Your Health
Travellers Information
Thanks to Australia's isolation and quarantine standards, Australia is a relatively safe place to travel regarding your health. There is no malaria or yellow fever up in the tropics, and no sanitation diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
If you are unsure on what vaccinations you require before travelling to Australia, contact your medical physician or have a look over the World Health Organisation website. The World Health Organisation also publish a good book called International Travel and Health which has some good advise no matter where you are travelling to, and MD Travel Health is also a good resource.
If you do bring medications into Australia, make sure they are in their original containers and are labelled clearly. You must also have a signed and dated letter describing your medical condition from your physician, and this is the same case if you are carrying syringes or needles.
When you are making the flight to Australia, beware of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). This is blood clots in the legs caused by prolonged immobility, and is at its greatest risk from long flights. To prevent DVT on the long flights, ensure you walk around the cabin, flex your leg muscles while seated, and drink plenty of fluids (water not alcohol...).
Jet lag may cause you problems when travelling across multiple time zones, and it results in insomnia digestive upsets and fatigue. Once again ensure you drink plenty of fluids and eat lights meals. Once you do arrive to Australia, expose yourself to sunlight and readjust your schedule as soon as possible.
The health care in Australia is very good, and is a mixture of privately run medical clinics and government funded public hospitals. However you need to be careful in remote regions as there may be serious delays in emergency services reaching you due to the vastness between the major outback towns. The Royal Flying Doctor Service does provide service to the remote areas of Australia for serious incidents.
Heat exhaustion and Heatstroke is a big risk in Outback Australia if you are not careful. Always ensure you carry sufficient water with you and maintain your fluid intake. If you do feel dizzy or nausea, rest in a cool, shady place and replace your fluid loss with water or diluted sports drinks. If you have heatstroke, you must get medical attention immediately.