Kangaroo Island Platypus

Not surprisingly when the first explorers returned to the old country with stories of Australia's wildlife, they had a hard time convincing thier superiors about the existence of this guy. Ands who could blame them. After all, there aren't too many mammals with a duck like bill, lay eggs and who can make your life a misery if you're not careful. "Then you get him by the tail like that. If you hold right by the tail then he can't dig his spurs into you, Right, now when he puts them out it means he's getting upset." This pond at Warrawong Sanctuary near Mylor in the Adelaide Hills is home of several platypus. These marvellous creatures were found in the waterways of the Mount Lofty ranges but that all changed with European settlement. With numbers in dramatic decline, early conservationists such as Samuel Dixon introduced the animal to Rocky River in Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island. "The reason was that animals such as platypus and Koalas were being hunted almost to extinction with the fur trade going on. And his idea was that we needed a safe refuge on an island off Australia where each species could live in perpetuity for future generations." The day Postcards arrived at Rocky River the heavens were about to open with much needed rain, a must for the platypus an animal which sadly for researcher Robert Ellis has made itself extremely scarce this year. "So where are they now?" "Don't know, that's a very good question." Robert hopes that recent Spring rains will bring the platypus back to water holes like this one, which is part of a trail soon to be bounded with boardwalks from which you can wait for these animals to appear. "If you have a look around the edge here, it's very important to have a consolidated bank that the animals can actually burrow into. That's a critical factor. Another factor is, see all these water reeds there, they become habitat for the waterbugs and those waterbugs breed in that area and the platypus feed on these. So that's some of the critical habitat. This is in Flinders Chase National Park there's probably more platypus been sighted here by visitors than anywhere else."

Sadly not by the Postcards team earlier this year, but Robert says they are back in the area but if you don't have the time to venture to KI, then Warrawong also offers the chance to spot this intriguing animal. "But he's just a beautiful young healthy male platypus." And if you thought they were a docile slow animal...think again. When it comes to making it to its pond, the platypus takes the view that the shortest distance is pretty much a straight line. The Platypus ponds at Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island are located in the Rocky River about a kilometre from he Rangers headquarters. The entry fee is $8 per vehicle. Warrawong Sanctuary at Stock Rd Mylor is open seven days a week with a range of times for guided tours. For details of times and bookings ph 08 8370 9197.

For more information you can email info@postcards.sa.com.au