At least three months before your trip to Australia, see your doctor or travel health centre. (For long trips immunization can take six months.) Base your plan to stay healthy on professional medical advice. Here are some things to consider if you visit other countries en-route to Australia or after you leave.

• Vaccines aren't perfect. New strains of disease are evolving and new vaccines are being released.
  
  
• Within countries, health risks vary by locality. Local authorities may be slow to tell the world about disease outbreaks.
  
  
• Your body, personality and travel plans are unique. If you want to eat from roadside stalls, you may need more jabs than if you eat in five-star hotels.

Health requirements

No vaccinations or health certificates are required for entry into Australia unless you intend to stay for more than 12 months or are over 70 years of age. You are advised to bring medications regularly required. If you need to get medication during your stay, a prescription must be obtained from a doctor in Australia, and dispensed by a chemist. (pharmacy or drug store)

You need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if, during the six days before arriving in Australia, you have visited a country declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be infected with yellow fever. You can find out about these countries from a travel health advisory service or from the WHO Web site. www.who.org/

Taking medication

If you take medication, bring a doctor's letter with you about your condition and the medicines you need to take. If your medication requires injection, purchase only unbroken sterile packs of needles and syringes.

Travelling with small children

If you are taking a baby with you en-route to Australia depending on where you intend staying over, stock up on nappies and other essentials. Find out what baby products are available at your en-route destination. When you arrive in Australia our retail outlets will be able to supply you with the full range of baby products.

Whether you're a man or a woman, travelling with small children means you won't have hands free for all the bags. Be aware that you are more vulnerable to pickpockets and thieves. see Keep yourself and your belongings safe

The sun

Take care!... Our sunlight is very strong and you can get sunburned. For best sun protection, it is advisable to wear:

• broad brimmed hat
• shirt with collar and sleeves
• sun screen with a high protection factor (SPF 15+)

To read see Sun safety

Medical attention

The cost of medical and hospital care in Australia can be very expensive; and all overseas visitors should take out some form of health insurance cover, including ambulance cover... Simply put, if you cannot afford travel insurance, you cannot afford to travel... Illness or injury on an overseas trip can be a financial disaster. Families can be bankrupted.

Shop for a policy that suits you. Everyone should insure for medical, hospital and medical evacuation. Ask for coverage for pre-existing conditions. Coverage for loss of deposits, tickets, baggage and money is sensible. Get coverage for what you do... Some policies exclude risky sports. If you're going to mountaineer or bungy-jump, insure for it!

Unless you are in a remote area, medical treatment is readily available. If you become ill or have an accident, your tour operator or accommodation will call a doctor. You will have to pay for treatment. Depending on who you go to, a doctor's consultation wil lcost $20 to $40 and prescriptions will cost from around $20 per item.

Chemists are open at regular shopping hours, 9am to 5pm, but every major town has at least one 24 hour pharmacy. Standard medical items such as band-aids and aspirin are readily available from service (petrol) stations, general stores, supermarkets, chemists, etc.

If you are hospitalised, expect to pay from $600 per day for your bed and anywhere from $200 to $2000 for surgery, depending on the operation. For emergency medical service, dial 000 and ask for the ambulance service.

If you intend to go to a remote area, drive off the beaten track or go bushwalking without a knowledgeable local guide, please make sure that at the very least, you let someone know when you are expected back.

Even in populated areas, people can get lost or come to harm. Our (mostly volunteer) emergency services don't enjoy rescuing ill prepared visitors, who have failed to make adequate preparations for their excursions or who ignored warnings, whether it's a day trip climbing Mount Warning, or a safari into the Great Sandy Desert. At the very least, please make sure a schedule detailing your expected route with approximate departure and arrival times is left with your accommodation or another reliable contact.

Australia has one of the best civil emergency systems in the world. Each state has the State Emergency Services (SES) or equivalent, Coastal waters and Beach (surf lifesaving) Patrols, Rural Bush Fire Brigades and Rescue Helicopter services, while the Royal Flying Doctor Service serves the more remote and outback areas.

A good percentage of the funding, sometimes most of it, and much of the people power for these services comes from the local communities they serve. If you are involved in an emergency and get instructions from a member of these services, please listen to them.

To find out more about insurance visit our web section Travel Insurance

Reciprocal health care agreements

Australia holds reciprocal health care agreements with the United Kingdom - Sweden - Finland - the Netherlands - Italy - Malta - New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland. However, these agreements do not cover all health services, and time restrictions apply in some cases.

Medicare eligibility

Visitors and temporary residents to Australia generally do not have access to Medicare (Australia's national public health care system) which is restricted to permanent residents of Australia.

Surf and water safety

Australia is fringed with superb beaches just waiting to be enjoyed. As with all beaches, it is advisable to follow basic precautions. Popular beaches are usually patrolled by volunteer lifesavers from October to April. Always swim or surf at patrolled beaches between the red and yellow flags which mark the safest area for swimming. Take your time entering the water, and don't swim alone.

• Many of our waters are safe for swimming, but if you have any doubts, make enquiries before entering the water.
• Most of our popular ocean beaches have patrols with a lifesaving service. Red and yellow flags mark the specified swimming area.
• If there are no flags and no lifeguards on the beach, talk to locals about the best areas to swim. To read more on swimming safety go to www.lifesaving.org.au

From late October to early May, venomous box jellyfish, also called stingers or sea wasps, occur in the coastal waters of northern Australia and around many of the Queensland islands. They are rarely found on the Outer Barrier Reef.

In the Northern Territory, the stingers are present at all beaches, and in Western Australia they are found along the Kimberley coastline. Beaches usually have warning signs during this time, and visitors are advised to swim where protective enclosures are provided.

Northern Australia is also home to two types of crocodiles. Freshwater crocodiles occur only in inland waters. Estuarine or saltwater crocodiles are seen mostly in the tidal reaches or rivers, but also occur in freshwater lagoons and swamp and along some beaches. They can be found in waterways hundreds of kilometres from the sea.

Crocodiles are potentially dangerous. Be 'croc-wise' in croc-country, by observing all warning signs and do not take unnecessary risks in crocodile areas. Do not swim where crocodiles live, camp at least 50m from the waters edge and never clean fish or discard food scraps near the waters edge.