Australia’s landscapes are breathtaking and well worth exploring, but they are indifferent to your survival.
Australia is extreme — nearly eight million square kilometres of vast emptiness, with a population that desperately clings to its coastline.
It is home to more venomous snakes than any other country on earth, as well as the funnelweb spider, redback spider, and giant centipede. And that’s just on land. It is also a place of climactic extremes – of searing heat, oppressive humidity, and freezing cold.
It is therefore unsurprising that the news cycle is rarely devoid of stories of rescues – and deaths – of people in the Australian wilderness or outback. If you have a keen aversion to being the subject of embarrassing news stories or memes about how you ended up in that situation, and/or have articles written about you on everything you did wrong, read on.
The first question to ask is, should you be undertaking this trip in the first place? Is it the right time of year to be long-distance driving or hiking? Is the weather favourable?
Once that’s settled, plan. Whether you are driving the Gibb River Road or hiking Tassie’s majestic mountain ranges, you must carefully plan your trip. No person, no matter how skilled or experienced, is above this.
In the planning stage, you need to consider (in no particular order) your route, the climate and potential weather conditions, your source of navigation, your communication plan, and your resources.
Let’s consider navigation.
Will you take a physical map (and, if hiking, compass)? A sat nav? A Garmin in-reach? And what happens if your main source of navigation becomes defunct?
Now, communication. A two-way HF radio? A satellite phone? A one-way PLB? And what is your back up? If your answer to both is simply “my mobile phone”, then you do not pass go, and do not collect $200. Straight to jail.
Your required resources depend upon the trip you are taking. If it’s a drive, consider your spare tyre, jack and wheel brace, emergency triangle, vehicle recovery equipment, supplementary fuel, and fire extinguisher. What are your car’s limitations? Other basic equipment includes a torch, sunscreen, insect repellent, mirrors, and flares. Ensure appropriate clothing. And shoes.
Resources are also human – who else are you doing this trip with? Is it safe to do alone? Is your intended trip partner (or group) an appropriate choice? What are your body’s limitations? What about theirs?
Don’t forget your prescribed medications. Or a first aid kit!
In my experience, doctors’ first aid kits tend to either contain a single Band-Aid or an entire pharmacy. No in-between. Try to find that middle ground, balancing the space, and potentially weight, that you can spare with what you are most likely to need (in particular, consider sprains, cuts, insect bites, environmental exposure, dehydration, and snakebite). Remember that even minor injuries can become compounded by isolation and environmental extremes.
Obviously, water and food are paramount. People survive, on average, for three to five days in temperature conditions without water. The general recommendation for an Australian cross-country road trip is to bring at least 6l of water per person per day for mild weather. For hikers the amount is generally 3-4l per person per day, but this is highly variable, depending upon the hiker and the circumstances. Dehydration of as little as 2% of total body weight is detrimental to physical, visuomotor, psychomotor, and cognitive performance.
Survival time without food is debateable and depends upon one’s state of hydration and overall state of health, but ranges from three weeks to two months. However, its effects begin long before that.
Glycogen stores are typically depleted within 24 hours of fasting, after which the body begins breaking down fat and, eventually, muscle for energy production. A lack of food over just a few days can lead to weakness, dizziness, impaired judgement, and reduced capacity for physical exertion. Pack high-energy, non-perishable food items.
Before departing, check your gear. Consider visiting a mechanic for a car check or test your equipment out at home if hiking.
And for the love of God, tell someone where you are going, when you expect to arrive, and at what point they should be raising the alarm. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, for instance, has a trip intention form for hikers, but this does not replace telling loved ones, who should notify police if you fail to return in time.
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Now let’s pretend that, despite your best efforts, implementing all the above preparation, you find yourself in a pickle. Perhaps your car has broken down, perhaps you are lost on your hike.
First, don’t panic. This is easier said than done, of course, but good decisions are never made under duress. You have already planned your trip well, remember? So this is where you simply get to implement Plan B. Now is the time to make the call on your sat phone or use your Garmin in-reach.
But most of all, stay put. If you are driving, this means you do not leave your car. I am often aghast at the news stories I read of those who leave their cars. Your car will be relatively easy to spot in the air. You will not be. It is your source of protection from the elements, and safety.
The same principle applies to hikers. Search and rescue teams work off an idea of where you are likely to be. The more you move around, the wider their search radius becomes and the harder it is to find you.
In short:
- Communicate – tell someone your plan, bring the right stuff (sat phone, radio, etc)
- Navigate. Map, sat nav, etc.
- Take plenty of water
- Stay put! Stop moving around! Stay with your car!
Or put another way, CNTS. I am also inclined to include: “Understand your limits (fitness, terrain, vehicle capacity, weather)”. I’ll let you decide where this point goes.
Australia’s landscapes are breathtaking and well worth exploring, but they are indifferent to your survival. No matter how skilled, experienced, or fit you are, the difference between a good story and death can be as simple as a map or an emergency beacon.
Dr Brooke Ah Shay is a rural generalist working in Yarrabah, far north Queensland, and a senior lecturer at James Cook University.
