BUSH WALKING

All natural areas should be approached with some degree of caution; for example, slippery or uneven surfaces. Walking along tracks, trails and  firebreaks is relatively safe, but you should still be alert to potential hazards. Most of the information in this section is common sense, but additional bushcraft, safety and First Aid information have been included in the unlikely event of someone in your party being injured or getting lost.

Planning your bushwalk:

• Wear sturdy but comfortable shoes or boots. Training shoes may be suitable, but care should be taken when crossing uneven or slippery surfaces like mossy rocks. In these cases, it is desirable to wear boots that give some support to the ankles. Always wear good quality, fairly thick, cotton or wool socks.
• Long socks or long trousers, such as jeans or canvas drill, will give some leg protection against prickly vegetation or biting insects. A long-sleeved shirt will help protect you from sunburn in the summer and a woollen sweater or fleecy sweatshirt will help keep you warm in the winter. It is preferable to dress in layers of light clothing.
• Take a light raincoat.
• Wear a hat for protection against the sun or rain.
• Wear a good quality sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15+.
• Keep your things together in a light haversack or shoulder bag, to keep your hands free.
• If you are making an extended or difficult walk, tell at least two reliable people and advise them when you've completed it.
• Take a First Aid kit and insect repellent (particularly up north), as well as any prescribed medications you may be taking.
• Walk in a party of two or more people for safety. If you are injured, you will need someone who can summon help. Five is the ideal minimum.
• Make sure you have adequate water and remember to drink it! Take at least one litre per person on most days and at least two litres on hot days.
• Take care not to trample sensitive areas such as moss-covered rock, sand dune plants or steep slopes.

If you become lost:

• Try to retrace your steps until you reach the last recognisable place on the map. Remember to look for your own footprints.
• If you cannot retrace your steps, follow a track; it will usually lead to some habitation. Alternatively, head for the nearest high point and climb to the summit. You might then be able to see roads and areas of habitation.
• If you are still lost and you have run out of water, remember that animal trails always lead to water. Walk in the direction in which the trails converge into one. Watch out for flocks of birds, they fly rapidly towards water and more slowly when travelling away from water after drinking.
• When replenishing drinking water from natural or artificial water sources, you must purify the water either by boiling it or by using a chemical purifier such as Puritabs™.

About First Aid

Walking in the bush can be hazardous and walkers should be aware of possible problems. The following section deals with the things you need to know in the unlikely event of one of your party being injured.

First Aid Kit

Your first aid kit should contain the following basic essentials:

• Antiseptic cream
• Antiseptic swabs
• Band Aids™
• Butterfly wound closures
• Dressings (sterile)
• Elastic bandage for sprains and snake-bite treatment
• Paracetamol or other suitable pain killer
• Scissors
• Tweezers

Snake bites

Although many species of snake Western Australia, it is extremely rare that you will see one, let alone be bitten by one. Snakes sense the vibration of approaching footsteps and tend to flee into the undergrowth. If you are unlucky enough to be bitten, here is what you should and should not do.

Assume ALL snakes are venomous, and take the following action:

• DO NOT panic. Try to remain calm, lie down and immobilise the bitten area
• DO NOT wash the wound. Venom left on the skin will help doctors identify the snake and administer the appropriate anti-venin.
• DO NOT apply a tourniquet. Take out the snake bandage and bind, not too tightly, along the limb starting at the bite area, then bandage down the limb and continue back up the entire limb over and above the bite area. This will help prevent the spread of the venom through the body. Do not remove the bandage.
• DO NOT elevate the limb or attempt to walk or run. Movement will encourage the spread of the venom through the body. Immobilise the limb with a splint. Lie down and keep still until help arrives.
• DO NOT attempt to catch the snake. Identification of the snake species can be obtained through samples of the patient's blood or urine, and from venom around the bite area. If the species of snake still remains uncertain, a poly anti-venom may be used, which is suitable for treatment of all venomous snake bites. All to often, the snake will bite again if an attempt is made to catch it.

Spider Bites

Our most common potentially dangerous spider is the red-back spider, which is usually associated with buildings, but also lives quite happily in bush and parkland areas. Red-back spiders are often found under logs or leaf litter, or at the base of clumps of vegetation, and it is the female spider that is dangerous (the fangs of the male spider are too small pierce the skin of a human).

If bitten by a spider, apply the following treatment:

• No special first aid need be applied, because the venom from a red-back spider bite is very slow acting. Using a bandage will localise the venom, causing the pain to intensify at the bite area.
• Transport the victim immediately to medical aid. Apparently serious illness does not develop for at least three hours and anti-venom is readily available if required.
• Children and the infirm are most at risk from red-back spider bites.

Camping

While out walking, you might come across possible sites for a future camping expedition.

As more people head for the bush, greater pressures are put on our natural resources. So, in an effort to protect our environment, visitors may only camp at designated camping sites -- usually marked with a sign in national parks, local parks, State forest or bush areas. Please leave no rubbish or other traces of your visit.

Camping fees are charged in some areas, and the funds raised help to pay for the facilities and services provided.

Dieback

Some areas of forest and woodland have been infected by a soil-borne fungus that attacks the root systems of trees, shrubs and wildflowers. The disease is known to attack at least 900 plant species and many, such as banksias and dryandras, die very quickly. The fungus travels over and through the soil in water, attaching spores to the roots of plants and trees. The rot sets in immediately.

The fungus can be carried in soil or mud that sticks to boots and shoes, and the wheels, mudguards and underbodies of vehicles. When the soil or mud drops off, the fungus immediately contaminates the new area and multiplies. There is, as yet, no known cure.

Some areas in national parks and State forest are closed to vehicles to prevent dieback being carried into or spread through them. These areas are largely uninfected. You may enter on foot, but you must not take vehicles, motorbikes, horses or any form of wheeled transport into these areas. When walking through infected areas, help stop the rot by not straying from the track. Observe the signs and give our plants a chance.

Entry Fees

Entry fees are charged to some national parks, regional parks and reserves. Where a charge is made, the funds raised help to pay for the facilities and services provided.

Fire

Fire is a good servant but a poor master. Bushfires are a real danger, particularly during the dry summer months. Please note these points:

• Always use the fireplaces provided. Better still, bring your own portable stove.
• Open fires are not permitted in national parks.
• Build a stone ring in State forest if no fireplace exists, or dig a shallow pit to contain the embers.
• Clear all leaf litter, dead branches and anything else that may burn from and area of at least three metres around and above the fire. This also applies to portable stoves.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving. Use soil and water to extinguish the embers, and bury the ashes.

On certain days during the year the fire forecast is 'very high' or 'extreme'. A total fire ban exists on these days. Local radio stations broadcast fire risk warnings, but please check with Shire authorities, the tourist bureau for advice on the fire situation. Fire risk notice boards can be found alongside roads that pass through heavily wooded areas and at the entrances to some national parks.

Fishing

Fisheries regulations apply in all areas, but you should also check with the ranger in any national park or attendants of a local sports fishing shop.

Granite outcrops

Several walks in this book cross or pass close to granite outcrops. Granite outcrops, often termed 'living rocks', are unique sanctuaries for many species of plants and animals. Exploring granite outcrops is a fascinating experience, but the environment is extremely fragile. Moving a rock, disturbing a plant or carelessly placing a foot can cause irreparable damage. Please do not stray off the tracks that cross granite outcrops and do be careful where you place your feet.

Native plants and animals

In order to protect the environment, please do not disturb any native animals, and do not pick the wildflowers. Rocks, vegetation or old logs should not be removed, as these are often the homes of small creatures that depend on such habitats for their existence.

Rubbish

Place all litter in bins provided. If there are no bins, take your litter home with you. When camping or walking in the bush where there are few, if any, facilities, bury organic waste at least 15 centimetres deep and at least 100 metres from any waterway, picnic area or campsite.

REMEMBER

• Be careful: Stay on paths and help prevent erosion. Your safety in natural areas is our concern, but your responsibility.
• Be clean: Take your rubbish out with you. Don't use soap or detergent in rivers or streams; they kill the aquatic life.
• Be cool: Light fires only in fireplaces. Bring your own portable gas stove. Take notice of all fire weather forecasts.
• Protect animals and plants: No firearms please. Pets are not permitted in national parks and in some other areas. Check before you bring your dog or cat.
• Stay on the road: Follow signs and stay on the designated roads. Normal road rules apply.

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