Bushwalk Australia

When walking with mates we often chat about wildlife we have seen in different areas... seems everyone has seen a koala on trips..but me..

In the bush I've seen platypus, emu, roos, echidnas, turtles, hordes of snakes, lizards and spiders as well as assorted bird and aquatic life.
But no koalas..

Anyone else have an elusive creature they have always wanted to see in the wild but so far nothing?

Never seen a wild Platypus. Thought I found a burrow on the Georges River at Minto heights once but it was most likely a Water Rat not a Platypus.

There are certain birds of which I'd like to get a good sighting, but they're not 'everyone else has seen them' species.
Dropbears, maybe?
Never seen a big python while out walking. That would be really cool. But we don't have them down here.

When I was still diving, for ages I had a hankering to see hammerhead sharks. And then we met one on a very murky and choppy day at Black Reef; awesome critters, incredibly graceful in the water, but a teensy bit nerve-wracking under the circumstances.

Given that I'm now living in southern Tassie, I'd love to see a really good aurora (multi-colours, big curtains, picket fences, the works), but they never turn it on when I'm up.

Mt Kościuszko. Do I need to say why?

I'd never seen a platypus in the wild until a couple of weeks ago, at the Mole Creek caravan park of all places.
Never seen a koala in the wild, but it doesn't help I live in a state where they don't.

I haven't seen platypus nor a big python too...the last one would be awesome yet scary....I kind of want to see a water buffalo or a wild horses but then again they are pests....but still

and just to add...I think I want to get one of those birdbooks just to start ticking them off...I know there's an app etc but I like books more.

Wild platypus.

Kott wrote:and just to add...I think I want to get one of those birdbooks just to start ticking them off...I know there's an app etc but I like books more.

Recommend : Simpson & Day - Field Guide to Australian Birds, new edition every couple of years .. pick up an old edition if cheap. Small enough to keep in the mobile lounge (car).

Seen most things, large python... wombats, goannas, snakes, birds, bats, lizards, scorpion under my tent after a nights sleep etc. I'd prefer to see them at a little distance. A gangang cockey landed on my arm and expected a feed once.

My plant identification skills are lacking.

Platypus.

Sent from my SM-G977B using Tapatalk

Doesn't answer the question, but I thought I'd toss in my experience. It was many years of walking before I saw a platypus in the wild. Never saw them in the places locals told me about. Tried to do everything right - looking carefully, quietly and patiently in the evening where they were often seen. Didn't happen.

My first sighting was in a pond a good distance (? a km) from any other decent water. Hot day. Lunchtime. Platypus popped up and played for ages, duck diving and performing nicely.

A friend's sighting that I just missed, that I'm fairly sure happened. (Don't laugh at me!) Flooded Guy Fawkes River, mid morning. Platypus was surfing the waves, swimming back up the eddies and going for another ride. By the time my friend dragged herself away and came and got us, he'd moved on.

2nd sighting: in someone's paddock, about 100 m from the creek

3rd sighting: afternoon, at a picnic area. Standing at the edge of a creek, watching birds, I heard a splash at my feet, and there it was.

I guess they don't always fit the box I had put them in. And I've only ever seen them when I wasn't looking for them.

Have to agree that platypodes tend to pop up when least expected.

On the way to redoing Ida, I spent a quiet hour or so paddling around Derwent Basin. Had two visitors (noticeably different sizes), while just drifting along, revelling in the morning light.

Big Pythons
I was down the back of the farm clearing out Lantana when my wife told me to lift my head and look up a bit.
Diamond Python going through the tangled jungle less than 1/2m from my nose. Outskirts of Sydney!
So I can tick that one off.
(Why was he there? Lots of frogs in our dam.)

Cheers
Roger

Never seen a koala in the wild. I once watched an ant's nest in a tree for 10 minutes thinking it might be one. Never personally seen a platypus in the wild although the Missus swears she saw one in the creek below my property. I believe her, but I've been to that same spot many many times and only ever seen ducks, turtles and a brown snake.

Outside of wildlife, I've never seen a Hilleberg tent in the wild. I've seen Monts, Macpacs, MSR's, Big Agnes's, Naturehikes, Tarptents, but not Hillebergs. Even in Alpine areas which I would of thought was their natural habitat, I've never seen one.

Really surprising so many people saying platypus. Maybe they're more common in Tassie but I reckon I must've seen close to 50 over the years. Last year alone every fishing trip we went on we usually saw at least 1.

JohnnoMcJohnno wrote:Outside of wildlife, I've never seen a Hilleberg tent in the wild. I've seen Monts, Macpacs, MSR's, Big Agnes's, Naturehikes, Tarptents, but not Hillebergs. Even in Alpine areas which I would of thought was their natural habitat, I've never seen one.

Come to Tassie. Some walks are Hilleberg musters!

ILUVSWTAS wrote:Really surprising so many people saying platypus. Maybe they're more common in Tassie but I reckon I must've seen close to 50 over the years. Last year alone every fishing trip we went on we usually saw at least 1.

Maybe it's the fishing that makes the difference. Spending lots of time where they're supposed to be. I've only seen about 6.

Yeh maybe. On walks I usually camp by lakes or rivers too.
I guess if you put yourself in the right place it's not uncommon.

This is funny. I actually saw (seen? whatever...I don't know) a platypus on the weekend. It was fishing just below the rock I was having lunch on, emerged from the depths about 3 times before I moved on. First one ever.
Also on this walk I seen a pure dingo feasting on a fresh Wallaby kill with a pup. They scented me and the *&%$#! took to the hills and the pup swam the river!
A Goanna that you could sell to a tourist as a small Komodo dragon, Emus, plenty of pigs (one piglet to fuel the mission) snakes galore and no humans, BONUS!!

Haven't run into a wild pig yet, and I'm pretty happy about that. Or buffalo.
Otherwise been pretty lucky - platypus, Tassie Devils, quolls, emus, goannas, snakes inc one large python in Central Australia, dingos, scorpions, feral goats/donkeys/horses/camels/deer, echidnas, koalas.
Painted firetail finches on the Larapinta Trail. The only time I ever saw them in over 20 years of living in Alice.
Haven't seen a bandicoot though.

michael_p wrote:Never seen a wild Platypus. Thought I found a burrow on the Georges River at Minto heights once but it was most likely a Water Rat not a Platypus.

We do know platypus exist locally in the upper Georges river though. I haven't seen one there either but have seen them in the wild elsewhere in NSW, and in Tasmania.
But damned if I can find a koala in the wild, despite living here for 42 years very close to well known koala habitat! I pass so many koala crossing road signs and still can't spot one in the bush despite often trying in known localities. And there is a *&%$#! koala story in the local news every week!

I have seen a lot of other things though. A myriad of snake encounters, lace monitors (goannas) and many other lizards, a dingo that looked pure bred, a wide variety of macropods, wombats, echidnas, a Spotted-tailed Quoll once, countless bird species, notably some of the raptors - wedgies, sea eagles, peregrine falcons, goshawks, Nankeen Kestrels to name a few. Many ferals - dogs, horses (brumbies), pigs but only once, a whole herd of feral goats once in the Rams Heads that stampeded when they saw me. Many others that don't readily come to mind.

johnw wrote:But damned if I can find a koala in the wild, despite living here for 42 years very close to well known koala habitat! I pass so many koala crossing road signs and still can't spot one in the bush despite often trying in known localities. And there is a *&%$#! koala story in the local news every week!

This sums up my feelings entirely.

Be grateful. I have twice come around a corner, driving home very late at night, to find a *&%$#! koala sitting in the middle of the road and refusing to move for anyone.
The first was between Flinders Pier and Hastings after our regular 'seeing in the New Year underwater' dive, the second was somewhere up near Seldom Seen on the way back from a weekend in the high country. They are not an animal you want to hit unless you're driving something the size of a semi.

I am so over effing koalas.

I have had a Platypus in our dam up the back of the house and also one day walking the dog one was walking down the road towards us. Took off into bush. There are a few dams in our general area and I think it moves around them.
I havent seen Uluru

Frogs. I have seen them but I struggle. You hear them, pinpoint basically where they are. They shut up but for the life of me, I can never see them

Death Adder

Sent from my SM-G977B using Tapatalk

I have never seen The (insert location) Panther/Tiger/ Big Cat/Bunyip/Yeti/Sasquatch/ Mangy Wombat despite carefully checking under my sleeping mat every time before turning in. Thankfully.

GregG wrote:I have never seen The (insert location) Panther/Tiger/ Big Cat/Bunyip/Yeti/Sasquatch/ Mangy Wombat despite carefully checking under my sleeping mat every time before turning in. Thankfully.

Eeewwwwww reminds me…. 1991 driving back from Dalhousie Springs to Alice via Old Andado Station, visiting Molly Clark enroute who was then still in residence. Bush camping somewhere before Old Andado, 3 or 4 vehicles, people, next morning we found some remaining prints which appeared cat-like. And BIG. Not just feral-cat-big.

And the only time I’ve ever witnessed a snake going into a vertical hole in the ground, spaghetti-like. They were everywhere.

This was where I saw scorpions, at Mac Clark Conservation Reserve. The little yellow ones eeek.

GregG wrote:I have never seen The (insert location) Panther/Tiger/ Big Cat/Bunyip/Yeti/Sasquatch/ Mangy Wombat despite carefully checking under my sleeping mat every time before turning in. Thankfully.

You left out Dogman!

A Quoll of any variety. Does sound like they are all that elusive........just havent popped up on my radar yet