Platypus viewing

[Anoola]

Pet and Guide dams out the back of Burnie are hot spots for viewing them. I seen one last year in a small pool where an underground flowing creek broke the surface, just North of Dixons Kingdom hut. Right next to the track from the hut to Mt Jerusalem, totally unexpected.

[Onestepmore]

I have never seen one in the wild, only at Taronga Zoo, and would be fascinated and mesmerized to actually come across one. You guys make out like they are as common as cockroaches under a Newtown streetlight!

[Orion]

So we tried a few spots:

the mersey river around latrobe is pretty good no bushwalking there though. i once saw a platypus in the swamp (wasnt even enough water to cover it) at the pine valley helipad.

I went down to the banks of the Mersey near that Platypus experience place (nice to see that they refurbished the giant platypus statue) early one evening and then again in the morning. No luck. But I did briefly see some possum-sized creature that was not a possum running nearby. I wonder what it was.

Bridge over the Wilmot River just South of Forth.

Showed up there at about noon one day. Waited. Waited. Waited. Waited. Waited some more. Oh well.

...fern glade in Burnie is fairly productive...

Bingo! It took about 3 minutes to find one and he (she?) gave as a show lasting nearly 2 hours, including coming out of the water, rolling on his back and grooming. He even interacted with some ducks, frightening one of the younger birds.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

[Clusterpod]

There have been numerous kills over the xmas period due to Opera House nets, including one just days before we arrived at Seninis camp ground north of Moe.

[gwynfa]

Many day walks in Tassie but my best viewing of a platypus was the Hobart Rivulet. Watched one swinmming about the catchment pool at Cascade Gardens, then going over the small dam wall and surfing off down the rivulet towards the city.

[Strider]

Saw one in the Pool of Bethesda just the other day

[Clusterpod]

I was told of an individual being seen on the Hobart Rivulet.

I'm going to go look for myself!

[beardless]

Waratah. We saw at least one platypus on two separate evenings and dusk a couple of weeks ago in one of the pools next to the main street of Waratah. The pond was also filled with lots of ducks. Still a thrill. Also saw one in a private dam in the shadow of mount Rolland accompanied by a goose.

[frank]

Hobart Rivulet ... near McFarlane St ... just upstream from the pedestrian bridge. Seen it most days this summer since the Council flattened the creek with excavators removing willows and storm damage. And the Boulder Trap upstream at Cascade Gardens, but not so regular an appearance.

[Orion]

We walked down to the Hobart Rivulet recently but no luck. We wondered if things had changed since last year or if we were just there at the wrong time/place.

Then we saw one along the Narcissus River, just 5 meters from where we were having breakfast. That was nice. Then over a five day stretch we saw one (or two) each day: first in Westerway just downstream of the Possum Shed; then at Marion Lake; at the Narcissus River again; and finally in a little pond on the Rufus track. Somehow we had the Midas touch with platypuses that week. My girlfriend believes you need a pure heart to see one -- but that can't be it.

I broke our camera at the start of our visit to Tasmania and had to make do with an inexpensive replacement. But this platypus in Westerway allowed me to get within 2-3 meters of it:

Last edited by Orion on Fri 13 Feb, 2015 7:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Graham51]

We boarded the ferry in the Narcissus River on Monday and saw three interesting swimmers. First, a cormorant fishing which was mildly interesting. Second, a long black snake swimming across the river and then sunning itself on the bank. That got people's attention. Third, people said there was a platypus so the boat driver eased over a bit closer. Surprisingly the paltypus didn't dive but more surprisingly it turned out to be an echidna, in the middle of the river.
Has anyone else seen an echidna swimming before? It was a first for everyone on the boat.

[Orion]

That must have been fun to see.

An example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xDECsF_KSc

From a Steve Parish book on Australian mammals:

"Although they are most at
home on solid ground, echidnas
sometimes go to water to drink and
are good swimmers. They paddle
through the water with only the
snout and a few spines showing.
Echidnas have been seen crossing
wide beaches to swim and groom
themselves in the sea. The seawater
may help to remove parasites that
live in their fur."

The ferry captain told us there was a baby platypus living near the jetty that he had seen splashing around. Alas, my heart was not pure enough.