Add Category
Holiday-goers on K'gari (Fraser Island) are being urged to follow safety warnings after a two-week spate of marine stings, a four-wheel drive rollover and a dingo bite have kept helicopter rescue crews busy.
Key points:
- There's been nine helicopter rescues from K'gari-Fraser Island since Christmas
- Two young brothers and a young girl were flown to hospital in separate rescue missions over the weekend
- Holiday-goers are advised to follow dingo warnings and avoid known hotspots for marine stings
The RACQ LifeFlight crew airlifted a primary-school-aged girl from the popular tourist island on Saturday night after a suspected sting from an Irukandji — a small and extremely venomous species of box jellyfish.
The helicopter returned to K'gari the next morning for a four-wheel drive rollover that left two young brothers in hospital.
Pilot Peter Marris said it was the ninth rescue on the island since Christmas, which equated to one-third of all the Bundaberg missions in the two-week holiday period.
"Our tasking rate [during the end-of-year holidays] will always go up because the weather's better, people are outdoors ... and that's when accidents and incidents happen," he said.
Four of the helicopter rescues in the past two weeks involved children with suspected Irukandji stings.
Mr Marris advises parents to heed wildlife warnings and be aware of their surroundings on K'gari, which is known for its pristine beaches and native dingo population.
"If people swimming where you are, are being stung by Irukandji, then perhaps it's prudent to keep your children out of the water for a while — or go and swim somewhere else," he said.
"The same usual [warnings] apply for dingoes — they're just hungry and want food. So I certainly don't encourage anyone to feed dingoes."
It is an offence to deliberately feed dingoes (wongari) on the island, with a maximum penalty of $11,500.
Last month, a five-year-old boy was playing on the beach near the remote Ocean Lake camping area when he was bitten by a dingo.
He was bitten on the arm, buttocks and head before his father chased the dog away and the boy was taken to hospital.
Beach hazards
The repeated warnings coincide with an influx of visitors to the World-Heritage-listed island during the summer school holiday period.
Fraser Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Simons said about 2,500 people and 600 cars were making their way to the island every week.
"The campgrounds have been full — some people have been turned away because there just hasn't been a place to camp," he said.
Mr Simons said visitors should review the safety requirements and advice from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service when they applied for their camping permit.
"Don't rush over [the safety details] and pretend that this is just bureaucratic red tape," he said.
"It's actually important information that you should take notice of when you go to the site and particularly in the summer months."
It's believed a family of five, including two parents and three children, were driving along the island's waterline on Sunday when the four-wheel-drive vehicle rolled and landed on its side.
Two primary-school-aged brothers suffered neck injuries and were airlifted to the Hervey Bay Hospital in a stable condition.
Mr Simons reminded drivers that driving vehicles and caravans on the beach could be unpredictable.
"Take it steady, be really observant and be careful," he said.
Mr Marris also advised people travelling to remote areas to take an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) to alert rescuers of their whereabouts.
He said it could take up to an hour to activate the rescue helicopter and fly from Bundaberg to K'gari once an emergency call-out was received.
Five children stung
The latest suspected Irukandji sting on Saturday involved a young girl who was flown to Hervey Bay Hospital in a stable condition.
Her parents used vinegar and water on the stings before the chopper landed on the beach.
In a two-day period at the end of last month, a young boy and three young girls — including two sisters — were also flown to hospital from the island.
Mr Marris said three of the suspected Irukandji stings took place at the popular Wathumba Creek on the north-western side of K'gari.
Another one happened at a creek near Moon Point Road, on the mid-western side of the island.
Irukandji jellyfish measure approximately two centimetres in diameter, making them hard to spot in the water, but experts say it's not unusual for the stingers to occur in the waters surrounding K'gari.
Their stings can cause severe pain, vomiting, and breathing difficulties.
Mr Marris advised swimmers to remain wary and avoid known hotspots.
"Be careful, have fun, and enjoy yourself — but don't be silly, don't take risks," he said.