Snakes and first aid

Snakes are most active in warm weather. Most bites happen when people try to catch or kill snakes.

Avoiding bites

• Wear boots, long trousers and gaiters when walking in long grass.
• Use a torch at night.
• Watch where you put your hands and feet, especially around logs and rocks.
• Leave snakes alone — give them space to move away.

First aid

Based on healthdirect and ANZCOR guidance:

1. Call 000, or activate a PLB or satellite device if out of mobile range.
2. Keep the person still and calm.
3. Apply a firm pressure immobilisation bandage, starting over the bite and then covering the whole limb.
4. Splint the limb and keep the person still.
5. Do not wash the bite, cut it, suck it or apply a tourniquet.

Carry a kit

Pack at least two broad elastic bandages in your first-aid kit and learn how to apply them. A first-aid course is strongly recommended before remote travel.

Australia's dangerous snakes

Australia has many venomous snakes, and several of the most dangerous live in the outback. Brown snakes (Pseudonaja species), including the eastern brown, are responsible for many serious bites. The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), often described as having the most toxic venom of any land snake, lives in the cracking clay country of south-west Queensland and north-east South Australia, but it is shy and bites are very rare. Mulga snakes (also called king browns, Pseudechis australis) are widespread across the arid zone. Death adders lie hidden in leaf litter and sand, relying on camouflage, which makes stepping on them a risk. Tiger snakes and red-bellied black snakes are found on the eastern fringes of the outback, particularly near rivers.

Identification is difficult and unnecessary for first aid. Hospitals use the patient's symptoms and tests, not your description of the snake, to decide on treatment, and a polyvalent antivenom is available. Never try to catch or kill a snake to identify it.

When and where snakes are active

Snakes are cold-blooded and most active in warm weather — generally spring to autumn in the southern outback, and year-round in the tropical north. On very hot days they shelter during the middle of the day and move about in the evening and at night. In cooler weather, they bask in the sun on rocks, tracks and roads. Snakes are attracted to places where rodents and frogs gather, such as woodpiles, sheds, haystacks, rubbish and around water.

Safety at camp

• Keep your campsite tidy and store food in sealed containers to avoid attracting rodents.
• Zip up tents and swags, and shake out boots and bedding before use.
• Carry a torch at night and wear enclosed shoes.
• Collect firewood carefully — use gloves and look before you reach into a pile.
• Keep children close and teach them to stand still and call an adult if they see a snake.

Pressure immobilisation in detail

The Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR) guideline on snakebite recommends the pressure immobilisation technique, which slows the movement of venom through the lymphatic system:

• Apply a broad elastic bandage firmly over the bite site, then bandage from the fingers or toes up the entire limb, as tight as you would for a sprained ankle.
• Some elastic bandages have printed rectangles that become squares at the right tension.
• Splint the limb using a stick, rolled newspaper or another bandage, and keep the person lying down and still.
• Mark the bite site on the bandage with a pen.
• Don't remove the bandage once applied; medical staff will do this.
• For bites to the head, neck or torso, apply firm pressure over the site if possible and keep the person still.

Seek medical attention for all suspected snakebites, even if the person feels well. Symptoms can be delayed. Never let the bitten person walk out for help if it can be avoided.

Getting help in remote areas

In remote areas, help may be hours away. The Royal Flying Doctor Service provides emergency aeromedical retrieval across the outback; call 000 to trigger it, or use a satellite phone or personal locator beacon if you are out of range. Many outback travellers carry a satellite communicator. Before you go, save the location of the nearest hospital or clinic along your route. Our remote-area travel safety guide explains trip plans and emergency communications.

Other bites and stings

The same first-aid kit should cover spider bites, bee and wasp stings and minor injuries. For a suspected funnel-web spider bite (found in eastern NSW, not typically the outback), apply pressure immobilisation. For redback spider bites, healthdirect advises a cold pack for pain relief rather than a bandage and seeking medical advice. In the tropical north, people with allergies to insect stings should carry their prescribed adrenaline auto-injector.

First-aid kit checklist

• At least two broad elastic (crepe) bandages, ideally 10–15 cm wide
• Triangular bandages and a splint
• Disposable gloves and a marker pen
• Antiseptic, dressings and tape
• A first-aid manual or app with offline access

A current first-aid certificate from an accredited provider such as St John Ambulance or Australian Red Cross is strongly recommended before any remote trip.

Related guides

• Outback safety

Further reading

• Remote-area travel safety: communications, trip plans and emergencies
• Outback wildlife
• The Royal Flying Doctor Service