Australia is urging travellers not to make frivolous requests of its embassies, Radio New Zealand reports.
Travellers who get into trouble are now being warned of new limits on what consular support they might receive, especially if they deliberately break local laws.
Announcing a series of new measures, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said some embassies attracted “serial pests” who return repeatedly with odd questions.
Foreign Affairs Department reported one traveller asking for help looking after her dogs while she was away and one asking for help to get a polecat out of the roof.
Other traveller queries received by the department were requests to book accommodation and to provide an embassy driver to take a traveller to the airport.
Last year, Australia's Foreign Affairs Department staff provided assistance to nearly 15,000 Australians overseas.