20 Tips for surviving the outback

If you’re planning a trip to the Australian outback, you’ll need the right tools, equipment, plenty of water and plenty of know-how in order to survive. We’ve compiled these 20 tips from the personal experiences of West Australian-based survivalist Bob Cooper and survival celebrity, Bear Grylls. Take a look.

1. Control your panic: Control your panic, but hang on to fear, because it surges your body with adrenaline and puts all your senses into hyper alert mode.
2. Never leave your vehicle: Don’t leave your vehicle, especially when your stores and water are in it. Try to push your vehicle into open group and keep your bonnet open.
3. Boost yourself: When fear and panic hit you, stop, breathe, and brew a cup of tea or coffee. Your bleak mindset will shift when you enjoy the comfort of your everyday beverage.
4. Focus on priorities: If you’re lost, focus on the basic priorities. You need food, water, shelter and warmth. You also need a method to signal for help.
5. Learn how to find water: Learn the various methods survivalists use to collect water in the wild. Don’t drink your own urine; uric acid is bad for you.
6. Don’t sip on water: Drink an entire cup in one go, to ensure that all your vital organs get some water. Sipping water slowly causes your brain to slow down as other organs use up the water.
7. Purify your water: Don’t drink water that you collect from the wild directly. Boil it in a kettle and drink it. You can avoid diarrhea or worse this way.
8. Learn how to light a fire: Matches can get soaked and your lighter may not work. Always carry a piece of flint and a knife to start a fire. Learn other ways of starting a fire before you set out.
9. Learn to send signals: Learn how to construct a signal fire. If you spot an aircraft above, signal attention using a signaling mirror. Blow a whistle long and hard and leave notes along your route for help.
10. Know your environment: Know when to expect flash floods and sudden rains. Stay sheltered during the hottest hours of the day. Watch the clouds and learn to read signs from animals and take shelter in time.
11. Know how your body operates: Knowing how your body reacts to stress can help you make the right decisions. That can mean the difference between life and death in adverse situations.
12. Learn to identify bush foods: Many indigenous fruits and vegetables grow in Australia’s outback. Learn as much as you can of these offerings from nature. Carry pictures so you can easily recognize them.
13. Take plenty of water: Estimate the amount of water you’ll need for your journey based on your daily needs. Then multiple that amount by 3 and carry that much water with you.
14. Drive slowly: The danger you’ll meet on outback roads may not be from vehicular traffic, but from wildlife crossing the roads. Estimate distances correctly and give yourself enough time to get there.
15. Avoid drinking: Remote Australian outback tracks are not much policed. Be aware that drinking can cloud your judgment and interfere with your vision in the hazy heat of the day, causing fatal accidents.
16. Keep people in the loop: Map your route beforehand and let your friends and family know your plans in detail. If you’re not noticed to be missing, you won’t be rescued.
17. Know your vehicle: Get very familiar with your vehicle, including what it can and cannot do. Drive it around on all kinds of terrain before taking it into the outback.
18. Learn terrain management tricks: Did you know that if you get stuck in soft sand, deflating your tires a little bit can get you out of it? Learn these and other terrain management tricks to survive.
19. Take a satellite phone along: Opt for a satellite phone and not a cell phone. Also take an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) so that rescuers will know where to locate you.

1. Be wildlife savvy: Watch out for snakes, spiders and other dangerous wildlife. Learn everything you can about dangerous wildlife, how to avoid them and how to treat yourself if bitten by something poisonous.

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