• Stop, stay calm and plan

• Keep warm (use all your clothes if necessary)

• Build a bivouac in a sheltered area

• Use lots of bedding material on the ground and use only dry things for bedding

• Do not make a big shelter... the smaller the better

• Mark the position of your shelter with obvious markers on the nearest ridge, stream or clearing

• Drink plenty of water (treat it first or boil it)

• Attract attention and aid the searchers
  Keep a fire going. (Use green leaves to produce smoke! Smoke is the easiest thing to see from an aircraft.)
  Or shake a small tree vigorously
  Or wave a brightly coloured object
  Flourescent trees are most unusual in the bush and are spotted almost immediately!

• Ration your food

• There are many poisonous plants in the bush particularly among the fungi, so unless you know for sure its safe, we recommend you DON'T eat them

Survival Kits

You should be able to get it in a very small container e.g. car polish tin (which also becomes a useful container to boil water in) .... after all you don't need a whole matchbox, a whole candle, a whole pencil, nor a large metal whistle. A small plastic whistle from a Christmas Cracker is liteweight and makes heaps of noise. Remember how much noise your little brother made with it on Christmas Day! Your Survival Kit isn't much use if you don't take it with you and if it is too big or heavy you won't want to take it. So keep it small. AND never never borrow from it. You want everything to be there when you NEED it!

So what's all this stuff for?

Well some things are obvious some but some are not so here is a blow by blow explanation...Fishing Line, Fish Hooks / Safety Pins: pretty obvious for catching fish or eels or setting traps for possums or other small animals like rabbits which are good eating. Also for repairs for your shelting, pack, for tying things up or for stiching things down. Let your imagination go wild. Compass; small sharp knife; pencil and paper - very obvious. Water purifying tablets for keeping your water free of bacteria which causes ailments to the gut (you may not be in a position where you are able to build a fire at all perhaps through injury so as long as you can get to a stream you will remain hydrated. Whistle and Aluminium Foil for creating attention; e.g. flash the foil against the sunlight. Cook in the foil or use it to reflect light to create a fire. 2 oxo cubes and 3-4 barley sugars; your emergency food supply. Matches; candle to assist with the light of a fire and keeping it going.