BEVS

Hi all.

Have any of you gone on a tour or visited a sanctuary to view platypus please ?

Where might be the most guaranteed place?

thanks.

Moonbeamzz

Hi, if you are visiting Tasmania there is a maritime museum/sanctuary down towards Beaconsfield (not 100% sure of the town but down that way)which is west of Launceston and they have Platypus. Cheers

Grayling

Lone Pine Koala sanctuary in Brisbane.

Very difficult to find or see one in the wild

Buzzy--Bee

I am lucky enough to have seen one in the wild. At Porepunkah, near Bright, in the Victorian high country. I was playing poohsticks with my kids and while looking for our sticks we saw one in the Ovens river. Phenomenal!

I have never seen one at the Platypus exhibit at Healsville Sanctuary near Melbourne in several visits.

BB

Grayling

You were very fortunate.

I saw one once in a stream in NSW. Mind you, we had to sit and wait for hours until it was nearly dark and we got bitten half to death for our troubles.

I do not think there is anywhere you could guarantee seeing one in the wild as they are so secretive.

At Lone pine they are in big tanks in a dark room and are usually pretty active....they also get fed at certain times of the day.

Kim67

Beauty Point, next to Seahorse World,

Swerv-o

You can regularly see wild Platypuses at Tidbinbilla nature reserve near Canberra.

I took my folks a couple of years back, and they were overjoyed to see two Platypuses come out at dusk and frolic and play in the water in their pool. It was really quite magical. Need to be quiet though, as they are timid and scare easily.

Tidbinbilla is a really nice day out - lots of walks, and plenty of wild roos and emus to see too. Also good access for wheelchairs and prams.


S

BEVS

Ooo. Thank you for the posts.

This is for my '0' birthday. It is something I wanted to see in 1997 but a big long, completely mental, story - honestly , it is quite a tale - meant we didn't get to try at Eungella.

I'm thinking I hedge my bets here, travel from NZ being so expensive.

I see them enclosed and then I try to see them wild which would be my love.

I think I may be a little excited.

Swerv-o

<<<@!1!@>>>


This is what you could expect to see at Tidbinbilla:


I've been several time, and have always seen them, so I think you would stand a good chance of it...


S

commonwealth

What's the plural form of Platypus?

(A) Platypuses
(B) Platypi

commonwealth

What's the plural form of Platypus?

(A) Platypuses
(B) Platypi
(C) Platypus
(D) Platypodes

Pollyana

I've seen them in the wild in Tassie too, stunning reatures. Think it was somewhere near Bicheno, east coast.

BEVS

From reading it needs to be at sunrise or dusk , or not?

Buzzy--Bee

I think it was about 10am when we got our sighting but I think for all animals your best bet is probably sunrise or dusk when they are likely to be active.

BB

NJJ

I went camping about 10 years ago at a place called Eungella in Queensland.

We arrived and it was getting dark so went striaght to a known lookout for Platypus / wildlife viewing. There were some other tourists there and we got talking to some Dutch people.

They said they had been there 4 hours and not seen a Platypus. They left shortly after. We stayed and after about 15-20mins a Platypus appears, spashing around in the river, looked like he was having a great time. We stayed for a while and watched, then went to our camp park.

Lo and behold who was in the campsite next to us but the Dutch tourists - "did you see the Platypus?" one of them asks me. I told him honestly, I was not winding him up but just after they left the Platypus appeared "We must see the Platypus!" he cried. They got back in their campervan and took off.

About 1 hour later they came back, disappointed, as the Platypus was no longer around when they arrived at the viewing area.

I don't know if they thought I was having a wind-up with them, it was just good timing on our part I suppose.