It's a fairly common question before yacht crew arrive in Australia. "Do we need to be concerned about the Snakes, Spiders, Sharks, Jellyfish and Crocs?"
The truth is with a healthy serve of common sense and a little research most tourists survive their time in Australia - actually you're very unlikely to encounter any of the above.
Here are a few tips to help manage our creepy crawlies:
1. Snakes - Are cold blooded so most encounters are warmer days and in regional areas. Often seen on hiking trips, good advice is to always stick marked tracks they will more often then not feel you coming well before you've seen them and move on. If you do happen to see a snake just back away slowly give then space to make an escape. It goes without saying that any hiking trip should be prepared and first aid kit including a snake bite kit is highly recommend.
2. Spider - Bites are very rare and are most common around the home and garden. Like us all they like a dry place to live, so if you've left shoes outside best give them a good shake out before slipping your toes in.
3. Sharks - I'm not sure we have more sharks than any other country, we probably just spend more time in the water because the weather is so nice here. Avoid dawn and dusk swimming is the general rule sharks are more active during these times, popular fishing spots is also a no go and popular boat anchorages where food scraps maybe tossed overboard will also increase your longevity.
4. Jellyfish - There are a couple of particularly nasty ones; the Box Jellyfish and Irukandji both inflict very painful stings from their tentacles, more common in warm tropical waters over the summer months. Prevention is better than the cure for these guys. All water based tourism operators will provide a "stinger suit" for guests these skin hugging nylon fashion statements aren't too flattering, however, it's a small price to pay and great protection from the sun too.
5. Saltwater Crocodiles - These guys don't muck around can be over 6m in length and aren't fussy on what's for dinner. Luckily they mostly like the dirty water river estuaries, mangrove areas. Popular tourists locations are well sign posted, a general rule is if the locals aren't swimming you probably shouldn't either.
Honestly, statistics show that more people die from horse related deaths than the combined total of the above. Always observe wildlife from a safe distance, never attempt to touch or pick up wildlife, and be prepared with the right first-aid and know the medical facilities locations for the area you're travelling in.
