Australia

Australia: Hiking Solo in the Outback Requires Planning, Preparation

Date: November 3rd, 2010 |

The death of a German tourist who apparently got lost on a solo hike in the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park serves as a reminder always to carry ample water to remain hydrated when hiking in intense heat. He was walking the popular seven-mile Barrk Sandstone Walk without water when he evidently became disoriented and [read more]

Australia: Northern Territory Might Offer Cane Toad Safaris

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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Cane toads are considered a scourge in the Northern Territory, where they were introduced in 1935 and whose numbers are estimated to have swollen to 92 million. If Darwin’s lord mayor gets his way, tour operators will be able to offer toad safaris to tourists where part of the attraction of camping out in the [read more]

Australia: Fraser Island Campers Harass Dingoes, Dingoes Bite, Campsites Close

Date: March 17th, 2010 |

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After three campers were bitten by dingoes in recent weeks on Queensland’s Fraser Island, rangers closed two campgrounds in an effort to keep people and wildlife separated. The task is complicated by too many campers’ willful ignorance of laws to leave the animals alone: encounters like these usually occur because the campers harass the dingoes. [read more]

Australia: Uluru to Remain Open to Climbers

Date: January 13th, 2010 |

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The Australian government decided not to ban climbing Uluru, or Ayers Rock, as had been recommended last year by the board of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. A new management plan left open the possibility of closing the rock in the future if certain conditions arose, including developing other attractions for visitors in the area or [read more]

Australia: Monster Croc Bites Tourist Boat, No One Injured

Date: November 12th, 2009 |

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Two unprecedented incidents occurred on crocodile cruises on the Daintree River in Far North Queensland recently, and luckily no one was injured. In the first, a tourist fell overboard in croc-infested waters but was quickly plucked out unharmed. In the second, a 15-foot monster croc dubbed Fat Albert by the local tour operators leapt from [read more]

Australia: Anangu People Get Another Reason to Prohibit Climbing of Uluru

Date: June 30th, 2010 |

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Aboriginal owners of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the land around it have another reason to demand that visitors be prohibited from climbing the famous sandstone formation: a French woman did a striptease down to her boots, bikini bottoms and cowboy hat because she wanted to see the site “in a way I’m going to remember.” [read more]

Australia: Queensland Tourist Train Shut Down by Landslide

Date: March 31st, 2010 |

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A popular tourist train in Queensland, the Kuranda Scenic Railway, was shut down following a derailment caused by a mudslide that buried the track about 10 miles into its journey between Cairns and Kuranda March 26. Engineers were brought in to clear the tracks, stabilize the slide and reopen the railway, but when it will [read more]

Australia: Measles Outbreak in Whitsundays, Queensland

Date: February 17th, 2010 |

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Queensland health authorities issued a warning about a measles outbreak in the Whitsunday region after confirming a diagnosis in a foreign tourist who spent five days at Airlie Beach at the beginning of February. The warning affected the areas around Airlie beach on the mainland and the Whitsunday Islands off the coast because of the [read more]

Australia: Rollovers on Fraser Island Prompt Demands for Tighter Controls on Drivers

Date: December 16th, 2009 |

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The recent death of a Japanese tourist in a car accident on Fraser Island led to a call for tougher regulations on who can drive on the world’s largest sand island. Fraser is a popular destination for Australians and foreign visitors who camp on its extensive beaches and explore the sandy expanses via four-wheel drive [read more]

Australia: Monster Shark Off Queensland Coast Prompts Warning to Stay Out of the Water

Date: October 29th, 2009 |

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Nothing will get the attention of swimmers and surfers faster than a great white shark, especially if it’s the size of the iconic monster in Jaws. When a 10-foot shark turned up dead recently almost bitten in half, experts estimated that the shark that killed it had to be at least 16 feet long. They [read more]

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