Friday, December 08, 2006
Is Australia a safe place for Backpackers?
This is a question that we often get asked, and one that we answer with a "yes..but".
The yes part of this answer can best to put to test by the statistics, courtesy of some Australian Government research into the subject of travellers' safety in Australia.
"From 1994 to 2003 there were about 40 million short-term visitors to Australia. In this period, 34 overseas visitors were murdered in Australia - a rate of 0.9 per million short-term visitors to Australia. Fourteen of these deaths occurred in two incidents - at Port Arthur and the Childers backpacker hostel.
During the nine year period, visitors from 14 different countries were the victims of murder in Australia. Over a third came from the United Kingdom, and a further 18 percent originated from Japan and Korea. Young adult males were most at risk which is comparable to the general homicide profile in Australia.
Australian visitors overseas are at a much higher risk. During a similar period (1995 to 2003) there were a total of 157 Australian visitors murdered while overseas. This is a rate of 5.7 per million Australian short-term visitors overseas. After removing deaths caused by terrorist activities such as the Bali bombing in 2002 and the World Trade Centre in 2001, the total number of Australians murdered overseas (59) is still almost twice the number of overseas visitors murdered in Australia. "
The 'but..." part of the argument is that travellers, no matter where they are, should always be cautious and wary of their surroundings.
Just like London and most other major European capitals, some areas of Sydney, Perth, Melbourne etc are best avoided. The best advice is to consult with locals before deciding on which suburb to rent or work in.
Travellers on their own should also be careful and if possible try and travel with others - after all finding like-minded companions is half the experience - especially if intending to hitchhike.
So, don't let negative reports in the media (there have been some very sensationalist stories in recent years) or films like "Wolf Creek" put you off your dream trip!
The yes part of this answer can best to put to test by the statistics, courtesy of some Australian Government research into the subject of travellers' safety in Australia.
"From 1994 to 2003 there were about 40 million short-term visitors to Australia. In this period, 34 overseas visitors were murdered in Australia - a rate of 0.9 per million short-term visitors to Australia. Fourteen of these deaths occurred in two incidents - at Port Arthur and the Childers backpacker hostel.
During the nine year period, visitors from 14 different countries were the victims of murder in Australia. Over a third came from the United Kingdom, and a further 18 percent originated from Japan and Korea. Young adult males were most at risk which is comparable to the general homicide profile in Australia.
Australian visitors overseas are at a much higher risk. During a similar period (1995 to 2003) there were a total of 157 Australian visitors murdered while overseas. This is a rate of 5.7 per million Australian short-term visitors overseas. After removing deaths caused by terrorist activities such as the Bali bombing in 2002 and the World Trade Centre in 2001, the total number of Australians murdered overseas (59) is still almost twice the number of overseas visitors murdered in Australia. "
The 'but..." part of the argument is that travellers, no matter where they are, should always be cautious and wary of their surroundings.
Just like London and most other major European capitals, some areas of Sydney, Perth, Melbourne etc are best avoided. The best advice is to consult with locals before deciding on which suburb to rent or work in.
Travellers on their own should also be careful and if possible try and travel with others - after all finding like-minded companions is half the experience - especially if intending to hitchhike.
So, don't let negative reports in the media (there have been some very sensationalist stories in recent years) or films like "Wolf Creek" put you off your dream trip!
