# Jellyfish stings in Australia

Jellyfish stings in Australia can cause pain, paralysis and death for swimmers with exposed skin. Numerous venomous species of jellyfish occur in Australian waters, including the box jellyfish and Irukandji Jellyfish. Box jellyfish are believed to have caused at least 69 deaths since record keeping began in 1883. Although they are commonly mistaken for jellyfish, bluebottles are actually siphonophores.

## Numbers of stings

Irukandji are rarely found outside Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Between 1985 and 1997 from cases of Irukandji sting where location was recorded, there were 83.4% in Queensland, 9.1% in the Northern Territory, and 7.5% in Western Australia; 81.5% of cases occurred in the afternoon. In a fourteen-year period there were 660 Irukandji stings in Australia, which were recorded by Dr Fenner, a medical officer with Surf Lifesaving Australia. There were 159 Irukandji stings reported in Broome in a five-year period with 25% of those stung being hospitalised but no recorded deaths. There were 62 people reported being stung by Irukandji in Cairns in 1996; of these more than half occurred in December, 92% were stung on hotter than average days, with 63% occurring while swimming inside a stinger net enclosure on the beach. In summer 2001–02 there were 160 people stung by the middle of February, with around 100 of these in Cairns, and between 10 and 20 in Townsville, the Whitsundays, Great Keppel and Agnes Water.
Northern Territory hospitals report approximately 40 jellyfish stings annually.

## List of fatal stings

This is a list of fatal jellyfish stings that occurred in Australian territorial waters by decade in reverse chronological order.

### 21st century

| Name | Age | Year | Month | Species | State or Territory | Location; Comments |
| Unnamed boy | 14 | 2022 | February | Chironex Fleckeri | Queensland | Eimeo Beach, Mackay. |
| Unnamed boy | 17 | 2021 | February | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Cape York. Patterson Point, near Bamaga. |
| Unnamed victims | 74 and 76 | 2016 | November | Irukandji (suspected, not confirmed) | Queensland | Michelmas Cay. Two French tourists died within 10 minutes of each other. Hypothesis formed by cardiologist. Dismissed as speculation by tour operator. |
| Unnamed boy | 6 | 2007 | November | Chironex fleckeri | Northern Territory | |
| Unnamed girl | 7 | 2006 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Umagico Beach near Bamaga. |
| Unnamed boy | 7 | 2003 | March | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Wongaling Beach near Cairns, stung on chest and neck. Allegedly the 68th person in Australia known to have died from a chironex fleckeri sting since records began in 1883. |
| Unnamed male | 44 | 2002 | April | | Queensland | Port Douglas |
| Unnamed male | 58 | 2002 | January | Irukandji | Queensland | Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Islands |
| Unnamed boy | 5 | 2000 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Yarrabah, near Cairns |

### 20th century

| Name | Age | Year | Month | Species | State or Territory | Location; Comments |
| Unnamed boy | 5 | 1987 | January | box jellyfish | | |
| Unnamed boy | 6 | 1984 | January | box jellyfish | Queensland | Lockhart River, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Cooktown. |
| Unnamed boy | 5 | 1980 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Wongaling, near Tully. Animals were observed by victim's older brother. |
| Unnamed woman | 26 | 1971 | November | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | North Mission Beach. Investigated by Dr J. S. Barnes of Cairns. |
| Gregory Noel Jarrot | 12 | 1971 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Seaforth Beach, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Mackay. |
| Unnamed woman | 20 | 1970 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Forrest Beach. |
| James Woolla | 10 | 1967 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Aurukun. |
| Unnamed boy | 4 | 1966 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Half Moon Bay. |
| Terence Barney | 5 | 1965 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Mornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria. Aboriginal boy was pronounced DOA at hospital. |
| Paul Haritos | 6 | 1964 | February | Chironex fleckeri | Northern Territory | Mica Beach, four miles from Darwin. Victim was standing in calf-deep water. Collapsed instantly and died quickly. |
| Unnamed girl | 9 | 1964 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Palm Cove. Occurred "a few months earlier" than the Paul Haritos incident. |
| G.C.D | 6 | 1962 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | South Mission Beach. |
| R.V.B | 50 | 1962 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Yorkey's Knob. |
| Unnamed victim | 7 | 1962 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Thursday Island. |
| J.R.K | 9 | 1962 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Bamaga. |
| Lynette Mary Starkey | 11 | 1957 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | North Mission Beach, Queensland. Stung on the legs while bathing with other children in shallow water. Collapsed on the beach and died. Weals visible on her legs. |
| Robert Tennant | 10 | 1957 | March | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Bluff Beach. |
| T.W.S | 38 | 1956 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Pearce Creek. |
| Unnamed boy | | 1955 | | box jellyfish or sea wasp | Queensland | Cardwell |
| Clarke William Currow | 8 | 1954 | February | | Northern Territory | Darwin, close to Larrakeyah army barracks, three yards from shore. Died a few minutes after being stung. |
| James Ernest Lane | 33 | 1953 | July | box jellyfish (definitely not a Portuguese Man o' War) | Queensland | Saltwater Creek, Townsville. Victim experienced severe pain, paralysis and frothing at the mouth. |
| Unnamed victim | | 1951 | | box jellyfish | Queensland | Kissing Point Baths, Townsville |
| Wojcik Czestaw | 31 | 1950 | | Chironex fleckeri | Northern Territory | Mindil Beach, Darwin. Died within minutes of being stung. Specimen was collected and identified by Frank McNeill, curator of invertebrates at the Australian Museum. Victim's name was also reported as Wokeik (rather than Wojcik). |
| Brian Andrew McNamara | 10 | 1949 | December | box jellyfish | Queensland | North Mission Beach near Tully. |
| Unnamed man | | 1944 | January | sea wasp | Northern Territory | Victim was a serviceman. |
| W.J.H | 21 | 1943 | March | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | South Mission Beach. |
| Robert Ernest Day | 8 | 1941 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Rowe's Bay, Townsville. Boy died en route to hospital. |
| J.C. | 13 | 1941 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Townsville. |
| Patrick Paull | 3 1/2 | 1939 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Horseshoe Bay. |
| Ruth Hamilton | 5 | 1939 | February | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Googarra Beach. |
| Thomas "Tommy" Frederick Chandler | 11 | 1938 | March | sea wasp | Northern Territory | Lameroo Beach, Darwin. Government baths. Stung on chest, body and face. Jellyfish specimen was collected for analysis. Victim's name was also reported as Robert Chandler. Chandler died 15–20 minutes after being stung. A boy called Bennie Babun who went to his rescue was also stung and hospitalised. Others stung during prior fortnight were treated with morphine. |
| David William Taylor | 19 | 1937 | | box jellyfish | Queensland | Bramston Beach near Babinda, Cairns. Stung while in waist-deep water. Assisted from the water by George Giffin but collapsed and died thereafter. |
| Salvatore Cantarella | | 1934 | | box jellyfish | Queensland | Googarra Beach, near Tully. Marks on right leg and left foot. Believed to have died of shock and heart failure after the sting. Post-mortem conducted by Dr. A. R. Townsend. |
| Maurice Woods | 7 | 1930 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Magnetic Island, near Townsville. |
| "Mr. Mann" | | 1923 | February | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Proserpine |
| Charles Trenaman | 15 | 1916 | March | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Rowes Bay, near Townsville Stung on neck, body, shoulder and legs. Died about 10 minutes later from "nerve shock from pain". |
| Albert George | | 1911 | May | | Queensland | Cannon Valley beach, Pioneer Bay, near Mackay. Arms attached to the boy's belly, torso and arms. Victim lost consciousness and died within half an hour. Open bathing at this location was prohibited after this second death within 6 months. |
| Gould | | 1910-11 | | | Queensland | Occurred during Christmas holiday period. Cannon Valley beach, Pioneer Bay, near Mackay. |

### 19th century

| Name | Age | Year | Month | Species | State or Territory | Location; Comments |
| Fred Harwood | 14 | 1892 | November | Chironex fleckeri | Northern Territory | Sea baths, Darwin |
| Unnamed victim | | 1885 | January | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Townsville |
| Frederick William Smith | 11 | 1884 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Ross Creek, Townsville |
| Peter Clarke | 8 | 1878 | December | Chironex fleckeri | Queensland | Cleveland Bay, Townsville |