It’s summer and it’s Australia. And we’re all looking at the bushfires … But …
Being surrounded by ocean, Australia’s often referred to as an island continent. Australia is the planet's sixth largest country (after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil). At nearly 7.7million square kilometres, it accounts for five percent of the world's land area. While Australia’s the smallest continental land mass, it’s the world's largest island.
How big? According to Geoscience Australia, the Australian coastline extends approximately 34,000 kilometres (excluding all small offshore islands) and includes more than 1,000 estuaries. There are around 12,000 beaches that stretch along our mammoth coastline and approximately 50% of Australians live within seven kilometres of the coast and its ports. Indeed, more than 90% of Australia’s population lives within 100km of the coast.
And we’re not just a country of coastlines. In New South Wales alone, there are 439 rivers listed on the Geographical Names Register. Our three longest rivers are found in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia's largest river system: the Darling/Barwon river system (2,740 km), the Murray (2,530 km –Australia’s longest standalone river) and the Murrumbidgee (1,690 km).
So what’s the point of all these numbers? Simples.
As an island nation - and with so many water bodies and river systems within arm’s reach of our population centres - you’d think we could swim. Certainly, as a nation we love bragging about our endless sun-kissed beaches. But, according to the Bureau of Stats, as many as 5% of adult Australians can’t swim. And this can start to sound pretty un-Australian as we enter another long-hot summer with the promise of boating, fishing, swimming and water-sports within spitting distance of over 24 million of us.
If you think that shutting the gate on the backyard pool is going to make a good dent in the fatality stats, think again. According to Royal Life Saving Australia, it’s men aged between 25 and 64 years old that are most likely to drown. Indeed blokes make up 72% of all drownings. And this is when and how it’s happening:
· Almost half (47%) of coastal drowning deaths occurred during the months of summer (December – February);
· 24% of male drowning deaths involved alcohol;
· 25% of all drownings were in creeks, streams and rivers;
· The weekend is when the most drownings occur; and
· Almost twice the number of people drown between lunch and dinner (12-6pm) than at any other time.
One of the problems is that Australians, raised on home soil, can get overly confident around water. With our national psyche programmed to tell us that we’re all sun-bronzed beach-goers, it can be hard to accept the overwhelming reality that the majority of us are city slickers or rural dwellers who simply don’t have the water safety knowledge or swimming ability to stay safe.
What does this tell you? … Complacency will kill ya.
If you’re male, born in Australia, aged 25-64 YO, have the occasional bevvie on the weekend, and go swimming sometime between lunch and dinner – it’s you mate. You are the Number One drowning risk in this country. Not the overseas tourists (they account for 30% of drownings in Australia). It’s you.
So don’t let misplaced self-confidence, ignorance or apathy get the better of you around our waterways this summer. Water is unforgiving if you don’t know what you’re doing. And you owe it to yourself, and your loved ones, to remain vigilant.
While you might think you’re doing the right thing by keeping a close-eye on the kids as they get sun soaked and salty this summer, don’t be too proud to look after yourself too. Stay real and live to enjoy another day of all the great things this country has to offer.
