Australia is home to seemingly endless stretches of outback, national parks and bushland which can be a haven for hikers.
It also means our vast country is a dangerous and isolated place where it can be chillingly easy to take a wrong turn and never be seen again.
It’s often a very expensive operation to find and rescue missing hikers in rugged Australian terrain – so how much does it cost and who foots the bill?
All Australian states and territories differ in terms of costs, but Medicare often does not fully cover people for ambulance services.
If a rescue involves an air ambulance evacuation, this service is not free either.
If you need an ambulance or helicopter and don’t have insurance, you could be left with quite a hefty bill.
Some travel insurance policies cover rescue services including medical evacuation, but you will need to check coverage before going hiking.
According to Westpac, their Lifesaver Rescue Helicopters cost almost $7000 every hour they are in the air.
These helicopters are operated as a free service and no-one is charged.
It also costs $4945 for every hour a twin-engine helicopter used by the Police Air Wing in NSW to be hired, but most emergency policing services in the state are free.
In NSW, where Nazari went missing, it costs $445 to have a helicopter come and pick you up during an emergency.
The same cost applies to emergency ambulance call-outs, while non-emergencies for road ambulance services in NSW are $351.
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Regardless of whether you require transport by road or air, the most you can ever expect to pay is $7299 – no matter the circumstances.
For non-residents from interstate or overseas, the helicopter call-out fee jumps up to $873.
A road ambulance for non-NSW residents costs $873 in an emergency too or $351 in a non-emergency.
In Victoria, it’s a little more expensive.
For emergencies, it costs patients $1396 to take a road ambulance in metro areas and $2059 in regional or rural areas.
Non-emergency ambulances cost $377 and $637 respectively.
Air transport fees are much higher for those in Victoria, with fixed wing (airplanes) costing between $2475 to $3347.
Helicopters, meanwhile, can cost a minimum of $12,449 up to $29,635.
Lucky Queensland residents do not have to foot the bill for ambulance treatment and transport.
Visitors to Queensland will have to pay a flat rate of $1459 for code 1 and code 2 emergencies or $540 for non-emergencies.
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WA residents are charged a $1133 fee for emergency ambulance transport and this fee jumps slightly to $1355 for non-residents.
SA Ambulance charges residents and non-residents the same fee – a minimum $1171 fee in an emergency and $262 in a non-emergency.
You will also have to pay a $6.70 per km fee in this state.
Those in the ACT will have to fork out a minimum of $1107 for an emergency ambulance ride and an extra $14 for every km travelled outside of the territory.
Tasmanian residents get ambulance transport for free, and you’re covered in this state if you’re visiting in all other states and territories except SA and Queensland.
People in the NT are charged $897 for life-threatening emergencies and $407 for non-emergencies.
This fee is bigger if you need to travel further than 10km, adding on an extra $5.80 per km.
