Bush Survival
These slides form part of a presentation which has been published previously. It is used to indicate the need to plan when going into remote areas, where help could be several hundreds of kilometres or days away. In remote areas even a minor accident can be deadly if you do not have the right equipment and the skills to use it.

Introduction
There are three reasons why people have problems in Bush / Wilderness / Outback :
They are not prepared
They have not planned for emergencies
They do not have the correct equipment
 

The key to bush survival is to get it right first time:
Planning, Research, Knowledge combined with Experience are needed for bush survival.
Thorough preparation and the correct equipment will turn an emergency into an inconvenience.
There are hundreds of techniques to find food, shelter and water in an emergency situation but, in this day and age, negligence, or a careless attitude, are the only reason's to need them.
 
 
The three main ingredients to bush survival are:
Researching your proposed trip
Planning for the expected and the unexpected
Taking the right equipment
 
 
Research
Find out about:
The road and weather conditions of the area you are travelling
Get local / professional advice on your proposed trip.
Get up-to-date maps and information on the area
Learn how to read a map, compass and GPS.
Find out phone coverage areas
Find out if permits are required to enter particular areas 
Find and talk to someone who has been to the area.
Learn and practice your outdoor skills in a real but friendly environment
 

Find out where you can get:
Fuel Supplies
 Water Supplies
Food supplies
 
 
Find out the
Frequency of road use in area being travelled,
The location of repair facilities
Find out the local dangers,
Flash floods
Crocodiles
 High tides,
 Cyclones
 
 
Planning
Choose your mode of transport
Assess the risks
Plan the route
Allow time for the unexpected
Do not forget to schedule routine contacts with friends or relatives
Create your own check lists.
 
 
Planning to combat the unexpected
Think of all the things that could go wrong on the trip
Get local advice on the problems others visiting the area experienced
Go back and research resolutions to these problems
Plan the procedures and list the equipment that will help when things go wrong.
 
 
Equipment:
Check your mode of transport, carry spares
In summer, 5 - 10 litres of water, per person, per day!
Wear or carry clothes for the worst conditions
 Remember first aid and emergency equipment
 
 
Communications:
Radio UHF, HF
Satellite phone
Mobile phone
Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon (EPIRB) 
Phone numbers, Contact schedules
 
 
Navigation:
Maps
Compass
GPS
Driving Schedules
 
 
Conclusion
If you know first aid
If you can read a map and a compass
If you have studied the bush (wilderness) area you are travelling in
If you have the right equipment and communications
With common sense you will survive in the bush (wilderness)
 

Copyright 2000. All rights reserved.

Reset Nov 2001