It retains much of its early character with many older style beach houses and the old beach tidal pool. It is now growing in popularity and at Seaforth and elsewhere in the area, new residential and holiday developments are occurring. The settlement lies 22 km off the Bruce Highway and consists of a few rows of houses, a large beachfront caravan park and a long, grassy foreshore reserve.
There are also a couple of stores and a service station, all located on the m wide, low, sandy foredune ridges that back the beach. Irukandji activity varies depending on the species. A box jellyfish can kill a person within minutes with a potent blast of venom that directly attacks the heart. University of Melbourne toxinologist Dr Ken Winkel describes the multi-tentacled creatures as "a veil of death".
By submitting your email you are agreeing to Fairfax Media's terms and conditions and privacy policy. This contrasts with most other venomous creatures that inject a single bolus of venom that has to be slowly taken up into the body's circulation and often acts indirectly to cause body damage. Dr Winkel, a senior research fellow with the School of Population and Global Health, says Irukandji act indirectly by triggering the nervous system to release masses of stress hormones, which can cause pain, anxiety and potentially lethal increases in blood pressure.
Symptoms can take several minutes or hours to present. Keeping out of the water is a sure-fire way to stay safe, but it puts a bit of a dampener on your holiday. Many popular tropical holiday destinations, including Port Douglas, Palm Cove, Cairns and Mission Beach, install stinger nets during summer to keep box jellyfish out, but they offer no protection from Irukandji, which are small enough to slip through.
In places where there are no nets, it is best to wear a stinger suit. These light-weight, full-body Lycra suits are no fashion statement but provide great protection against stingers and the sun.
If in doubt always check with lifeguards who regularly monitor the water for stingers and will close the beach if there is heightened risk. Box jellyfish stings are excruciating.
Survivors describe the sensation as like being branded by a hot iron, burned alive, doused in hot oil or struck by lightning. The tentacles leave savage whip-like welts across the skin that can scar for life.
Irukandji stings, on the other hand, are often painless and leave no marks or trace toxin , and thus can be very difficult to diagnose. This possibly explains why the number of reported deaths is so low. If you are stung in the tropics, the Australian Resuscitation Council recommends immediately flooding the site with vinegar. This prevents any non-discharged stinging cells, known as nematocysts, from firing. Pick off any remaining tentacles and seek urgent assistance from a lifeguard or, for severe stings, dial triple-zero.
He said the small rash on the girls' legs had turned into eight large welts, and Billy had started complaining about back pain. After calling a health information hotline and searching for symptoms online, the girls were rushed to the Proserpine Hospital. The two girls weren't the only ones stung by the venomous jellyfish over the Easter long weekend. The Mackay Hospital and Health Service, which operates the Proserpine Hospital, recorded three other patients with Irukandji stings, including a man, 31, and a woman, VMR skipper Ken Bryce said another boat had picked up the boy and was transporting him to an easier location for the rescue boat and paramedics to collect him.
The teenager was transferred to the Mackay Base Hospital, where he was treated before being discharged on Monday. For Mr McGovern's family and friends, the experience has taught them a valuable lesson. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
Key points: Five people were treated for Irukandji stings in the Whitsundays across the Easter long weekend The victims include two girls, aged eight and 10, a year-old boy and a man and a woman Stinger season runs from October to May, but Irukandji jellyfish can be present all year. Sydney woman, 27, in hospital after Irukandji sting. Teenage boy dies from box jellyfish sting in Cape York — the first death from the animal in 15 years. Off-the-shelf tech could help protect swimmers from world's most venomous creature.
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