KEY POINTS:
A sunny Australian holiday turned fatal for nearly 2500 overseas visitors to 'the lucky country' in the past seven years.
Figures appearing in Melbourne newspaper The Herald Sun show 2433 visitors to Australia died during their holiday, including a least 25 children, with drowning the third most common cause of death.
Surf Life Saving Australia spokesman Sean O'Connell told the paper the drowning deaths highlighted the need for education campaigns on inbound flights.
"There is much more emphasis on beautiful beaches without talking about how to enjoy them safely," Mr O'Connell said.
"You could conceivably hop off a plane, go to your backpackers hostel, hop on the bus and you could be swimming at Bondi within four hours and there is a terrible rip you wouldn't even know about.
"In some cases the rip appears to be the calmest part of the water."
Statistics collected by the National Coroners Information System show Australia's extreme environment has been the death of 474 tourists in the last three years.
NCIS statistics include three deaths from heat stroke, seven tourists dying while scuba diving or snorkelling and another dying after an animal bite.
Australian Reptile Park's Craig Adams told The Herald Sun tourists should keep their distance when admiring Australia's unique wildlife.
"Going bush here is a far cry from the urbane European lifestyle," he said.
"Crocodiles can be found in the most unlikely areas, a mud pool can hold a four metre or five metre crocodile.
"People don't realise a koala will give you a nasty bite or carve you up with its claws, a wombat can knock you over but that does not mean they are going to attack."
At a glance:
* 2433 tourists died in Australia between 1999 and 2005.
* Most tourists die in New South Wales, followed by Queensland.
* Australian Capital Territory consistently records the lowest number of tourist deaths.
* In the past three years 28 tourists have drowned and 65 died in car accidents.
* Nearly 5.5 million tourists visited Australia in 2005.
