Perils of the Outback

Not good. I was working off Birdsville track Mid November. I was in camp and saw trail of dust on track .To my astonishment a Japanese guy on 80cc Motorcycle rocked up asking for water. I think Gov need to supply info sheet to Foriegners when they enter Australia on perils of outback.

I'm pretty sure they do, but I don't think an info sheet will help, its all a matter of scale and what you are familiar with. You have to experience the amount of bugger all Australia has between anything before you can truly appreciate it.

I grew up in NSW and would look at my road atlas (remember them) and plan a days trip based on the distance across a page. Armed with the same atlas I then moved to Queensland, oh I knew the scale of the map changed, but didn't truly appreciate it until I'd driven all day at a higher average speed, but still didn't cover 1/2 the page.
Locality markers can get you unstuck too, some look like a town on the map but don't even have a house still standing, so relying on them can be an issue.

I was in Katherine and 2 RAF maintainers were asking if they could borrow a car to duck down to Sydney for the weekend, they had no concept of the distances involved.

My uncle went to visit some relatives in England and told them that they would go and visit an aunt.
'So you will be back tomorrow then?'
'No, back tonight'
'Oh, but its so far!'...it was 80km each way, my wife has made me drive further for milk!.

And anyway, Daniel Price was from Perth, experienced and well prepared by all accounts. Heat stroke has a nasty habit of sneaking up on you and by the time you are hot, exhausted your judgement is compromised its probably too late.
Personally, working hard I have emptied 7L of water and still got admitted to hospital with heat exhaustion. Its easy to get to a point where you are a bit dehydrated and no matter how much you pour down your neck you can't catch up.

The sad thing in these situations is that emergency coms are so affordable and easy to carry these days

This is the entrance to the track I believe he was found on.

Drove this track a few months ago and at times there are tracks everywhere and you need a very good navigation system to know where to go. This may have contributed to his demise.

Chris.

The ABC News has posted a further item relating to this subject.........

"Most Outback Deaths are Preventable"

In this report the outback survival expert Bob Cooper says.....
"Most Outback deaths were preventable if people took sensible precautions.
These included increasing water intake and drinking at least 250 millilitres at a time, instead of taking small sips.
"You must take enough water," he said. "Take what is recommended by Parks and Wildlife and don't sip it. Don't try and make it last till you get back — you need it. If you keep sipping it will just keep going downhill to the point where you are suffering from dehydration dementia."

This advice is included in Bob's 'Survival Manual' and explained in further detail.
It is sound advice as Bob says that "Several people have been found dead with water still in their water bottles." The Manual is part of his 'Survival Kit' and worthy of carrying and re-reading from time-to-time.

Similarly, Exploroz has an article on Outback Survival to which we can refer people.

A big factor that a lot of motor bike riders don't realize is the effect that bike helmets have when being used in rough country. The sheer weight, and the heat factor. Most are black, which increases the heat absorbtion, and don't have adequate ventilation, if you have a bit of speed up it's a far different proposition, but when picking your way through pot holes and stones, the heat builds up and effects how you think and is a real disaster recipe. The extra weight on your neck muscles also makes you very tired and also effects your thinking processes.

Don't know the circumstances of the poor bugger that lost his life and he may have been well prepared. I know how quickly heat stress can come on and its not pleasant one little bit. Some will think they have a bug when the headaches, vomiting and diarrhoea set in, but its not to long before the organs start to shutdown.

About 7 years ago I was at Mungerannie,, two german bike riders asked me where to go to cross the Simpson, I think my answer was, your not going anywhere near the Simpson, for one thing you will just get bogged due to rain and secondly your both not equipped or prepared to do it. I then said it might pay to do a lot of research and even more planning.

G,Day Allan After living, working and travelling in remote parts of the North West and various mine sites in WA and other hot countries I am aware of the perils of the outback which could strike anybody at any time no matter how well prepared they may be. I carry all of the necessary Safety, First aid and recovery Equipment as well as EPIRB, back up GPS, Radio and plenty of spare parts and a more than ample supply of water and food supplies.
The question I asked on the forum related to the Road Conditions at That time of year and had nothing to do with experience of outback travel.
The main safety feature I always have with me is my common sense when the situation could be perilous.

Cheers
Steve

This poor bugger made two major errors - travelling ALONE! - and not advising people of his movements!

Travelling and working alone in the Outback is exceptionally dangerous. I've done it, and I've know it was a massive risk, because in the era I did it, there was no PLB's, no mobile phones, and simply, very limited communications, full stop.

I always made sure SOMEONE knew what I was doing, and when I was supposed to turn up, or report in.

Even then, there's still a major risk of having an accident and getting trapped or knocked unconscious, rendering yourself unable to even reach water supplies that you've got with you.

Riding a motorbike is much more fraught with risk than driving a vehicle, so doing it alone, you're really asking for trouble.

It's sad when you hear a fit and relatively experienced person dies because they thought they were capable of conquering anything.
You must always have a backup plan, even in relatively populated areas. You don't even need to be in the Outback to run into serious trouble.

I knew an old farmer in the 60's who had a Pilothouse Dodge ute. He was in his early 70's, and the ute was his farm ute and general transport. He lived alone.

He went out one day checking the sheep and got a flat on a front tyre. He jacked the ute up (it had a beam front axle), but ran out of jack extension and had to get a "second bite" with the jack to get the tyre off the ground.
He rounded up a big rock to slide under the beam axle, and intended for that to hold the axle up, while he re-positioned the jack.

The jack slipped right at the moment he was sliding the rock under the axle beam, and the axle fell, and jammed two of his fingers between the rock and the axle.

There he was, trapped, no way out, no-one knew he was there, and it would be many days before anyone might notice he was missing. By then it would probably be too late.

But he was a tough old coot, and he managed to twist around and reach the jack handle - which he then used to chip away at the rock, to free his fingers!
It took him two whole days, and when he finally freed his mangled hand, he still had to change the flat tyre - which he did! - and he then drove himself to hospital!

A lot of people aren't that lucky - I've know other blokes who got trapped and were never found in time, and died a horrible slow death.

In this day and age of good communications, it's sheer foolhardiness not to have emergency communications set up for remote travel - and it's total foolhardiness to adventure into rough and arid conditions in extreme heat, alone, without having "backup" on alert.

Cheers, Ron.

In 1979 in my 3 speed landcrusier on the CSR came across a split window Kombi with couples from Germany Bogged they thought it was a short cut road to Darwin, got them out & turned them around they told us they would head back but they did not, heard later they got rescued some 20klms further North by some workers looking for minerals they had been there a while, lucky as we only saw a few people & less vehicles for the hole trip, it was remote & felt remote back then, it is still remote but has never felt as remote due to the amount of traffic now

It's great that you bring awareness of these things Allan, and how easily someone can get caught out, but just a quick question:
For those who "lack of experience of such travel", how would you suggest such people acquire experience? We all have to start somewhere... and you can read and talk about it all you like, but experience only comes from the doing.

.
UPDATE

A further 4 people have died in the Tanami as result of a broken-down vehicle and probable heat exhaustion.
ABC report here.

In the ABC report, thermal physiologist Matt Brearley said........
"The behaviour of outback travellers would have to change. I think these tragedies should prompt us to consider whether we are doing things appropriately."
Mr Brearley also said there should be more targeted campaigns warning people, especially tourists, about the dangers of heat exhaustion and dehydration in the outback. "If someone is sitting next to their bogged vehicle in Australia for days and days, you tend to not get super hot," (but) "If you are trying to dig that vehicle out, that might be where heat stroke might get you. Not moving around — reducing how much activity you do in extremely hot conditions — is critical."

Now although this event was an indigenous community group, the lessons are there for tourists too. We members of Exploroz need make no apology to warn inexperienced enquirers of the dangers.

Incidentally, the reference I gave in my opening post above re "Steve" was incorrect. It was meant to be for KevC in Thread 137338 who did not seem wholly convinced at all the warnings made to him about high February temperatures on the GCR.