| At least three months before your trip to Australia,
see your doctor or travel health centre. (For long
trips immunization can take six months.) Base your
plan to stay healthy on professional medical advice.
Here are some things to consider if you visit other
countries en-route to Australia or after you leave.
Note: Vaccinations are not required unless you have come from, or visited a yellow fever infected country or zone within six days before arrival
No other health certificate is required to enter Australia
- Vaccines aren't perfect. New
strains of disease are evolving and new vaccines
are being released.
- Within countries, health risks vary by
locality. Local authorities may be slow
to tell the world about disease outbreaks.
- Your body, personality and travel plans
are unique. If you want to eat from roadside
stalls, you may need more jabs than if you eat
in five-star hotels.
Health requirements
No vaccinations or health certificates are required
for entry into Australia unless you intend to stay
for more than 12 months or are over 70 years of age.
You are advised to bring medications regularly required.
If you need to get medication during your stay, a prescription
must be obtained from a doctor in Australia, and dispensed
by a chemist. (pharmacy or drug store)
You need a yellow fever vaccination certificate
if, during the six days before arriving in Australia,
you have visited a country declared by the World Health
Organization (WHO) to be infected with yellow fever.
You can find out about these countries from a travel
health advisory service or from the WHO Web site. www.who.org
Taking medication
If you take medication, bring a doctor's letter
with you about your condition and the medicines you
need to take. If your medication requires injection,
purchase only unbroken sterile packs of needles and
syringes.
Travelling with small children
If you are taking a baby with you en-route to Australia
depending on where you intend staying over, stock up
on nappies and other essentials. Find out what baby
products are available at your en-route destination.
When you arrive in Australia our retail outlets will
be able to supply you with the full range of baby products.
Whether you're a man or a woman, travelling with
small children means you won't have hands free for
all the bags. Be aware that you are more vulnerable
to pickpockets and thieves. see Keep
yourself and your belongings safe
The sun
Take care!... Our sunlight is very strong and you
can get sunburned. For best sun protection, it is advisable
to wear:
- broad brimmed hat
- shirt with collar and sleeves
- sun screen with a high protection factor (SPF
15+)
To read see Sun safety
Medical attention
The cost of medical and hospital care in Australia
can be very expensive; and all overseas visitors should
take out some form of health insurance cover, including
ambulance cover... Simply put, if you cannot afford
travel insurance, you cannot afford to travel... Illness
or injury on
an overseas trip can be a financial disaster. Families
can be bankrupted.
Shop for a policy that suits you. Everyone should
insure for medical, hospital and medical evacuation. Ask
for coverage for pre-existing conditions. Coverage
for loss of deposits, tickets, baggage and money
is sensible. Get coverage for what you do... Some
policies exclude risky sports. If you're going to
mountaineer or bungy-jump, insure for it!
Unless you are in a remote area, medical treatment
is readily available. If you become ill or have an
accident, your tour operator or accommodation will
call a doctor. You will have to pay for treatment.
Depending on who you go to, a doctor's consultation
wil lcost $20 to $40 and prescriptions will cost from
around $20 per item.
Chemists are open at regular shopping hours, 9am to
5pm, but every major town has at least one 24 hour
pharmacy. Standard medical items such as band-aids
and aspirin are readily available from service (petrol)
stations, general stores, supermarkets, chemists, etc.
If you are hospitalised, expect to pay from $600 per
day for your bed and anywhere from $200 to $2000 for
surgery, depending on the operation. For emergency
medical service, dial 000 and ask for the ambulance
service.
If you intend to go to a remote area, drive off the
beaten track or go bushwalking without a knowledgeable
local guide, please make sure that at the very least,
you let someone know when you are expected back.
Even in populated areas, people can get lost or come
to harm. Our (mostly volunteer) emergency services
don't enjoy rescuing ill prepared visitors, who have
failed to make adequate preparations for their excursions
or who ignored warnings, whether it's a day trip climbing
Mount Warning, or a safari into the Great Sandy Desert.
At the very least, please make sure a schedule detailing
your expected route with approximate departure and
arrival times is left with your accommodation or another
reliable contact.
Australia has one of the best civil emergency systems
in the world. Each state has the State Emergency Services
(SES) or equivalent, Coastal waters and Beach (surf
lifesaving) Patrols, Rural Bush Fire Brigades and Rescue
Helicopter services, while the Royal Flying Doctor
Service serves the more remote and outback areas.
A good percentage of the funding, sometimes most of
it, and much of the people power for these services
comes from the local communities they serve. If you
are involved in an emergency and get instructions from
a member of these services, please listen to them.
To find out more about insurance visit our web section Travel
Insurance
Reciprocal health care agreements
Australia holds reciprocal health care agreements
with the United Kingdom - Sweden - Finland - the
Netherlands - Italy - Malta - New
Zealand and the Republic of Ireland.
However,
these agreements do not cover all health services,
and time restrictions apply in some cases.
Medicare eligibility
Visitors and temporary residents to Australia generally
do not have access to Medicare (Australia's national
public health care system) which is restricted to permanent
residents of Australia.
Surf and water safety
Australia is fringed with superb beaches just waiting
to be enjoyed. As with all beaches, it is advisable
to follow basic precautions. Popular beaches are usually
patrolled by volunteer lifesavers from October to April.
Always swim or surf at patrolled beaches between the
red and yellow flags which mark the safest area for
swimming. Take your time entering the water, and don't
swim alone.
- Many of our waters are safe for swimming, but
if you have any doubts, make enquiries before entering
the water.
- Most of our popular ocean beaches have patrols
with a lifesaving service. Red and yellow flags mark
the specified swimming area.
- If there are no flags and no lifeguards on the
beach, talk to locals about the best areas to swim.
To read more on swimming safety go to www.lifesaving.org.au
From late October to early May, venomous box jellyfish,
also called stingers or sea wasps, occur in the coastal
waters of northern Australia and around many of the
Queensland islands. They are rarely found on the Outer
Barrier Reef.
In the Northern Territory, the stingers are present
at all beaches, and in Western Australia they are found
along the Kimberley coastline. Beaches usually have
warning signs during this time, and visitors are advised
to swim where protective enclosures are provided.
Northern Australia is also home to two types of crocodiles.
Freshwater crocodiles occur only in inland waters.
Estuarine or saltwater crocodiles are seen mostly in
the tidal reaches or rivers, but also occur in freshwater
lagoons and swamp and along some beaches. They can
be found in waterways hundreds of kilometres from the
sea.
Crocodiles are potentially dangerous. Be 'croc-wise'
in croc-country, by observing all warning signs and
do not take unnecessary risks in crocodile areas. Do
not swim where crocodiles live, camp at least 50m from
the waters edge and never clean fish or discard food
scraps near the waters edge. 
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