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Post New TopicOceania
| Saskia Nov 19, 2013 11:22 AM Replies : 0 Views : 852 Click here to view posts |
Surfs UpSwimming / Bathing Every year in Australia around 300 people drown on our surf beaches. There is much more reason to be wary of swimming safety here than sharks. In fact when you look at the stats, since 1876, only 65 people worldwide have died after being attacked or taken by Great White Sharks. Australian beaches might be different from the calm, flat beaches familiar to some tourists. Some of our beaches have big waves, strong currents and occasionally they get deep and drop off quite quickly taking people by surprise. In Australia many surf beaches are patrolled by surf life savers. Advice for tourists swimming in our waters are as follows; 1) Find a patrolled beach 2) Don't swim alone - always have a friend watching you 3) Swim between the flags and keep a close eye on where the flags are. Currents can be strong in some parts. One minute you can be between the flags where life savers are watching, the next you can be some distance out from the flags. 4) Good idea if you are not a great swimmer to only go in as far as you can stand 5) If you get into trouble raise your hand and wave 6) if you get caught in a strong current or rip, don't panic and don't swim against it, try and swim out the side of the rip. 7) Stay calm, focus on breathing and floating |
| Meridith Nov 19, 2013 9:51 AM Replies : 0 Views : 821 Click here to view posts |
Fraser Island DingoesAnimal / Bite / Attack Fraser Island lies off the East Coast of Australia, approximately 200km north of Brisbane. It is the largest sand island in the world and was placed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1992 due its natural beauty and unique flora and fauna. One of the native Australian animals that live on the island is the dingo. The dingo has received some bad publicity over the years, but like all animals that are classified as ‘wild’ they need to be respected and kept at a safe distance. I visited Fraser Island some years ago now and have a wonderful photo of myself sitting on the sand not far from a resting dingo. Despite looking like dogs and appearing more curious than ferocious, it is important for the well being of both the dingo and yourself not to try and approach them. If a particular dingo is seen to be interacting with humans too much (including accepting food) they are classified as a ‘problem dingo’ and this can increase their chance of being destroyed. Some things to remember when around Fraser Island Dingoes include; 1) Do not pat dingoes. Putting your hand over the dingoes head may be seen as a threat to the dingo. 2) Do not leave food or belongings lying around the campsite. Dingoes are hungry and curious and will take your belongings to eat or play with. 3) Do not run away from a dingo, they love chasey and will probably chase you and nip at your ankles. 4) Do not run away from them into the water, they love playing in the water too and will get even more excited. 5) Dingoes are not by nature aggressive, but if you feel threatened by a dingo, stay calm, keep eye contact and back away slowly until it loses interest. Enjoy looking at and photographing the dingoes, but remember respect and distance. |
All reports of alleged incidents on this site are the information, opinion, belief and suggestions of Blackbook Traveler members and not of Blackbook Traveler.
