Where to look for platypus in Tasmania.

After more than an hour walking along the river bank path in Deloraine, stopping every few metres to scan the surface of the water, even I was ready to give up. This was platypus country and we were here in search of one of Australia's most elusive creatures. The platypus is an egg-laying mammal. Along with echidnas it is the only mammal still in existence which lays eggs instead of suckling its young. It has a bill like a duck, a tail which looks like a beaver's tail and the male platypus has a spur poisonous enough to cause severe pain in a human being. The platypus is one of the most unusual looking animals on the planet. It is also cute - seriously cute.


Platypus are shy and like almost all Australian animals are most active at dusk and dawn. David doesn't do dusk on holidays. Once the sun goes down  he likes to be safely tucked up in a hotel room and he never does dawn, even at home. Nor does he take especially well to wandering slowly along river banks staring at the water for long periods of time. With my search confined to the odd 10 minutes here and there during daylight hours, finding a platypus in the bush is akin to winning the lottery!

I had read a travel blog saying Deloraine was a good place to look, especially near the town caravan park. Unfortunately by the time we got to Deloraine I had forgotten the 'near the caravan park' bit. As a result we spent the first part of our search fruitlessly scanning the wrong stretch of river.  Just at the point where we were about to turn back defeated, I caught sight of ripples on the surface of the river and then a small eruption of telltale bubbles. We were standing right in front of the caravan park.

Our first sight was only a glimpse as he dived beneath a bush over hanging the bank. After a few minutes he appeared again, this time rolling over and over as the current carried him downstream. He seemed to be playing, or feeding - or both. He let the current carry him about 20 metres, alternately diving and surfacing to breathe, groom and roll about. Then he would disappear leaving us to scan the water frantically for ripples and bubbles. A couple of other holiday makers joined us. The platypus didn't seem to mind. For a shy animal he was remarkably happy to put on a show for us.

Where did we find our platypus?

We were in Deloraine in Northern Tasmania. The Meander River runs through the centre of town and there is a riverside walking path which makes platypus spotting easy. Take my advice and start your search at the caravan park. We found our platypus about 5 pm.

The Meander River, Deloraine. The caravan park is right next to the river. 

What to look for: -

Stay quiet - platypus are shy. Look for a bulls-eye ripple pattern and/or bubbles on the surface of the water. Platypus usually stay under water for less than a minute and will re-surface less than 10-20 metres from where they dive.

Look for ripples and bubbles.

Other places to look for platypus in Tasmania:-

Each time I asked about platypus in northern Tasmania, someone would mention Mole Creek. Mole Creek is about an hour west of Launceston on the same road as Deloraine. Like Deloraine, the place to look seems to be the caravan park. I'm not sure whether platypus like living near caravan parks or whether caravan park residents are just more eagle-eyed than the rest of us. I suspect it's the latter.

Latrobe also got a few mentions. It is one of the many places in Australia which calls itself the 'Platypus Capital of the World' so if you luck out at Deloraine and Mole Creek it is probably worth a try.

Postcript: - This post was kindly shared on Facebook by the 'Tasmania' page. It attracted 60 comments from locals and tourists detailing dozens of locations where platypus can be found in Tasmania.  If you are headed to Tassie and you want to see a platypus, check out the comments on the Facebook post  - here.

The river bank path at Deloraine.

The best place on the mainland of Australia to look for platypus: -

Last year David and I visited Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve just outside Canberra. We went there looking for platypus after a fellow travel blogger had seen one. We found two within ten minutes of starting our search. Read about Tidbinbilla and its fabulous wildlife - here.

Taking a tour

You don't need a tour to look for wildlife in Tasmania. Just hire a car and pack your camera. However if you want to see what wildlife tours are available click here at Get Your Guide for a list. (Note: If you book a tour through this link we earn a small commission).

Other blog posts from our two weeks in Tasmania: -

• The White Wallabies of Bruny Island

• The Little Penguins of Low Head

• Port Arthur: A World Heritage Convict Site

• The Heritage Buildings of Launceston

• Cycling in Hobart

Where to see wildlife in Australia:- 

• The 17 best places to see Australian wildlife.

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