Where To See A Platypus In The Wild

The platypus may be hard to spot, but they’re well worth the effort. Here are the places where you have the best shot.

Perhaps Australia’s most elusive national animal, the platypus is notoriously shy, making it much harder than, say, a kangaroo, to spot in the wild. Still, for those willing to take the time, there are plenty of places along Australia’s east coast where your efforts could be rewarded (and tours that can help make sure you’re looking in the right places).

Generally speaking, you’ll want to seek out creeks and rivers with banks that provide bush, rock and log cover for the platypus to hide in. It will have a good flow of water as well, to keep the water healthy and liveable. They’re most commonly found in eastern Queensland and New South Wales, eastern, central and southwestern Victoria and around Tasmania.

a platypus in tasmania — Spot a platypus along Australia’s east coast with this guide. (Image: Ash Thomson Photography)

How to spot a platypus in the wild

First things first, we need to discuss platypus spotting tactics. You could be approaching a whole paddle of platypuses and still not see a single one if you don’t play your cards right. For starters, make sure you’re arriving at the right time of day – dawn and dusk are usually the sweet spots – and be as quiet as possible as they’re very sensitive to perceived dangers.

After that, it’s about keeping a sharp eye out. Look for bulls-eye or v-shaped ripples that likely signal the presence of a platypus. And don’t get them mixed up with water rats – platypuses have shorter, rounder tails and travel for longer on the water’s surface.

The season can also affect your chances of success, especially as you head further south. Platypuses need more food to keep themselves warm, so winter and early spring mean colder temperatures and more time outside during daylight hours to hunt.

Now without further ado, here’s our round-up of where to see a platypus in the wild, if you’re feeling lucky.

platypus creating ripples as it swims in a victorian river — Look for bulls-eye or v-shaped ripples made by a platypus.

1. Victoria

In central Victoria, Loddon and Campaspe rivers are both known as lucky places to spot a platypus – just look for the quiet bends of the rivers. It’s also worth looking at the creeks and rivers around Snowy River National Park and the Alpine National Park. They’re harder to spot here but do call it home.

campers by Campaspe River in Victoria — Camp by Campaspe River for the best chance of spotting a platypus at dawn or dusk.

One of the best places to spot them in Victoria is in Great Otway National Park’s Lake Elizabeth. Located a 10-minute drive from Forrest, it was made when a valley was flooded over 50 years ago. Today, the tree remnants provide plenty of places for a platypus to take cover. Optimise your chances by joining Otway Eco Tours Paddle With The Platypus itinerary . Be guided in a canoe, checking all the best spots for platypus (they claim a 95 per cent sighting success rate), while also listening to local birdlife chirping and staying for the glow worms at dusk.

Canoe around the misty Lake Elizabeth with Otway Eco Tours.

2. New South Wales

The national parks of New South Wals are a smorgasbord for platypuses – but you’ll still need a skilled eye to catch one of these elusive creatures. They’ve been spotted in Brisbane Water, Budderoo and Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve national parks on the outskirts of Sydney. Head further inland to spot them in Guula Ngurra National Park.

platypus spotted in byron bay hinterland with Vision Walks Eco Tours — Spot a platypus with Vision Walks Eco Tours. (Image: DNSW)

North of Sydney, Monga National Park is home to these cuties, but for those wanting some support to spot a platypus, head to Byron Bay hinterland. Here, you can join a tour with Vision Walks Eco Tours for a Platypus Walk. They’ll pick you up in Byron Bay, then lead you on an easy two-kilometre walk in the hinterlands. The best part? If you don’t spot one, you can come back for free another day.

Close to the Victorian border, Kosciuszko National Park has several spots known for platypus sightings: try the High Plains, Khancoban, Lower Snowy River, Selwyn, Thredbo–Perisher, Tumut and Yarrangobilly areas. Murray Valley Regional Park is also known for platypus sightings.

3. Queensland

I had my own platypus-spotting luck in the Atherton Tablelands. Yungaburra has even built a whole viewing platform to catch sight of their platypus locals at the edge of Mungalli Falls, but my group had only just started on the path to the platform at dusk when we saw two of them swimming around each other in the creek. These tablelands also have a Platypus Park with another built viewing platform. For help spotting these north Queensland dwellers, Wait-A-While Rainforest Tours (based in Cairns) claims a 90 per cent success rate in spotting platypuses on their tours.

guest and guide on Wait-A-While Rainforest Tours looking at a platypus in atherton tablelands — Join Wait-A-While Rainforest Tours for help spotting a platypus. (Image: TEQ)

Towards Airlie Beach, Eungella National Park is known to have a comparatively large platypus population in Broken River. You’ll find vantage points and bridges scattered throughout the region, with signs suggesting platypuses can be seen there. Stay for a night or two at Platypus Bush Camp near Finch Hatton Gorge on the edge of the national park for more chances of seeing them at dawn and dusk. There’s a viewing platform here, too, as well as flush toilets, rainforest showers, picnic and dining areas and two fire pits.

platypus in broken river, queensland — Spend time by Broken River to see a local. (Image: TEQ)

4. Tasmania

With higher numbers of platypuses and lower numbers of people, Tasmania is actually your best bet if you’re desperate to see one (and who wouldn’t be). Latrobe is often called the Platypus Capital of the World, as spotting one in the wild here is quite common. Stop by the bridge near Axeman’s Hall of Fame for an in-town experience. But a five-minute drive to Warrawee Reserve is your best bet. Here, follow the banks of the Mersey River to the Platypus Pool – one guess why.

Towards Cradle Mountain, Mole Creek is a popular stop for its caves and platypuses. Not far away, Loongana has plenty living along River Leven, with Taylor’s Flats picnic area being a particularly good place to stop for a gander. Extend your stay (and your chances) with an overnight at the secluded Mountain Valley Wilderness Retreat . Stay in the north to try your luck in the Meander River at Deloraine (and then have a wander through the popular arts and crafts offerings when you’re done). Waratah (between Cradle Mountain and Stanley) is another good option.

a platypus above the water in tasmania — Tasmania is one of the best places to find a platypus. (Image: Ash Thomson Photography)

Just outside of Burnie, Fernglade Reserve had a Platypus Trail along the riverbank where locals will tell you it’s almost guaranteed to spot one at dusk or dawn (which is also when the car park closes, so park outside then take the short walk in).

Tyenna River is a very popular home for the platypuses, especially around Mt Field National Park. Here, you’ll find a two to three-hour Paddle with the Platypus tour run by Tassie Bound, who will take you in kayaks down the river to the best places to see these water mammals. A little further south, Geeveston has a well-known Platypus Walk with viewing platforms.

Hobart itself is also an option, although not as fruitful as these others. Here, you can walk along Hobart Rivulet from the CBD to Cascade Brewery for a shot at spotting a platypus.

hikers stopping at a viewing platform along the platypus walk in geeveston — Follow the Platypus Walk in Geeveston. (Image: Liam Neal)

Beyond the winding bitumen and coastal views lies another side to Victoria’s most famous route.

There’s something hypnotic about this stretch of Victoria’s coast. Maybe it’s the way the road hugs the ocean so tightly, or how the cliffs catch the sun in colours you can’t name. Or, for local Victorians who drove this route as kids, maybe it’s the memories of winding through the impossibly tall trees as they seemingly guide you on your journey like wooden guardian angels. Most travellers know it for the 12 Apostles, but there are plenty of alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road equally as worthy of your time.

So, next time you’re in that neck of the woods, park that car, stretch those legs and try these experiences.

1. Discover living culture at Budj Bim

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism — Walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Breakaway Creek’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a masterclass in educational storytelling. Join a guided tour with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism to walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system, where the Gunditjmara people built sophisticated eel traps and stone channels more than 6,000 years ago.

Budj Bim’s aquaculture system predates Egypt’s pyramids by roughly 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest examples of human engineering on Earth. If that’s not enough to get your history-loving family members involved in this road trip, we’re out of ideas.

2. Unwind in the hot springs at Warnambool

woman relaxing at Deep Blue Hot Springs — Let mineral-rich water heal you.

If your legs need a break after a long drive, Deep Blue Hot Springs is your remedy. The geothermal pools sit just metres from the coastline, filled with mineral-rich water that bubbles up from deep underground. Move between open-air baths, waterfall pools and quiet zones made for meditation.

The water in Deep Blue’s geothermal pools comes from an ancient aquifer nearly 850 metres below the Earth’s surface, which, in non-scientific terms, means it’s far more likely to have healing properties than the mineral water you’d find at the supermarket.

3. Take to the air at Princetown

12 Apostles Helicopters flight alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road — See an icon from a different view.

You may have seen the Twelve Apostles from the trusty viewing platform, but a helicopter flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters shows you just how sprawling and rugged this coastline really is.

The trip covers everything from Port Campbell to London Bridge (not to be confused with the UK’s own), giving you a rare chance to watch waves carving the limestone cliffs from above. It’s worth noting that the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are said to erode by roughly two centimetres each year, so the longer you leave it, the less of the Apostles you’ll see.

4. Step into the past at Flagstaff Hill

Continue the tour through Warnambool at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum , a recreated 19th-century port town. Hear stories from the days when shipwrecks were as common as seagulls, with an astounding 180 ships believed to have sunk along the Shipwreck Coast in less than five years.

The night show, complete with lights, sound, and sea spray, brings the coastline’s most dramatic stories to life.

If you’re staying the night, Simon’s Waterfront offers relaxed dining with fresh local seafood and oceanfront views. Order the catch of the day and toast to the sailors who never made it ashore.

5. Learn to surf in Torquay, Lorne, or Anglesea

kid having a lesson with Go Ride A Wave — Learn how to hang 10. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you’ve surfed before or can barely stand on a board, Go Ride A Wave will have you upright in no time. Torquay’s calm beaches are ideal for first-timers, while Lorne and Anglesea bring a bit more energy for those unafraid to get dunked.

Bells Beach, just down the road from Torquay, has even hosted the world’s longest-running professional surfing competition since 1962. So, for those eager to have a gander at pros using surfboards like they’re an additional appendage, the competition usually runs sometime in autumn.

6. Tackle the trails in Forrest

Barwon Flow Trails Otways Flow MTB — Hire a bike and explore MTB trails through the Otways.

Forrest is a haven for mountain bikers thanks to an expansive network of trails through stunning natural scenery. The Forrest trail network has almost 100 kilometres of singletrack across 36 trails, so there’s something for every level of rider. That’s including more than 60 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails winding through the Otways’ dense forest. Cycle through ancient myrtle beech trees and towering tree ferns, with smaller ferns and soft mosses forming a carpet at your feet.

Hire a bike from Forrest MTB Hire and take your pick from easy, scenic rides to more challenging singletracks, such as Red Carpet or Rollercoaster.

7. See wildlife up close in Apollo Bay

bush rat on Wildlife Wonders tour — Get help spotting the locals. (Image: Doug Gimsey)

If spotting koalas and kangaroos in the wild feels like winning the lottery, Wildlife Wonders gives you guaranteed sightings without cages or crowds. Every visit to the sanctuary helps fund the Conservation Ecology Centre which supports endangered species across the Otways, so your business is appreciated by humans and animals alike.

The guided walk takes you through protected Otways habitat where you might spot potoroos (or joey lookalikes for those unfamiliar with a potoroo), wallabies, and sleepy koalas lounging in the trees.

8. Visit the Cape Otway Lightstation

Towering over the sea on a cliff above the Southern Ocean, Cape Otway Lightstation has been guiding ships since 1848. Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Otway was one of the most treacherous points on the Victorian coast, with dozens of shipwrecks occurring in its surrounding waters. Pick the right day, and you may bump into a local willing to tell you about the wreck of Eric the Red .

While at the Cape Otway Lightstation, explore the keeper’s quarters, walk the coastal trails, and take in views that only stop short at the horizon.

And no, contrary to popular belief, the Round the Twist lighthouse is actually located in Split Point, just shy of two hours in the direction of Melbourne. Nothing’s stopping you from embarking on a lighthouse crawl, though.

Plan your next no-stone-unturned journey along this iconic Aussie road at visitgreatoceanroad.org.au.

Where to see a platypus in the wild