One of our primary missions while caravanning Down Under is to see as much indigenous wildlife as we can. Not in a zoo or sanctuary, but in the wild, whenever possible. We especially want to see animals that are completely different than anything in North America, and Australia is chock full of them. So began our platypus hunt!
Spotting duck-billed platypuses (“turns out that the correct plural for “platypus” is either “platypuses” or just “platypus”and not “platypi”) can take some determination, because they’re pretty shy, and mostly nocturnal to boot.
We did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions to figure out our best shot at finding them. So we were thrilled when our platypus hunt paid off big time! Spotting several of them was especially rewarding after being warned how rare sightings can be. We spoke to a number of people who’ve lived here all their lives and never seen one (although, like many of us, they probably don’t spend their time hunting for elusive local attractions… that’s what tourists do, right?) ;-)
We also drove the “Millaa Millaa Waterfalls Circuit” to see Millaa Millaa Falls, Zillie Falls, and Ellinjaa Falls. Our awesome stop for the night was Malanda Falls Caravan Park, where you can walk right over to the falls, or hang with the cutest baby animals!
Related Videos:
- Official Trip Announcement – We’re Going Down Under!
- Melbourne, Australia Beachfront Boondocking
- Tasmanian Devil Feeding Frenzy!
- Preparing to Drive on the Left in Dunedin, NZ
- Akaroa, NZ Waterfront Freedom Camping
- Freedom Camping on the Mohaka River near Napier, NZ
- RVgeeks Interviewed by the Legendary Pacific Coast team
- Picking Up Our Campervan. We’re On the Road in OZ!
- Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef
- How To Hook-Up & Dump Tanks on an Australian Campervan
Janet Alexander
Monday 4th of April 2016
I'm loving your videos. It's fun to see how RVing is done over there. By the way, that spider's head looks like Curious George!
Francis X Latiolais
Monday 4th of April 2016
Very beautiful country. Enjoy watching video. Enjoy watching country side from other country
Ed Snoke
Monday 4th of April 2016
What a great job you guys are doing with these videos. I've been all around this part of the world (Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, China, India, Japan) so Australia is on my bucket list and one of these days.
Thanks, Ed
Vanessa
Monday 4th of April 2016
We stayed at Malanda Falls Caravan Park on the Easter weekend. There was a small platypus in the Malanda Falls. It was not shy at all and was swimming openly with us. First time seeing a platypus for many of us that day and a memory we will never forget!
TheRVgeeks
Monday 4th of April 2016
Holy cow! We were in the park less than 2 weeks before you, and Janine (the manager who was shown in the video) told us that they occasionally show up right there, but we didn't see any. You were so lucky!
Stephen Purchase
Monday 4th of April 2016
Good video, watts next. Hope you get better weather on your way down the coast.