My subtle mention of Jess’ research skills in my post the other day had the desired effect, ie. that she went and did some more googling for me.

So this by way of Jess:

“The true incidence of snakebite in Australia is unknown. Estimates suggest that there may be several thousand cases of snakebite in Australia each year. Of these perhaps 300 require treatment with antivenom.

Surveys over recent years suggest a death rate of around 1-2 cases per year on average, although it is likely that the actual number of deaths is somewhat higher than this, due to unrecognised snakebite deaths.

The most recent published survey of deaths from snakebite in Australia found a slightly higher death rate of around 3.2 deaths per year, although the significance of this is not clear as yet.

Prior to the development of specific antivenom therapy and improved supportive care, snakebite was associated with a high case fatality rate.

Most bites occur during the warmer months, when snakes are more active and people are more likely to venture outdoors and into the bush.

Australian studies of snakebite incidence demonstrate a preponderance of males among the victims, possibly related to risk taking behaviour or to occupational exposure.

It is also of note that several cases of snakebite death have been associated with alcohol intoxication.

Half (six) of the deaths reported in the 1992-4 survey were due to bites from brown snakes, including several sudden or unexpected deaths (within one hour).

Tiger snake was the second most common cause of snakebite death, involved in four fatalities.”

My emphasis.

From:
http://www.avru.unimelb.edu.au/avruweb/snakebi.htm#About%20Australian%20Snakebite

vs Bears:

“Statistics on bear attacks are difficult to compile. Many happen in remote wilderness and go unreported. Herrero, author of ‘Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance,’ estimated that on average, bears kill three people and seriously injure five to 15 a year in North America.

“Overall, the injury rates are very low considering the millions of interactions that occur each year,” he said.

But in August, Herrero told the Calgary Herald that the number of bear attacks this year is among the highest since biologists began keeping records 28 years ago. Specific numbers were unavailable.”

From: http://www.bears.org/pipermail/bearfolks/2000-October/000447.html

Warning: the story at the front of this article is pretty intense

So your chance of being killed by a bear in North America is slightly higher than that of being bitten by a snake in Australia.
But, that’s not a fair comparison, because there’s a lot more people in North America, and so I’d guess a lot more interactions with bears going on, and therefore the number of deaths per person in the wilderness is much lower. If you believe that logic, it means it’s actually safer to go outdoors in North America than in Australia.

But don’t let me catch you using that as an excuse to sit on the couch and watch crap tv!