Platypus viewing

[Orion]

Where are the best places (most likely) to see a platypus in Tasmania?

[frenchy_84]

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.

[stepbystep]

Platypus Bay at Lake St Clair. Been there twice and seen them twice. I've seen them twice in the stream below Russell Falls too. My in laws have a pet Platypus in their dam but I don't encourage strangers onto their property

[Graham51]

One of my best memories of a platypus is camping by a tarn not far north of Lake Undine. There was a platypus cruising around the tarn in the early evening then he disappeared. Very soon after that we watched as the tarn slowly froze over.

[eggs]

After never spotting one, we had trip where we saw 3 in different locations.
After spotting one in Lake Tyndall a local suggested a bridge over the Mersey and the Arboretum up that way.
Saw platipii at both spots.
Since there, watched one cruising on Lake Windamere and last trip at Narcissus wharf.

[Strider]

Used to see two of them twice a week, every time I crossed the Nive River on the Lyell Highway just north of Tarraleah.

[Nuts]

Yeah, Mersey/Don.. Liffey Falls (pools)- that one has been hanging around at Narcissus for a while- friendly little tasmanian

[taswegian]

Many farm dams have them.
Local creeks.
They are pretty plentiful on NW Coast

[Overlandman]

Bridge over the Wilmot River just South of Forth.

[Drifting]

There is a platypus viewing spot in a reserve in Latrobe. The old fellow comes up to within about a metre of the boardwalk, and puts on a real show. They are also in all the larger farm dams around Sheffield.

[Chris]

Under Union Bridge near Mole Creek campground - not from personal experience, but I'm assured they are there.

[Mark_O]

Agreed on creek below Russell Falls. I went there twice within 2 weeks recently and saw one both times that was very (!) comfortable with photographers standing nearby. Another easily accessible platypus for viewing is in the small dam next to Cradle Mountain Lodge as it regularly comes out early in the morning.

I have put some video up of these platypus at: https://vimeo.com/70836171

[johnw]

Only time I've ever seen one "in the wild" was in the pool beneath Hogarth Falls in Strahan years ago. Not really a proper bushwalk but it is listed as a great short walk. We wandered up to the falls on dusk and the playtpus put in a brief appearance, then not seen again.

[Chrisbulldog]

Agrees with Drifting ...the pools and Mersey river area at Warrawe Reserve just behind Latrobe are an almost
guaranteed area to see them ..The " old fella" he described put on a real show for my walking group recently.

A bonus is ..its not far out of town on a good road . A barrier has been put at the end of the sealed section
now ..so don't leave it too late .

[Orion]

Thank you for the replies.

I drove through Latrobe last time I was there but it was in the middle of the day. That's something nobody has mentioned: timing. I'm pretty sure dawn/dusk are the best times, isn't that right? I've been to Platypus Bay, Russell Falls, the Platypus Tarn, and Narcissus. I know that sightings occur in these places but I saw nothing. At Narcissus a ranger told me that most "platypuses" seen there were actually water rats. That cracked me up.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Just gotta get lucky. I've seen hundreds, never where you expect.

Hastings caves is a good tourist spot down south, the creek out my front window also has a few :p

[Drifting]

Thank you for the replies.

I drove through Latrobe last time I was there but it was in the middle of the day. That's something nobody has mentioned: timing. I'm pretty sure dawn/dusk are the best times, isn't that right? I've been to Platypus Bay, Russell Falls, the Platypus Tarn, and Narcissus. I know that sightings occur in these places but I saw nothing. At Narcissus a ranger told me that most "platypuses" seen there were actually water rats. That cracked me up.

I was there around noon, and he was splashing around quite happily. They are very common in this part of Tassie, and seem to come out a lot during the day. I have friends who live in Nook, just outside of Sheffield, and they have one living in a dam about 3 meters from their dining room window- I sat and watched him play from about 12:30 to 4 pm the other day, and my friend saw him scoot across dry ground to a nearby creek (while I was looking away, of course...)

[Orion]

I was there around noon, and he was splashing around quite happily. They are very common in this part of Tassie, and seem to come out a lot during the day. I have friends who live in Nook, just outside of Sheffield, and they have one living in a dam about 3 meters from their dining room window- I sat and watched him play from about 12:30 to 4 pm the other day, and my friend saw him scoot across dry ground to a nearby creek (while I was looking away, of course...)

Really? Thanks for that. We stopped at some platypus tourist spot in Latrobe, I can't remember what it was called except that they had a large decaying platypus statue out front and a rather dull museum about axemen inside. A woman there told us there were no platypuses to be found in the middle of the day in Latrobe. We didn't have time to linger so we drove away.

[Nuts]

At Narcissus a ranger told me that most "platypuses" seen there were actually water rats. That cracked me up.

He's most likely right, Water Rats are fairly common... and big!

[Overlandman]

Bridge over the Wilmot River just South of Forth.

Stopped at this spot at midday today, there was two platypuses observed, water was clear & you could watch them feed under water

[Old Fart]

Lots of places already mentioned- but fern glade in Burnie is fairly productive along with the creek near Hastings thermal pool.......

[Nature sprite]

Mole Creek Caravan Park is an accessible place to view Platypus. Another place you're likely to see them is Duckhole Lake (enquire at National Parks Office Main Road Hunonville, South East Tasmania). We have been fortunate enough to see platypus at both of these locations. Good luck.

[wander]

Geeveston, there is a small viewing platform near the bridge, I was able to see a platypus each evening without much trouble. There was a pair in fact last Dscember.

[whiskeylover]

Deloraine, near any of the bridges and down past the caravan park, almost guaranteed dusk and dawn, and may see other times of day.
Very common in Meander River. Not sure what their usual area of roaming is or whether different individuals overlap areas, but the ones we see, seem to be at least four different individuals in a length of river of about 400m. You just need a bit of patience or to regularly visit areas that they frequent to see them - they don't always want to do as you wish. If they duck under to feed count to about twenty and they're likely to pop up again nearby. There is also one that regularly waddles from the swampy area near the Apex foot bridge into the peanut pond and back again.

[Drifting]

We got lots of platypuses in Tassie!

(or is it platypodes?)

[Nuts]

Ha, right. So the term platypi is only used where you have four n twenty? : )

[Orion]

Thanks again for the suggestions.

I should add that I have seen platypuses, platypus, platypi or platypodes, whichever plural you prefer. It was in a small pond in Waratah, pretty early one morning. There were a number of them and they entertained us for about 90 minutes. But I hope to see more in the future. I think they are magical.

It occurs to me that I've never seen a beaver although they exist here in California.

[greyim]

Unexpectedly, saw a couple feeding in lake wilks, cradle recently... must have taken advantage of the track upgrade?!

[Travis22]

Not Taz but we saw more then a hundred 2 weeks ago while rafting the upper snowy river in NSW.

Travis.

[biggbird]

Well, I was really disappointed when reading through this thread a couple of days ago, as everyone had obviously had a lot more luck with these critters than I had, having never seen one in the wild before! And that's despite living here from birth... Was wandering the streets tonight with a friend from Melbourne, and lo and behold, spotted one in the rivulet from the bridge at Collins St! Stayed there watching it make its way upstream for a good 5-10 minutes, pretty awesome

Funniest thing was, I had been chatting with my friend only about an hour earlier, saying how a Platypus was the one animal I had never seen in the wild, and how disappointed I was! Maybe I should have been talking about how disappointed I was that I had never had the right lottery numbers before... But still, not a bad consolation prize