Where can I see platypus in Australia?
You can see platypus in streams, rivers and lakes across Australia. But they’re elusive. Good spots include the Broken River in Queensland, Lake Elizabeth in Victoria and Latrobe in Tasmania.
The platypus is one of the strangest creatures on earth. In fact, they’re so weird, that when they were first reported, they were assumed to be a hoax. It is a uniquely Australian species too. While surprising numbers of Australian creatures can also be found in New Guinea, the platypus only lives in Australia.
These web-footed, duck-billed creatures are notoriously hard to spot in the wild, however. Platypus live in burrows in river banks, and are nocturnal. Even when they’re most active and visible, at dawn and dusk, they spend much of their time searching for food on the river or lake bed.
To see platypus in Australia, you need to aim for dawn and dusk, then go to the places they like to hang out. These spots – in slow-moving streams, rivers, lakes and dams – are rarely near Australia’s biggest cities.
Where to see platypus in Queensland
There are, however, some places where you can reliably see platypus in Australia. In tropical Queensland, there are a couple of good spots in the Great Dividing Range. Yungaburra in the Atherton Tableland near Cairns has a viewing platform at Peterson Creek. Platypus tend to hang out here.
Also reliable is the Broken River in the Eungella National Park. This is in the Whitsundays region, with Mackay the nearest city. Again, there’s a specially constructed viewing area at Broken River.
Elsewhere in Queensland, you’ve got a decent chance of seeing a platypus in Lake Awoonga near Gladstone or the Djyinda Walk to Wallaman Falls, Australia’s highest waterfall, near Ingham. The pool at Curtis Falls in the Scenic Rim region near the Gold Coast is a decent bet, too.
Where to see platypus in Victoria
In Victoria, the best platypus-viewing hotspot is Lake Elizabeth, inland from the Great Ocean Road.
Otway Eco Tours offers canoeing tours on Lake Elizabeth, which are timed to take place when wildlife is most active.
Where to see platypus in Australia: Tasmania
The best place to see platypus in Australia, however, is Tasmania. Specifically, the Central Highlands lakes, or the streams and rivers in either the south or north-west. The Warrawee Forest Reserve near Latrobe, Ronny Creek near Table Mountain, the Fernglade Reserve near Burnie and the Tyenna River in the Mt Field National Park.
More importantly, platypus in Tasmania are bigger than the ones on the mainland. You’ve got a better chance of seeing them, and they look more impressive.