Medical costs in Australia are not as expensive as in the USA and Europe, but travel insurance is
still recommended for budget travel visitors. If you come from a country that has reciprocal health
care agreements with Australia then you should check if you are entitled to use this service.There is some more information under "Visitors travelling to Australia" at:
http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhealth/services_for_travellers/
Queensland has a healthy population with one of the high life expectancy - many tropical illnesses such as malaria and yellow fever are rare - sicknesses of insanitatary conditions such as cholera and typhoid are unknown - and some diseases like TB and polio have been eradicated.
Generally vaccinations are not required to come to Australia, although there could be a problem if you have been in a yellow fever infected area within 6 days of arriving here - vaccination is advised in this case.
It is possible to have flu vaccinations - the catch is that you need to get the correct strain of vaccine for Australia, and you may need to make enquiries to find if it is available in your country.
Collect travel information and consult your doctor well in advance of your departure in order to see if you should take extra health precautions. Carry information on your body of any medical condition affecting you, such as angina or diabetes and the proper names – not just the trade names – of any medication you are taking.
Your trip fitness depends both on your preparation and your daily health care during travel. So make sure you have a full medical check up before you leave. Also have a dental checkup if you have any doubts about your teeth or you plan to be away a long time. Dentistry is not covered by Medicare in Australia so if it has any possibility of being a problem you should make sure that your travel insurance will cover you.
If you wear glasses or contact lenses then bring a spare pair as well as your prescription.
If you are on medication it is probably best to get an adequate supply for your trip before you leave, but even so take the prescription in case you lose the drugs somehow. And it is a good idea to have a letter from your doctor with you to prove that you legally use the medication to appease any diligent customs people as you are entering this country.
And don't remove drugs from their original containers thinking you are conserving space - customs inspectors will assume tablets in plastic bags are contraband and you may have a lot of explaining to do.
If you have any other preparations that you use, even irregularly, then get somebody who knows to write down the generic names as well as the active ingredients - then if necessary a chemist here could help you get the nearest thing if you wanted to buy it locally.
If you do get sick while in Queensland, don't soldier on as if nothing is wrong - do something about it.
If you know it is not too serious then go to a pharmacy (chemist or druggist) - they usually know more about pharmacutical products than doctors do - the only problem is that they can't give you stuff that must be prescribed by a doctor.
If the chemist thinks you are really sick, then he will say so - and certainly will be able to direct you to the nearest doctor.
Alternatively you can go to the "Outpatients" department of the nearest public hospital - the only catch is they give priority to people who are sickest, and so you may have to wait - most likely for less than an hour. They can also provide any necessary drugs from the hospital pharmacy. In Queensland this treatment would most likely be free if you have a Medicare card.
Mosquitos and midges (sand-flies) can sometimes be a nuisance for budget travel campers, but spray or roll-on insect-repellent preparations are widely available and not worth carrying in from another country.
Divers should allow 24 hours between their last dive and a flight.
There is plenty of travel information suggesting that sitting still on long journeys by plane, train or car, can lead to blood clots called deep vein thrombosis. If possible get up and walk about, or if you can't then wriggle and move your feet around to keep the circulation up. Even on the most budget travel flights you can avoid dehydration by taking regular non-alcoholic drinks.