Finally! I saw live platypuses in Australia — but doing so was not easy, as I did not see them until my fourth trip to the country.
Finally! Platypuses in Australia.
The first time I traveled to Australia, I did technically see a platypus in Sydney — I believe it was at Sydney Zoo — but it was sleeping in very dark water in a corner of a glass tank in a very dark room and was barely recognizable.
I had absolutely no luck when I visited Yungaburra Platypus Viewing Platform in East Barron in the state Queensland on my second trip to Australia to see platypuses in their natural habitat. In addition to wanting to be in murky water, platypuses are nocturnal; so the hours at dusk and at dawn are likely the best chances to spot one — and even then, seeing one in its natural habitat is not guaranteed.
Lake Elizabeth at Great Otway National Park was my next attempt the third time I was in Australia; and the last part of driving there was on a dirt road. From what I understood, anyone who wanted to see a platypus in its natural habitat would have to take an unmarked trail at dusk and walk at least two kilometers on a Grade 4 trail, which can be long, rough, and significantly steep with “extensive rockhopping” with “bushwalking experience recommended” — and maybe a platypus can be found under a fern.
No, thanks. I turned around and decided to head back.
Fourth Time Was the Charm.
The fourth trip to Australia was the charm: a visit to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary finally had me seeing platypuses. As with the first time, I expected to basically see a sleeping platypus that was unrecognizable.
Was I wrong.
This video is nine minutes and 48 seconds of nothing but platypus fun and some generic music as its soundtrack. I call the collection Music to Platypus By. How ungrammatical is that?
The names of the two platypuses in the video are Barak and Aroona, who are both male. At an amazing 26 years of age, Barak is currently the oldest living male platypus on record; and he is the platypus with white mottling on his bill.
The average lifespan for a platypus — which is one of two monotreme species, with the other being the echidna — is 18 years of age. Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs.
The male platypus has venomous spurs on its hind legs. You might be able to spot them in the aforementioned video.
Final Boarding Call
Seeing a platypus in its natural habitat is rather difficult to accomplish. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary may not guarantee that visitors will see a platypus frolicking in the water behind the glass partition — but the chances are certainly good.
As for the low quality of the photograph and video: the area where the platypuses are located is dark; and no flash photograph is allowed.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
708 Jesmond Road
Fig Tree Pocket
Queensland 4069
Australia
Hours of Operation:
- Monday to Sunday — including public holidays: 9:00 in the morning through 5:00 in the afternoon
- ANZAC Day – 1:30 in the afternoon through 5:00 in the afternoon
- Christmas Day – 9:00 in the morning through 3:00 in the afternoon
Photograph and video ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
