your fingers in dark holes behind the garden shed, you'll probably never see anything capable of even biting you.
Sharks
There are sharks out in the ocean right around the Australian coastline, but the average death rate is one person per year, and your chances of getting attacked on a patrolled beach are slim to say the least. Sharks only really attack people when they are feeding, and they only really eat at dawn and dusk. People who get attacked are usually swimming in remote areas in murky water at feeding time. If you're swimming in decent light at a busy surf beach with lifeguards, your chances of even seeing a shark are about the same as winning the lottery. As a rule, animals don't like people. While that news may be comforting if you're only travelling in the main cities and urban areas, if you're heading off the beaten path to see the 'real' Australia, your chances of coming into contact with a deadly animal are much higher (particularly if you're heading north).
Snakes
Once you get out of the cities and into the national parks, and general countryside in sub-tropical Australia the only creatures worth worrying about on land are snakes and spiders. If you're bushwalking you may very well see one crawling across the path, but unless you try and give it a cuddle, it's probably not going to be very interested in you. Australian snakes are too small to eat people so they'll generally only attack people if they think they are in danger. If you do see a snake, get out of its way and let it slide on by. If you're really worried, make a lot of noise when you walk and they'll usually get off the path before you've seen them. The chances of being bitten are slim (although there are around 3000 bites recorded each year, most of them to Steve Irwin). There are effective antidotes for all Australian snakes and as a result there are only one or two deaths per year. The University of Sydney has a useful snakebite page with details on what snakes to look out for, and what to do if you are bitten. (Although considering that Australia is home to the world's ten most venemous snakes, you might as well presume all of them are deadly). If you can identify the snake that bit you it will help in treatment, so if you are planning on spending time in the bush, it may be a good idea to study up on Australian snakes.
Crocodiles
Saltwater crocodiles are found in tropical wetland areas of Australia in and around salt water estuaries, rivers, creeks, and even out to sea. They are huge, weigh up to a tonne, can reach 7m in length and live for as long as a human being. Crocodiles are ferocious when they want to be and are the closest living thing to a dinosaur. They hunt at night by lying almost completely submerged near the shore and then pouncing on anything edible which comes too close. They'd prefer to eat animals, but humans are something of a delicacy. You would have to be insane to go swimming in a saltwater creek in Northern Australia, and just as stupid to get too close to the shore. On average, three people die every six years from crocodile attacks (and one of them will have been, lets say, extremely drunk, and probably on a dare). There are around three non-fatal attacks each year. Heavy hunting decreased the saltwater crocodile population to almost extinction levels in the 1970s, but there are now more crocs in northern Australia than there have been since the 1940s. If you're in a boat you'll be safe, as they don't like the taste of aluminium and they aren't designed for attacking floating objects. Signs warn of the dangers in tourist areas, but if you're travelling way off the beaten path, study up on crocodile behaviour.
Box Jellyfish
Coming in contact with the 6m tentacles of the Box Jellyfish is reportedly the single most painful sensation a human being can feel. It's about as fun as falling into a vat of boiling oil, and it will probably also kill you. Plenty of people have survived stings, but the physical and mental scars remain long after the pain has died. Box Jellyfish inhabit the tropical waters of Northern Australia and are active during the wet season (around October to April). No one seems to know where they go in the dry season, but when they are around, the hotel pool is the only place you're going swimming. The main tourist areas such as Cairns and Port Douglas have warning signs, but if you're travelling in northern Australia away from the major tourist resorts during summer, don't go swimming. If a box jellyfish doesn't get you, a crocodile probably will.
Spiders
Australia is full of spiders, but only three of them are deadly, they rarely actually hurt you, and they're only really a problem to travellers if you're camping in the bush. No one has died since 1979 and there is anti-venom readily available, so spiders aren't worth being afraid of. If you do go camping use common sense: make sure you check your boots before you put them on, and keep your tent zipped up so nothing can crawl inside.
If you're heading into the outback on a long journey make sure you tell authorities what you're up to. Australia is an inhospitable place and people die in the desert each year. If you stick to the national highways you'll be fine, but wander off alone in the bush, and you're in dangerous territory. Australia has a small alpine region, and while your very unlikely to get stuck in a major blizzard, tragedies can happen up in the mountains. Even in non alpine areas, such as Sydney's Blue Mountains, not a year goes by when a group of tourists isn't rescued from a bushwalk which either took longer than expected, or wasn't as well sign posted as expected. If you're bushwalking, make sure you take plenty of water, and dress for extreme conditions. Australia can be as hot as 53 degrees celsius (127F) in the shade, and as cold as -23 (-9F) in the mountains in winter
Australia has an extremely low violent crime rate (compared with South Africa and South Central Los Angeles) but like anywhere on the planet, there will always be some people who are willing to act violently towards people if they can get something they desperately want (usually money for drugs). The tourist centres, restaurant districts and busy precincts of all main Australian cities and towns are generally as safe as you can get - but if you wander into dimly lit areas with less traffic, you're obviously going to increase the risk of someone deciding to relieve you of your possessions. Areas to avoid in each in our guides for each of the cities, but common sense should tell you what looks dangerous and what's not. (Dark, late and no people equals less safe, light, early and lots of people equals more safe). In reality, you're really only likely to get mugged in a few unsavoury areas of Sydney and Melbourne, the rest of the country is as safe as you're going to get (except for the lobby of a Swiss Police station) — most people in country areas don't ever lock their doors. Common sense should prevail though, don't leave valuables sitting in an unattended car, don't leave your wallet under a towel while you go swimming at the beach, don't wander around dark alleys late at night by yourself and don't pick fights with drunken locals in the bar.
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/iprs2/mackie/mackie.html (IAN J MACKIE AM FRACP National Medical Adviser, Royal Life Saving Society Australia)
Want to know more? Got a Question? Discuss it in our Australian Travel Forums