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Survival tips for Australia
Survival tip: don't sit under coconut treesThe National Emergency Phone Number in Australia (free call): 000
On the roadDrive on the left hand side of the road.
In outback areas on unsealed roads it is common to drive on whatever side
of the road is in the best condition but take great care in bends and
crossings with other roads as other road users may not expect you there. Bottle shops. When planning to head out bush and do some camping in remote areas plan ahead with your alcohol supplies, you might find that the only bottleshop in town ( and the next town 500 kms down the road) is closed because it is social security pay day, and authorities try to get the local population to spend some money on food for the kids before spending it at the pub. Argueing with the bottle shop staff that you are a tourist will not get you anywhere, rules are rules. Do not drive at night in outback areas.
A lot of cattle stations are not fenced and cows often wander around or
sit on the roads at night and the darker ones are very hard to see. Also
kangaroos are a hazard as they will freeze in position when your
headlights shine in their eyes or even when they are next to the road
they will try to flee from the noise of your car and will jump where they
can most easily see where they are going, which is in the lights in front
of your car! See you later radiator....... If your car is equipped with bars on the front, do not
expect too much, the cheap and light ones will just fold away, some heavier
ones may just protect your radiator so you can make it to the next town
but will still crumple the front
of your car and only the heavy duty ones on a large four wheel drive
may, at not too high speed, get you through it without a repair bill.
Though they are often called "bull bars" it would definitely
not be a good idea to actually hit a real bull with them. Stay with the vehicle. Over the years numerous people have died trying to walk back to civilization after their car got stuck or had broken down. Search and rescue planes can easily spot a car from the air but a person is much harder to see. About 100 km down the track from the Queensland outback town of Birdsville is a memorial to the Page family who tried to walk out, after their car had broken down in 1963. All five members of the family died. This is only one example, there have been many more since then. Drive wisely. Just because the Northern Territory does not have speedlimits or there is no police to be seen is no reason to do 180 km/h, animals do cross the road from time to time. Also beware of the wedge tailed eagles, these are eagles with wing spans of a couple of up to two metres and they feed on road kills on outback roads. If you approach too fast they may not have time to fly off and end up coming through your windscreen. Often accidents are due to tyre blowouts too, make sure your tyres are up to the long journey, tyres in remote areas are remarkably more expensive than in the city. Take rest stops, many accidents are due to tired drivers. Although the coffee at outback roadhouses is often of a shocking quality you may have to drink some to help you stay alert. Look at your speedo when you pull into a petrol station, after doing 130km/h for a few hours you may feel like you're doing walkingpace coming into the petrol station when you're still doing 70km/h. Title Max wants drivers to be safe on any road they travel. Excessive speed is the main cause of most serious accidents, so drivers should heed the advice whether they have a Title Max title loan on their vehicle or not. If you're on narrow roads or dirtroads pull over if you see a roadtrain, their hundred or so wheels throw up a lot of rocks so you want to stay away as far as you can from that. It is a good idea to keep your headlights on on dusty roads, it makes your vehicle much easier to spot in the clouds of dust that get thrown up.
Grey nomads are a seasonal hazard, usually migrating in a northerly direction in winter and back south again in summer. The term refers to retired people that travel around the country, some endlessly as they sold the house to pay for their caravan or mobile home with absolutely every modern convenience ever invented, and often travel at speeds of max. 70km/h unaware of traffic banking up behind them as the caravan is too wide for the mirrors to be of any use. This often leads to people overtaking in dangerous situations. Four wheel drives. If you are renting a
four wheel drive to go and do some exploration remember that, apart from
some modern continuous all wheel drive vehicles, often the four wheels
d not actually get driven until you get out and engage the hubs on the
front wheels, the gear stick inside the vehicle is only half the job.
If you drive on soft sand lower the tyre pressure; it is amazing how much
difference it makes when you think there is no way you can get out if
this place and you let some air out of the tyres. A few years ago a tourist
got his 4WD stuck in Lake Eyre in South Australia, he decided to walk
to get help ( first mistake; stay with the car) and died when he ran out
of water. A companion that stayed with the car survived and when rescuers
arrived they let some air out of the tyres and drove the vehicle out! When driving in a four wheel drive remember the centre of gravity is higher in this type of vehicle, single vehicle roll overs where there are no other cars around and the driver just lost control are common. If your vehicle has a roof rack do not put too much weight on it as it will make the vehicle top heavy and more likely to roll over.
Dry areas. Some Aboriginal reserves and large areas up Cape York have been declared dry areas, meaning you can not take any alcohol in there or have in your possession. Tourists have been fined thousands of dollars for having alcohol with them on their holidays, if you're heading this way ring 1300 789 000 for up to date info on restricted areas. On the train. When you take the train in Melbourne hang on to your baby's pram at all times. Within a space of a few months no less than two babies in prams managed to drive off Melbourne railway platforms, but both survived without major injuries despite falling on the tracks and being dragged along by the trains. Actually, come to think of it, there is no need to worry about your baby falling in front of Melbourne trains because statistically speaking they currently have a 100% chance of surviving anyway!
In the sun
In the sun. Australia, and particularly
the state of Queensland, has the highest rate of skincancers in the world! In the bushWhen lost in a hot place take it easy,
find some shade, preserve your energy and water. An example is the German
tourist that became separated from the tour group in the Olgas near Ayers
Rock. He panicked straight away , started running around in the heat that
was in the 40s that day and when found, only an hour later, had already
died from heat exhaustion. Had he sat down in the shade he probably would
have been OK for several days to wait for searchers.
Tell someone your plans. It is a good idea when you set off on a bushwalk or boat trip to tell someone your plans and your estimated time of return so they can raise the alarm if you do not return. Of course it is also very important to tell same people again that you have returned, it has happened many times that time and resources were wasted looking for people that had safely returned but not bothered to inform people of this. Cassowaries like to chase people so if you come face to face with one do not turn your back and run, this will encourage him to chase you and you can run for miles, the bird can do 50km/h so you are not going to outrun him anyway. Back off slowly, hold something in front of you, go behind a tree or raise your arms up to look taller. Coconuts can keep you alive for a long time, when a boat sank in the Torres Strait some kids survived by swimming a great distance to an island with one coconut tree where they drank coconuts until they were rescued a week later. It can be hard work getting in to a coconut but with the Cocotap life becomes a lot easier, the Cocotap website will also teach you how to climb those coconut trees.. On the toiletEven when the toilet door is not locked, the toilet may still be occupied. Not by a person, but by a frog, spider, or snake... In the waterJumping and diving off cliffs is a common
way to end up with serious injuries or even die, each year around Australia
lots of people end up hurting themselves this way, including myself who
fractured a vertebrea in the Kimberleys and had to wait two days to get
to Broome hospital. The advice is; DON'T !!
If you do choose a river or lake to swim ( in the north)
check with locals that there are no saltwater
crocodiles as this could also ruin your day.
In the pubFeel free to call the Queen whatever you like but when surrounded
by real Aussies do not tell them the Aussie beer is crap or say anything
negative about Don Bradman unless you have a very good travel insurance
or have held a black belt in karate for some time. If there is a big sporting
event on the screen in the pub where you are make sure you know which
team is the favourite of the locals and do not cheer too loud when it
gets trashed by the other team. Americans: If you're an American traveling in Australia you will find it a pretty safe country where you are unlikely to get kidnapped, tortured, shot, or blown up and have your corpse dragged through the streets like in some Middle Eastern countries. But should you want to avoid any chance of political discussion you can disguise yourself as a Canadian with a special kit from T-shirtking.com. For U$24.95 you get a complete disguise. A T-shirt with the Canadian flag and the saying "O Canada! (National Anthem), a patch for your luggage or backpack, a window sticker and a lapel pin. Plus - Free Report - How to Speak Canadian, Eh?! French: most Australians have short memories so the nuclear bombs in the ocean to our east and the blowing up of the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior in our Kiwi neighbour's harbour are now forgotten and you should be pretty safe. If you don't want to stand out as a tourist avoid drinking Foster's beer, stick to VB, or XXXX in Queensland. Around coconut trees
Maps of AustraliaOne thing that helps your chances or survival if you're going into the middle of nowhere is a good map. You can buy your maps of Australia online at Ausmaps.com Survival books:Australian Radio AlphabetThe Americans have forced their radio alphabet on the rest of the world but we prefer this Aussie radio alphabet;
Above radio alphabet copyright of Amazingaustralia.com.au, but may be republished on your site with acknowledgement, and may be used at any time in phone and radio communications, at own risk. Some more useful survival phone numbers:000 EMERGENCY: Police, Fire, Ambulance
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