Apart from Taronga Park are there any wildlife centres in NSW or southern Qld where I can guarantee to see a platypus ?
Is there a reasonable chance of a sighting in the Lamington NP ?
Any info would be welcome . Mrs Traveller on Tyne is desperate to see one !
Platypus are notoriously difficult to see in the wild though there are spots where they are known to be living..
In Sydney you can also see them at Sydney Aquarium.
The platypus is very, very shy and primarily nocturnal. Chances of seeing them in the wild are slim. No – make that almost non-existent.
You’re best to go to a zoo.
the only place i know of where there is a chance to see one on a regular basis is in the deua national park in southern nsw.
I sat next to a pilot from fleet helicopters in Armidale at last years tourism awards, he told me that they see platypus in a couple of ponds they visit on almost every tour..
http://www.fleethelicopters.com.au/index.php?main=1&sec=2&PHPSESSID=b0d6b7abb6ec0faf98035b134d802799
I suggested they should do a specific tour based on seeing platypus, for people just like yourself. It doesn't look like they have, but it may be worthwhile asking them directly about your chances if you took a normal tour.
If you want to go a bit further north then Wazza's Platypus Bush Camp in Eungella National Park about 45 minutes inland from Mackay...
Wazza has tree houses that over look the gorge so you can watch the Platypus's when you first wake up in the morning.. not many people know about Wazza and he's unique place.. which is all self catering.
There are also a few B&B's in the area if you are looking for a bit more comfort.
SB
Check out this link:
Echo the comments about Eungella NP - only place we have ever seen a platypus in the wild - though perhaps a bit far north for you. Beautiful setting and good spots to view them.
I also agree that your best bet is to see them in captivity. Healesville Sancutary is an easy 1 hour drive from Melbourne in the Yarra Valley wine area and has a huge collection of Australian native fauna (and flora).
In Victoria playtpus are quite prolific - they are found in most of our waterways but seeing them is a different thing altogether! A fairly reliable place to see them is in the very outer NE suburbs near the Kinglake Ranges at Whittlesea's "Toorourrong Park" (itself only a 45-60 minute drive from Healesville through scenic countryside). Even if you didn't spot them there are lots of other wildlife that call this area home. Though having said that I think you would be better off just going to see them at a 'zoo'.
If you sit quietly at the right time of day you can see the platypus that live in the Georges River near where I live. My daughter has seen them.. most people haven't..platypus spotting is an activity requiring considerable patience and/or a great deal of luck.
another spot that is reportedly reliable is the pools at the base of the dam wall at Dunn's swamp NSW... but that's probably seriously out of your way.
..of course in the wild you would not get the sort of good look like you do at the zoo..
