For those new to our shores, and visiting our local region, the following info is for you. We hope it will HELP teach you where and when to take care and to enable you to be far more relaxed as you sojourn here in the land of sunshine, sand and serendipity.
Be aware, yes, BE AWARE. Sounds simple and it truly can be. Unless you are one of the unfortunate minority to be landed on by a plummeting Jumbo jet whilst being hit by colliding trains as you're riding a psychopathic donkey under a London bus during a cyclonic earthquake, the simple matter of knowing where you are and what you are doing will keep you in one piece and ready to do it all again tomorrow.
What are the risks? What lurks in a glass of water? What lurks under the water? There's a big difference between Australia and Asia, between feeling fine versus cramping up with Bali belly, between excellent medical care and flying home with rampant infections from a minor accident. Crocs, deadly jellyfish, snakes, sharks and rabid rednecks - they're all a risk. But how big are they?
First up, a few everyday basics that may or may not pose a risk...
Probably the first thing you'll need to worry about is the sun. We usually have plenty of it and it does pack a punch! Here in Tropical North Queensland you'll soon recognise the novice tourist, whose skin ranges in color from radiant rose to torrid red.
Even when it's raining and overcast here, you can still get sunburnt. Travelling over water, the U.V. radiation reflected up at you is just as nasty as that beaming down from above and the risk of sunburn is increased.
We also have 'delayed reaction' sunburn here. That's where you leave the beach with a healthy pink tinge, and an hour or so later you're beetroot rouge and cannot sit, stand, lie or do anything else.
Shade, protective clothing, a hat, sunscreen (at least SPF15), quality sunglasses and common sense are all useful weapons for the fight to keep your cool and in combination with each other, will do the job.
Spending hours in the great outdoors of FNQ can put the uninitiated at risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The secret to avoid these is to drink plenty of fluids and avoid strenuous activity. If you are a sensitive little flower and prone to skin conditions, it is wise to be aware of prickly heat rash. Stay cool, bathe often and use a talcum powder to avoid this.
It's a smart move to carry a little medical kit, particularly if you plan to be tromping through the rainforests or doing other outdoorsy kind of things. Essential items include bandages, tweezers, calamine lotion, diarrhoea medicine, paracetamol, antiseptic and antihistamines.
Food
Relax. Hospitality industry standards are surprisingly high in this neck of the woods and food poisoning cases are blissfully rare. Travellers dependent on some else's kitchen practises are in much better hands here than many other tropical areas but yes, food poisoning can occur anywhere. The worst case in years was a local high-school catering seminar where a dozen kids and teachers ended up in hospital after someone left a sauce out overnight. A couple of local food courts have had a reputation for "Delhi Belly Afters", and once a year or so, someone eats the wrong seafood and it makes headlines. Do avoid any seafood that smells even slightly strange and keep food in the fridge, not the fresh air. Ciguatera poisoning is a poison that accumulates in certain types of fish due to the consumption of certain algae by grazing fish. Don't panic as it is relatively rare and not fatal. It is best to avoid eating very large fish, particularly red bass and large rock cods.
Water
This is the wet tropics and most water in these parts gushes towards the towns from the unsullied mountains behind. During the 'Wet', when over a metre of rain can fall in a day, the water reservoirs sometimes get a bit stirred up and town water a bit crunchy. The councils are quick to warn if there is any need to boil drinking water, but generally it only looks a bit strange.
Port Douglas is one place where the water is not chlorinated, but the intakes are all well upstream and only the weakest metabolisms usually have trouble coping with it. The Douglas Shire is saving up to install a micro-filtration system which'll eliminate the need for chlorine. Those with tender tummies might want to opt for bottled water which is widely available year round, the cheapest is in the supermarkets.
Breathing
Any cosmopolitan citizen from the northern hemisphere will be instantly impressed and invigorated with our clean, fresh, bright atmosphere. "The sky is so big here". However, running in and out of air-conditioned arcades and hotels may well get you a cold, even mid-summer, and processing your fellow travellers' coughs has the same results here as elsewhere. Don't feel bad - we locals have the same problems.
Dive Instructors/River Guides
A more recent phenomenon here in FNQ, these creatures have been known to cause heinous heartache, embarrassing rashes, profound disillusionment and other related distresses. Handle with care and caution, or at the least use prophylactics.
We Aussies do have a fair few creepy crawly critters and creatures of uncertain temperament to contend with in our vast and varied continent, yet we learn at an early age when to relax, when to respect and when to run away. To be honest, it's extraordinarily rare that we ever run.
It's always fun to play 'the many ways to die' game for guests, but there can be some seriously hazardous encounters lurking locally for the unwary and unlucky.
Let's deal initially with those which have caused fatalities.......
Sharks
We locals have been diving amongst reef sharks, with our kids and all the tourists, for years. To date there has never been a scuba diver fatally attacked by a shark in Queensland waters. The best way to meet an aggressive shark (eg a tiger or bronze whaler) is to fall overboard well out to sea (beyond the reef) and then paddle around for a day or so. Even then, most sharks will contemplate the situation for a fair while before homing in.
The most common shark encounter stories are from tourists doing a night dive during a scuba diving course. Back on the boat they complain their dive buddy kept nudging them, only to discover a resident reef shark had been gently reminding them that this territory has already been claimed. Plenty of dive tours include underwater shark feeding.
Crocodiles
Unless you choose to go for a paddle in muddy tidal rivers, or visit the same spot on the riverbank regularly for a few days, you will not need to worry about these grossly oversensationalised, instinctively timid monsters.
At least once a year the local paper has a field day when some stupefied saltwater croc suns itself on the Sheraton golf course, or even more daringly amongst beach goers. 'Salties' are plentiful around the Daintree River and you have to be pretty unlucky not to see at least one on a croc-spotting tour.
The smaller freshwater crocs are also not uncommon in the coastal regions, but do not attack people unless provoked. Never swim where you see a crocodile sign and don't even think about having a dip in the Endeavour River at Cooktown.
Sea Snakes
Though by far the most venomous snake on the planet and famous for their often insatiable curiosity, it is only deckhands unloading nets on trawlers who get bitten by these elegantly beautiful and graceful reptiles. You may be lucky enough to meet one.
Sea Shells
Here in Queensland the unpretentious Cone Shell or Bayonet Shell, can be found lying or crawling about in the shallow waters of mainland and island beaches, and some of the shallower inner reefs. When handled they can and will inflict a potentially lethal poison with a probiscus armed with a harpoon. BE AWARE!
Jellyfish
One of the biggest frustrations of Tropical North Queensland is not being able to swim in the ocean. And at the hottest part of the year, too. Actually, that's a bit of a sweeping statement. You can still swim, snorkel or dive out on the reef, but the warm, shallow waters around the coast contain jellyfish. These may only give you a nasty sting, but they can kill. There are two to be very aware of - the Box Jellyfish [stingers or sea wasp] and the Irukandji.
The Irukandji can be about twice the size of a man's thumb, quite agile, and usually swim rapidly out of the way. They live mainly in the calmer waters of the coast, and on rare occasions become caught in swimmers clothing and will then sting. The sting itself is not very painful, but after a 1/2 hour, severe symptoms including 'exquisite pain', breathing difficulties, nausea, and partial paralysis can appear. Not good for the faint-hearted or those far from medical assistance. Deaths caused by Irukandji are extremely uncommon.
Box Jellyfish appear in adult form along the coastal beaches (particularly around river mouths) from early November. They can attain startling sizes, and even a small adult can cause a severe 'sting' resulting in immense pain, intense shock, extreme scarring and in some cases death.
Usually sometime in April the stingers head back into the mangroves to breed.
During the stinger season many tourist beaches have nets in place designed to keep swimmers safe, so it is not true that our beaches are all closed in summer. Anyone overly concerned can still swim in the rainforest rivers or out on the reefs and islands.
It's difficult not to be aware of these marine stingers, as extensive signposting and 'stinger stations', each with a bottle of vinegar with which to douse any wound, are in place at all major beaches throughout the region. If somebody with you is stung, do not try to remove the tentacles, douse with vinegar and treat as for snake bite.
Snakes
Back on the mainland, these slithery, yet not slimy serpents have also earned an undeserved reputation amongst those who've yet to encounter them. YOU WILL NEED TO BE EXTREMELY LUCKY TO SEE A SNAKE. Snakes are actually quite deaf, but can 'hear' vibrations through the ground astonishingly well. Unless some of them have recently had a big feed and are soundly sleeping it off, they will be well and truly out of sight long before you get anywhere near them.
We locals do watch out for taipans, who are rather dangerous due to their very long fangs, and the fact they can get very shitty, particularly during the November mating season. Taipans tend to hang around cane fields. Other aggressive breeds include the tiger and black snake. If you do spot a snake, it is more than likely to be a harmless green or brown tree snake.
Should you choose to go traipsing through the bush barefoot in shorts, or as almost 90% of snakebite victims do, attempt to catch themselves a snake, you may indeed find yourself quite suddenly contemplating the hereafter. Nevertheless, it is now common knowledge that the correct application of a pressure bandage and immobilisation of the affected limb, and it will be a limb, will allow you approximately one day to get to qualified medical assistance. Simply stay aware, OK.
Stinging Trees
Tucked away in the rainforest in places only found by those who get out there amongst it unguided and enthusiastic, these unsuspecting trees have zillions of nettle-like needles on their broad, heartshaped leaves, branches and roots, that inject a toxin into human skin which causes intense pain and sometimes serious side effects, including death! The needles and toxin remain embedded for many weeks, reactivated whenever touched or immersed in water. They are a serious danger and any budding explorers do need to know a lot more about them before heading off into uncharted regions of our tropical jungles. BE VERY AWARE.
Kangaroos
Alright, so through some freak set of circumstances you've actually managed to corner a kangaroo, and it's just you and him. He will tear your guts out - pronto! Kangaroos and cows are more of a hazard to drivers on country roads at night. If you hit a kangaroo, it will probably inflict considerable damage to your vehicle and the animal will mostly likely be killed.
Pigs
Yes, pigs. Left behind by the likes of the then Lieutenant James Cook around 200 years ago, today's feral ancestors have a justified reputation as a potentially lethal creature you do not want to encounter at the wrong time and place
Attacks are notably rare. Again, be aware.
Cassowary
Very large and beautiful flightless birds that stroll around our rainforests, almost always minding their own business. Every decade or three, one cassowary, for unfathomable cassowary reasons, lashes out its oh-so powerful legs and does an inordinate amount of damage to somebody, even someone who's been regularly feeding them.
Cassowaries are rarer these days but are still seen, particularly around the Mission Beach and the Daintree regions.
Fish
Considering the abilities to cause damage that so many fish are inherently designed with, it is virtually miraculous that so many thousand divers and snorkelers can get amongst them day after day without getting munched, murdered and mutilated. Yet this is the reality! Okay, so you hand-fed a barracuda 40kms from the mainland and it took a chunk out of your thumb; now whose fault is that ?!?
There are such things as Stonefish, Scorpionfish, Zebrafish, Stingrays, Lionfish, blue-ringed octopus etc which will jab you with one or more majorly unpleasant poison laden spines if you get too close, so don't. Treat all marine nasties with at least a modicum of respect and all you'll have to cope with is seasickness. Best policy is: Don't pick critters up from the beach or from the water.
Coral
There is one basic rule - look but don't touch. There are corals you can fondle, even give a quick tonguey to, but some can sting rather painfully and ANY coral cut will require prompt cleaning and thorough disinfecting. You may also discover your friendly tourboat marine biologist suddenly turns quite nasty if you damage the coral whilst trying for a hand or foothold, or ignorantly seeking a souvenir. Standing on coral can damage it permanently.
Moray Eels
The terrifying ogres of 60's B-grade movies are in reality instinctively shy and retiring. They have only been known to attack foolish divers carrying dead fish around and coaxing the Morays out of their cosy little hidey-holes. Even that has not occurred for a long time.
Clams
Again, these legendary monsters lurking in the shadows waiting to devour innocent divers are in fact nothing but an overgrown scallop which will try its best to keep you out. Do check them out closely, in a civilised manner, as they will you.
Spiders
Up here in the Far North we are lucky enough to have very few poisonous spiders and those we have do try hard to keep themselves to themselves. The formidable Sydney Funnelweb is more than 3,000kms away. Most locals are pleased to have a big hairy Huntsman hanging about, seriously. Spiders do eat mozzies and flies.
Ticks
There are a few species of these little parasites wandering about up here, mainly in rural areas where you're unlikely to be. A severe tick infestation can kill the family pet. For us, a horrible headache is about the worst we'll get. Much more of a problem much further south.
Mosquitoes
Be particularly conscious of mozzies at dawn or dusk and sleep in a fan's draft, under a net or behind mozzie screens. There is an overabundance of commercial products to keep the annoying little blighters well away, and as long as you DO NOT SCRATCH the worst you'll normally have to cope with is a tiny, itchy lump which vanishes in minutes. They are by no means found everywhere anyways, so don't let your imagination keep you away because of 'em.
In the tropics, it's the mosquito-borne diseases that can be most annoying. Dengue Fever is one of the nastiest Aussie diseases, leaving most people hammered with a few weeks of fever. Similar to Dengue, Ross River Disease is like a multi-arthritic drag, and it is mozzies that deliver them both. They're not common, but have occurred. Whenever someone gets back from Asia and their neighbors start falling over with any of various types of fever, the local councils soon send in teams with trucks, a helicopter and deep-space body suits, to eradicate the mozzies around and about promptly and completely.
For both mosquitoes and sandflies, many people have found a large dose of vitamin B12 will deter the flamin' things rather well.
Sandflies
Bloody sand flies are a nuisance. You don't feel the bite but after the tiny critter has pissed an allergic reaction on your skin, it splits. Incredibly, they seem to love the exact same spot on both the left and the right ankle. Scratch the mozzie-bite size lump and it'll scar, and often seriously infect. Rinse the spot with fresh water, rub an anti-allergic such as calamine on it, and it's all over in a few minutes. Found almost always within easy reach of the tidal waters they need to breed in, they also can be fended off with a big range of commercial products.
Leeches
Not very big, not very prevalent and only a problem in certain places at certain times of the year. There are commercial products to keep them well away. Leeches are easily removed by the application of salt or heat.