Packing
The Ultimate Australia Packing List
From reef-safe sunscreen to the right plug adaptor – an interactive checklist for the beach, the outback and the city.
Safety guide
Staying Safe in Australia: Sun, Surf & Wildlife
Australia is a very safe destination – as long as you respect the sun, the surf and the wildlife. These are the rules locals live by.
- 6 min read
- Emergency: 000
Safety in a nutshell
Crime rates are low, tap water is safe to drink and healthcare is excellent. The risks visitors actually face are mostly environmental: sunburn and dehydration, rip currents, and – far less often than the stories suggest – encounters with wildlife. A little local knowledge goes a long way, and our guides brief every group before activities.
000Police, fire & ambulance
112Alternative from any mobile
13 11 26Poisons Information Centre
Calling 000: say which service you need, give your location as precisely as possible (nearest road, landmark or GPS coordinates) and stay on the line. The Emergency+ app displays your coordinates and dials 000 for you.
Sun: the hazard everyone underestimates
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and visitors from northern climates burn fast – sometimes in under 15 minutes on a summer day. The UV index, not the temperature, tells you how strong the sun is: a cool, breezy spring day can still have a very high UV level.
Australians follow the SunSmart message whenever the UV index is 3 or higher:
- Slip on sun-protective clothing.
- Slop on SPF 50+ broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen – 20 minutes before going out, reapplied every two hours.
- Slap on a broad-brimmed hat.
- Seek shade, especially in the middle of the day.
- Slide on wrap-around sunglasses.
Check the daily sun protection times in the free SunSmart app or on the Bureau of Meteorology website, and drink more water than you think you need.
Interactive
UV index helper
Move the slider to today's forecast UV index to see what protection you need.
UV index
High
Protection essential. Fair skin can burn in around 20 minutes. Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide – and reapply sunscreen every two hours.
Hazard by hazard
What to know about surf, wildlife and the outback
Open a topic for the essentials and first-aid basics.
Rip currents are strong channels of water flowing away from the shore and are the biggest hazard on Australian beaches. They often look deceptively calm: a darker gap between breaking waves, rippled surface or drifting sand and foam.
- Swim between the red-and-yellow flags – they mark the patrolled area chosen by lifesavers.
- A red flag means the beach is closed. Do not swim.
- If caught in a rip: stay calm, float, raise an arm to signal for help. You may be carried back to a sandbar, or swim parallel to the beach until free.
- Never swim alone, at night or after drinking alcohol.
Australia is home to many venomous snakes, including the eastern brown and taipans, but they are shy and bites are rare. Stay on tracks, wear closed shoes and long trousers in long grass, and never try to touch, catch or kill a snake.
First aid: call 000, keep the person still and apply a pressure immobilisation bandage over the bite and up the whole limb. Do not wash the bite, cut it or use a tourniquet.
Redback spiders live across the country, and the Sydney funnel-web is found in the Sydney region. Antivenoms are highly effective and deaths are now extremely rare. Shake out shoes and clothes left outdoors and wear gloves when gardening or moving firewood.
Mosquitoes can carry viruses such as Ross River fever, so use repellent containing DEET or picaridin at dawn and dusk. Ticks are common in coastal bushland on the east coast.
In tropical waters – roughly north of the Tropic of Capricorn in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia – dangerous jellyfish are most common during stinger season, November to May. Box jellyfish and the tiny Irukandji can cause severe pain and life-threatening reactions.
- Wear a full-body stinger suit (reef tour operators provide them).
- Swim inside stinger-resistant enclosures on patrolled beaches.
- If stung: call 000 and douse the sting with vinegar for at least 30 seconds – vinegar stations are found on many tropical beaches.
"Salties" live in rivers, estuaries, billabongs and coastal waters across northern Australia, from around Rockhampton in Queensland through the Top End to the Kimberley. They can be present even where no sign is posted. Be Croc Wise:
- Obey all warning signs and only swim where authorities say it is safe.
- Stay several metres back from the water's edge and never lean over it.
- Camp well away from the water and never leave food scraps or fish waste behind.
- Never wade across creeks or let children play at the edge.
Distances between fuel stops can exceed 200 km, mobile coverage disappears quickly and summer temperatures pass 45 °C. Plan every remote drive:
- Carry plenty of drinking water – at least 5 litres per person per day, plus a reserve.
- Tell someone your route and expected arrival time; consider renting a satellite communicator or PLB.
- If you break down, stay with your vehicle – it is shade and far easier to spot.
- Give road trains (up to 53 m long) plenty of room and only overtake with a long, clear view.
- Walk early: some trails, such as the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, close from 9 am on days forecast to reach 36 °C or more.
Kangaroos and other wildlife on the road
Collisions with animals are one of the most common causes of rental-car damage. Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and emus are most active at dusk, at night and at dawn, and kangaroos often move in groups – where there is one, expect more.
- Avoid driving in rural areas between dusk and dawn. Many rental agreements exclude cover for animal strikes at night on country roads.
- Slow down where you see yellow wildlife signs.
- If an animal appears, brake firmly in a straight line – swerving causes far worse accidents.
- If you hit an animal, stop only where safe. Injured wildlife can be reported to local rescue services.
Fire season
Bushfires and fire danger ratings
Most fires occur in summer in the south and in the dry season up north.
Australia uses a national Fire Danger Rating system shown on roadside signs, in the news and in state emergency apps. On days of very high risk a Total Fire Ban may be declared – no campfires, barbecues on open flames or spark-producing tools outdoors.
| Rating | What it means for visitors |
|---|---|
| Moderate | Plan and prepare. Stay aware of conditions and alerts. |
| High | Be ready to act. Reconsider hikes in remote bushland. |
| Extreme | Take action now to protect life. Avoid bush and grassland areas; follow park closures. |
| Catastrophic | For your survival, leave bushfire-risk areas the night before or early in the day. |
Download a state alerts app before a road trip – for example Hazards Near Me (NSW), VicEmergency (Victoria) or Alert SA – and follow instructions from emergency services. National parks close on severe days, and we will adjust tour itineraries if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Dial 000 (triple zero) for police, fire or ambulance. From a mobile you can also dial 112, which connects to the same service. Both are free. For non-urgent poisoning or bite advice, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
Yes – if you swim between the red-and-yellow flags on patrolled beaches, where lifesavers watch the water. Most drownings happen on unpatrolled beaches or outside patrol hours. In the tropics, swim in stinger nets and wear a stinger suit from November to May, and never swim where crocodile warning signs are posted.
Bites are uncommon and deaths are rare thanks to effective antivenoms and first aid. Most snakebites happen when people try to catch or kill a snake. Leave wildlife alone, wear closed shoes in the bush, shake out boots and call 000 immediately if bitten.
Australia sits close to the equator in parts, has clear, dry air and is close to the sun during the southern summer. The UV index regularly reaches 11 or more in summer, and it can be high even on cool or cloudy days. Sun protection is recommended whenever the UV index is 3 or above.
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