Surviving OZ. Leave your weapons cowboys, a realistic look at survival down under

Welcome to OZ, a beautiful country, wild and rugged, dangerous and delightful....so you think OZ and you think hmmm Koala bears! Kangaroos! awwww......ahh my friends its not all beaches, bikinis and sunshine....living in a urban landscape can also kill you, from our creepy crawlies to our insane weather and bush fires.

Its not only stupid tourists that get get themselves caught in situations where they have no water, or food, lost in the bush, or clasped firmly in the jaws of a freshwater croc, our locals have found themselves dead in the harsh Australian terrain also. Living in Oz even in the city means you have to keep an eye for things that will nip you and then likely kill you....there is no rule, the bigger the fangs, the worse the poison, the brighter the colouring the more damage it will do, we pretty much have to teach our kids safety awareness from swimming in the sea, to sitting on the toilet seat....yes there have been many a red-back spider plonked down on a loo seat in every household. We don't have guns here so much, but what we do have is common sense and experiences. You see my dear yanks, your guns aren't needed here when it comes to surviving off the land, The irikandji jellyfish is the size of a finger nail, completely see through and is the worlds most deadliest creature, so no shooting madly into the beach will save you from them And my pommy cousins form the motherland, no amount of nudey beer drinking swimming will scare off a shark with your drunken scent.

Most American mates of mine tend ask me questions on surviving OZ along these lines.....

" so I can talk about fighting kangaroos bare fisted while making koala's harvest my food for me?" ATS Chat quote Roguetechie

Koalas may look cute and cuddly, but they will claw you and pierce your jugular if you try snuggle them too much. And a Big Red Roo will kick the bejeebus out of you before it politely dons gloves to go a boxing round with you, they lean back on their incredibly powerful tails, launch their legs at you, and send you up to Sputnik.

So you have a BOB, been hiking here and there in the US wilderness, or the ambling in the British foothills, you have a great knife......no I'm not going to do crocodile dundee and say "That's not a knife, that's a knife" but the saying does lend credence to, whatever it takes to survive, we got it tougher and scarier . Put away your guns, your ambling shellalee and your batman shark repellent spray, I have some wee tips for you, especially those of you chomping at the bit for 2012 to come round so you can play Bear Grills....We got what you want to survive a Apocolytpic environment, right here right now......

Lets start simple.

Wherever you go, outside of the city, is pretty much guaranteed to be a expedition in survival. Miles and miles of semi arid harsh landscape with only Aboriginal settlements dotted here and there.

Be prepared

Whether in desert or bush, arm yourself with up-to-date, preferably detailed maps showing water sources and nearest communities, have a compass or global positioning system, and emergency position indicator radio beacon (EPIRB).

Always inform someone/s where you are going, what route you plan to take and when you expect to reach your destination.

If you are travelling by road and expect to travel great distances, servicing your vehicle will be your friend.

On long journeys, have two complete spare wheels, extra petrol, engine oil, fan belts, spare keys. Carry water in several containers.
before you go anywhere. PACK FOOD AND WATER. Don't rely on your Mobile phone, it is likely you will have no signal in the outback.


To find natural water and food in the Outback has been a skill possessed by the Aborigines for centuries. Should you find yourself broken down in the middle of nowhere, don't be scared of a serial killer finding you, pray that someone will drive past, and make sure you stay with your vehicle, do not leave it to go for help. Ever. They all die when they leave their vehicles.
Finding water in the Outback...

1) Natural springs: even the dry Outback regions have underground water beneath the Earth's surface. The great Artesian Basin is the largest underground water resource in the central and eastern Outback. Along the Oodnadatta Track are several natural outlet, called mound springs.
2) Waterholes and billabong s are permanent water supplies in dry river beds. You'll recognise dry river beds in the Outback easily, as they are always lined by small trees and bushes.
3) Around rock formations and gorges rainwater is caught for quite some time.
4) Vegetation holds moisture, some plants more than others. You can collect water through evaporation, putting a plastic sheet over cut plants and collect the moisture in a pot.

www.ritas-outback-guide.com...


Finding food...
Sooo, a while back I was with a wannabe survivalist/hiker exploring Oregon, we stopped in the forrests and he plucked a berry from the tree and ate it, smiled, and handed me another one to eat, not wanting to appear fearful or uncool, I had the berry, against all my natural instincts I ate the godnang berry! What he didn't know was I spent the next few hours panicking I had just ingested a killer berry and was coyly checking my skin for any reactions that may show that I was about to die.....you see even our berries kill you here......He also laughed at me walking through the slightly cleared path through the trees as I looked everywhere, the ground the trees everywhere, you see, I was looking out for the snakes and spiders that kill you when you go bush, just doing what I was trained to do, fortunately the scariest thing we saw was a Oregon hick with a mullet....anyway I digress.....The goods news is in Australia we have native seeds, fruits and plants are edible, as well as many animals. Fruits of fig trees, quandongs, bush tomatoes and bush potatoes, nuts and even leaves.
Witchetty grubs are larvaes found in the roots of the Witchetty bush, and considered a high source of protein. Now as a school kid I was made to eat a witchetty grub, ugly lil fat worms, that taste well nutty......


Our traditional land owners, the indigenous population survived and flourished for about 60 000 years here, with no farming, so its not all bad

Killer critters, refer to my old thread Australia's Deadliest www.abovetopsecret.com...

In OZ a basic summary of what to steer clear of, remember the best survival is prevention rather than cure:
Land
Snakes including Taipan, Brown, Tiger, Death Adder, Spiders-funnel webs, white tails
Beach and sea:
The Box and Irukandji Jellyfish Sharks, Stonefish, Blue ring octopus, Cone Shell, Stingray , Salt Water Crocodile
Funnel Web and Red Back Spider
Swimming, in the ocean anywhere around Australia stick to the beaches, please for the love of god, swim between the flags that are patrolled by life savers, they monitor and will close the area if they consider the area unsafe because of undertows, jellyfish, crocodiles or sharks. There are nearly 300 lifesaving clubs around OZ that rescue 12000 people a year.I myself have pulled a handful of people from the surf. Many people mistake the calm waters of a Riptide as a safe place to swim as the waves aren't crashing there, this is the biggest mistake made by any tourist
Riptides or undertows can unexpectedly drag you out to sea, the best thing to do if you find you can not get back is not to fight it and exhaust yourself , the calmer water is EXTREME danger, if you get caught in a rip, relax put your hand up to be rescued or let the rip take you out then swim back in once you are clear of it, don't try and swim against it whilst you are in the calm water......of course you should never swim outside of the lifesaving patrolled flags. These great people are volunteers that save lives daily.
Riverways:
Platypus, Salt Water Crocodile.....there have been many a tourist/explorer who thinks a watering hole looks cooling in the hot Australian sun......DO NOT go in the water, AND STAY WELL AWAY FROM THE WATERS EGDE....they come up on land my sweets and drag you back in for a death roll.
Do not visit the same spot near a rivers edge, and don't leave food scraps behind.
If collecting water use a rope with a container on the end.
If you do choose a river or lake to swim, check with locals that there are no crocodiles as this could also ruin your day....Local knowledge is your friend.
Coral should not be touched or stood on....it can give nasty infections.

First Aid knowledge is your friend......if a victim loses consciousness mouth to mouth resuscitation and CPR is essential as the toxins paralyse the muscles for breathing and heart beat. Of course it is better to not get stung in the first place and to wear a stinger suit, on Stingersuits.com , these attractive little outfits may actually save your life, I kinda like to think of these swim suits as the Burquas of the sea.....

Sharks well best way to survive a great white shark, is to swim like hell for the shore if you see a fin......don't swim at night or dawn, and • Never swim when bleeding;and if you see schools of fish, avoid the area as they maybe a feeding ground for the sharks. Paul Degelder discusses his survival story here...In his book 'No time for fear' you can read about his survival and recovery from a vicious shark attack......he had heard you punch a shark, in the eyes and head, some people had survived it, but chances are not good.....period, Paul lost his hand and his leg. His book, is a true survival story.

The initial loss of these limbs was painful to deal with, mentally and physically, but to add to the torment I had to deal with the pain of rehab, and the ongoing frustrations of phantom limb pains. Having spent 10 years in the military my determination to get my life back was garnered by the disciplines I learnt in constant exercises going “out bush”, or on operations in the Army, on selection tests and demanding workloads as a diver

www.enar.com.au...


Sting rays i only mention these guys because one took our beloved Steve Irwin, To be honest I have only seen about 5, and the barb will stick you in the foot most likely as they live in the sand shallows. They are not poisonous and very very very few deaths have been attributed to them.....but they like hell....all hell.

Avoiding bites and stings: • Do not put your hands or feet under rocks or into logs etc when you cannot see what is in there. Snakes tend to avoid open, exposed areas - do not leave anything lying on the ground that could provide shelter or cover for snakes • Carefully shake your shoes before putting them on. Spiders and scorpions like to hide in them • Never try to catch and pick up snakes or other dangerous animals. The most bites happen when people try to catch and handle these animals • When walking in the bush particularly in the early morning stamp you feet occasionally. Snakes have very good hearing and will move to holes and shelter when you approach. Snakes are very dangerous when surprised. They are more scared of you than you of them so they will disappear if they know you are coming. If you get in a situation where you have a snake a few feet away from you, the best thing to do is to stand still, and wait for the snake to leave. • Carry a roll of crepe bandage with you when you go for a walk through the bush or long grass. • Be very careful with shells, cans etc on the beach. They could have a dangerous animal hiding inside • Wear shoes when walking in rock pools at the beach • Generally Black spiders are the most dangerous

What to do if you get bitten: Important myth dispelling, do no suck the bite. Although all poison attacks the body in different ways the treatment for bites is the same. • Do not wash the bite area • Try to slow down the speed the venom travels through the body by - Wrapping a bandage firmly around the place where the bite is. This should not be so tight that the blood supply is cut off. If the bandage hurts it is too tight. DO NOT take the bandage off until you reach the doctor or the hospital. - Try to avoid any unnecessary movement of this part of the body. - Keep the injured person still. Do not let the person walk to get to help, bring help to the person, or carry the person to help. - Try to keep the person calm. Poison spreads faster if the heart beats faster. • Do not suck the bite. • Do not try to catch or kill the snakes (You might get bitten too. Furthermore, snakes are protected in Australia.) • Try to remember the colour and shape of the snake to describe to the doctor

www.downunder-dago.com...

I'm still gonna bare fist box the kangaroo... and if I have a big enough BOB I can carry enough ammo to kill EVERYTHING in a square block... then australia will be just right for us americans.

Sheer and utter brilliance as usual Zazz

It seems you covered every base there except the inner city bogan, our most dangerous predator found in the suburbs surrounding all our major cities

Good work S & F

reply to post by zazzafrazz


Great thread, as a fellow Aussie that has had the chance to teach basic survival skills to Cub Scouts i agree with you.
Ive had kangaroos come though the windscreen of our car, and get up and hop away like nothing nhad happened.. meanwhile the front of the car was written off..
koala's are fun little creatures and so are possums.. lol first rule of camping.. dont feed the possums that come down at night
Though white tailed spiders aren't as bad as some think (i used to do pest control for 10 years) they inject a bacteria that breaks down tissue and it spreads via the lymphatic system.. but only a few people actually experience the allergic reaction to the bacteria so they can cause pain and damage but not many deaths.
best bet for swimming in tropical waters around the top end is to wear two pairs of stockings to protect against jellyfish, and carry vinegar to help detach the stingers in the event of an emergency..
But as a fellow Aussie, you know that while most people think there aren't many guns here, thats actually a bit wrong, we just dont carry them in the cites.. as most of our inland is farming areas, we have many firearms on the farms
but for all the things that we have that bite sting and want to eat us alive.. i wouldn't trade it for anywhere else..
oh and watch out for drop bears.. they know your coming...(that means you rouge ) (jokes)
S&F

reply to post by zazzafrazz


You forgot to warn them about "Drop Bears", Yowie's and Bunyips. Oh yeah and the "Big Cats" and 80KG Dingoes!

reply to post by sprocket2cog


possums, sound like the spawn of satan, and a big one will rip a small dog apart lol. Great tip regarding camping.
ETA: re guns, yes they are in the country, and needed, but as I said you cant shoot a redback, a jellyfish or a shark

reply to post by zazzafrazz


Wow, great post, lots of good info. If I ever make it to Oz, I'll be sure and print this up to take with me.

That is, assuming I ever get past the nighmares you just gave me...

Sounds like Australia = DEATH, at every turn. My kind of place

reply to post by zazzafrazz


Yep guns aren't much against those i do agree.
I must admit to be being a land lubber i really dont like the ocean, oh and throw in blue ring octopus and stingrays.
stone fish, sea urchins.. argghhhh!!!!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c5b2a07afebc.jpg[/atsimg]

Excellent work Zazzy!!

Short story...

I had some friends from New Zealand come to live here and they were shocked by our friendly critters... had numerous phone calls from them to come and take some nasty away. First time was a giggle when a large flying roach landed on the outside of their bedroom window.. the streelight threw a massive roach shadow across the wall in their bedroom.

So at 2am I got the call.. "HELP. A huge thing is on our wall!!" Man I laughed so hard when I found out what it was.. only a 3 inch long roach on the window.

Can't blame them though coz in UnZud they only have tiny little spiders and one very small snake. Not like us with our huge bird eating spiders out in lush bushland among the snakes and other furry critters that will take a chunk out of you.

Great thread.

However, if a snake bit you then you ought kill it - no matter if it has been declared 'protected' by the government that disarmed you - you are more important than some silly law.

Kill the snake. Bring it to the doctor with you. Survive.

*Or you can trust your brilliant memory and hope to Jesus you and your friends have accurate recall. But at least the government will be happy with you if you die, since that means you probably obey'd the law and all...

reply to post by zazzafrazz


What a great post. It's the best country in the world, life sure is never boring here.
One species I think deserve a mention comes from the same family of the inner city bogan, and that is the station rat. They come in males and female and it is usually the female which is more aggressive. You can tell a station rat by the pram they're pushing along with the mandatory can of UDL and smoke in hand. If you cant tell by their name, they're usual habitat is the train station.

reply to post by zazzafrazz


I really enjoyed your thread. The only thing, and this just could be me, is that I don't like generalizations. I don't like being placed in a group or told I am like someone else. I am me. I am not a cowboy (although your post intimated I am) and I don't need a gun to kill a jelly-fish, as your thread said directly. There is no need for that within a well written post. It implys that you are a superior person based upon your anecdotal evidence - dear lord, you went hiking in Oregon - that must mean EVERYONE in the states is like them! Well, I guess everyone in OZ is like you...proud you live in a place that can kill you in seconds! I know how bad a** y'all must be, and I know those cowboy dopes eat berries and the like, and then shoot them for good measure. You have displayed an interesting way of describing yourself. You, as I'm sure you know, kick everyone's butt. Sleep well!

CJ

forgot to mention the biggest killer in the northern areas of our fine country. Heat.

try running around the bush in the NT, Nth QLD and Nth WA in the wet season, 32-35 degrees and 98% humidity generally kill more people than snakes, crocs and jelly fish.

Oh, and for you American friends, shooting a croc is no sure thing for a kill, unless you are a crack shot and manage to hit their very small brain your only going to annoy it, and attact even more of the buggers

a little dramatic don't you think?

having lived all over this beautiful country you writing is colorful to say the least.

the biggest threat in this country is boguns period

reply to post by ColoradoJens


Well someone took this a little too personally

You obviously dont know zazz very well do you

It doesnt seem to deter people from coming here ,not sure if you mentioned it but watch out for this mofo
The Cassowary
Australians trying to rebuild in the wake of Cyclone Yasi have been warned to stay away from cassowaries – huge flightless birds with claws that can Disembowel a human – on the hunt for food after their habitat was destroyed by the storm.
www.telegraph.co.uk... nt-birds.html
Stay Away,far far away.

reply to post by Exuberant1


Debatable about catching snakes.

Some of the snakes can be rather nasty little buggers when you step on them, chances are they will slither away and never be seen again. If you try to catch it I wouldn't be surprised if your "mate gets bitten aswell"

Your better off just bandaging the bite and setting of a beacon or calling for help, nastiest experience I've had with a snake was when I got chased by a tiger snake.
I now know snakes can jump and can move very quickly when they want to!

Most things in the country keep to themselves, as long as you don't corner a animal they will generally leave you alone.

I'm fine with the snakes in aus, its just the oversized insects that annoy me....
Waking up to find a hairy huntsmen spider the size of your hand next to you isn't fun

As said above, heat is the biggest kill in Australia.
Make sure you plan your trips and be prepared for the worst, a locator beacon is a good investment if you go remote.

Good work zazzafrazz, star and flag

Are the bird eating spiders dangerous??? Or are they just frikkin scary because they are so big???

I spent 3 weeks backpacking round Oz - Sydney, Cairns, Ularu and Darwin, I think the most scary thing I saw were the locals in Darwin - scary place!!! Oz though is beautiful - id love to live there.

As for wildlife - had a gecko in our room one night - or was it a venemous flesh eating dragon??

reply to post by spolvil


Bird eating spiders?
Someone been watching to much steve irwin!
From my book of what try to eat you in Australia they are listed as harmful bot not venomousness.
They give a nasty bite which could get infected and cause problems but they won't kill you.
Just don't go sticking your hand down holes, somethings bound to eat it!

Gecko's!
One of my favorite native miniature dinosaurs, anything that can crawl up the side of walls get my tick of approval.
Scariest thing about insects and the like is turning of the lights, you can never sleep peacefully without knowing where they are.

Australia is a lovely place to live, most of the population are nice and there are some beautiful places to visit.
You just have to think before your do something and have some common sense.

reply to post by spolvil


Try living in darwin mate

And ditto on the Cassowary, mean mofos when they feel like it