Platypus Adventure!

For the past 6 weeks I have been stationed in Central Queensland for work, in a town called Mackay. Mackay is a fairly large town, mostly known for producing sugar cane. My work has been flying me up every Monday morning, and flying me back home every Friday afternoon. I figured I would take advantage of this free trip, and decided to stay in Central Queensland one weekend, to go bushwalking in the highlands. Dustin even purchsed a plane ticket to meet me for the adventure!

We headed inland and up in elevation to Eungella National Park, which is famous for Platypus! We camped Friday night near the small township of Eungella, as this is where Platypus are most often spotted. Just like Kangaroos, they are best seen at sunrise and sunset. We woke up early on Saturday morning, and sure enough there were quite a few Platypi swimming in Broken River and diving for food.

After getting plenty of pictures we started our walk, a short trek along the Broken River. As we arrived at the walker's camp where we planned to settle down for the night, we weren't very pleased as it was alongside a busy dirt road. We made the decision to turn back into the rainforest to see if we could discover a more remote location to pitch our tents. Try as we may, the rainforest was too thick and we were struggling to find a flat spot big enough for our two small tents. Then we spotted a sandbank on an inside bend of the Broken River, but to our dismay it was on the other side. This didn't deter Dustin, he jumped right in to check the depth and find a path through the river were we could walk and keep our backpacks dry. It was an awesome achievement to have made it across, and it was a wonderful spot to spend the night.

Check out the full photo album here!


Platypus Facts just for Casey Green!

• Platypus are not endangered, but are actually plentiful and under no threat.
• Platypus can grow up to 20 inches, but the ones we saw were only about 10 inches from head to toe. (Tiny!)
• Platypus has no agreed plural form, but can acceptably use: Platypus, Platypusses, Platypi or Platypodes.
• There is no official name for a baby Platypus, but some call it a "Platypup".
• Platypi are classed as a Monotreme, which is a type of egg-laying mammal. Monotremes only exist in Australia, though there is some debate of how many species of monotreme exist. (Platypus and Echidna are universally agreed upon.)
• The Platypus is also one of the very few Venomous Mammals in existence. The males have a "spur" similar to a dew claw on the rear leg that can incapacitate (but not kill) a human.
• A Platypus digs a burrow at the river's edge in the dirt. It does not construct a "beaver dam".
• Platypus have fur like an otter, not feathers like a duck.
• A Platypus' duck-bill is actually a sensory organ used for finding food on the river-bottom, and it's mouth is separate, located underneath the bill.
• Platypi locate their prey by sensing electrical fields created by muscle contractions of living organisms. Monotremes are the only mammals with this ability.