There is nothing more exciting than seeing a platypus in the wild and Kermandie River in Geeveston is a great place to spot these elusive creatures.
You can follow the short Platypus Walk along the banks of the Kermandie River. It is an easy return walk of about 400m. It includes a small viewing platform but there are vantage points all along the river.
We did the walk a couple of times when we were staying near Geeveston and had platypus sightings both times. Here are a few things to know to give you the best chance of seeing one too.
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Facilities & Parking at Heritage Park
The Platypus Walk is along one side of Heritage Park. Look for the carpark on Brady Street. You can get there off the main shopping street – Church Street – or the Huon Highway.
Besides the Platypus Walk, Heritage park has lots of room for kids to run around. There is a playgroup, bike track and toilets in the park.
You can have an augmented reality experience of the fallen Arve Big Tree and visit the Tasmanian Forest Workers Memorial.
Also look out for birdlife and see if you can spot the Animals of the Kermandie River sculptures. These are dotted along the far side of the river in acknowledgement of local artist Alan Culph.
Finding the Platypus Walk
Look for the green signs in Heritage Park, they will direct you to the banks of the Kermandie River.
The walk goes between a pedestrian bridge at one end and where the Huon Highway crosses the river at the other end. The bridges also make lookout spots, just watch for traffic on the Huon Highway Bridge.
Viewing Platform
The little viewing platform is at the Huon Highway end of the walk. And when we say little – it will hold 3 or 4 people. There are dirt tracks to the water along the length of the walk, but the viewing platform has a helpful elevated view.
There is good viewing from several points along the river. A big old Eucalypt about half way along the walk is a great observation point as is the pedestrian bridge near the start of the walk.
Best time to see a Platypus
Late afternoon and dawn are the best times to spot a platypus. That said we have seen them in the middle of the day at the Tasmanian Arboretum near Devenport.
With Devonport in mind, we arrived at 2.30pm for our first platypus spotting attempt – and saw nothing. It was only when we were about to give up – at 5.00pm -that we spotted one.
They turned up at a similar time a couple of days later so definitely stick with either end of the day for the best chances!
Where to see a platypus along the Platypus Walk
Both of our sightings occurred between the viewing platform and the Huon Highway Bridge. But they could bob up anywhere.
Chat to the locals!
As we were at the river for several hours on our first try, we had the chance to talk to several helpful and encouraging locals about where they had seen a platypus recently.
This led us to focus our attention on the calm water near the bridges at either end of the walk. After talking to half a dozen people, the consensus was the Huon Highway end was the best bet and that is where we had success.
That said, we heard that people had seen them in the small rapids at all points along the river – so you never know where they might turn up.
As well as the ones near the bridge, we also saw one briefly near the big old gumtree that sits right near the water’s edge. You can’t miss it as you walk along the path – there are nice views of the water here too.
But chat to the locals, they seemed more than happy to point you in the right direction.
What to look for
Part of the fun of platypus spotting is the challenge of seeing them. Finding a flat brown animal in brown water that only stays on the surface for a few seconds can be quite tricky!
Here are a few tips for finding a platypus:
- Listen – for both of our encounters we heard a splash. The first time it was a bigger splash as, we guess, the platypus came out of its burrow and dropped into the river. The next time, we heard a small splash as it duck dived below the water.
- Watch for bubbles on the surface – when a platypus is underwater, it will leave a trail of bubbles. If you see a group of 4 – 6 bubbles you might be onto one.
- Look for Clouds in the water – if the water is clear enough, you might notice a cloud of sediment in the water where the platypus has been foraging in the riverbed.
- V shape ripples – a telltale sign of a platypus is a V shaped ripple in the water. Look for these as they cross from one bank to the other. You might see the ripple before the platypus.
What do you see?
What can you expect when you find a platypus? First, it is super exciting. These are tricky animals to spot and seeing one in the wild is a real treat for nature lovers.
You can also expect it to be a fleeting encounter. Apart from the very rare sightings of a platypus resting on a log, you will usually see them feeding. This means they are on the surface for 3 – 5 seconds before going underwater.
Keep an eye on the bubbles, because they can surface some distance from where they duck under. They will be on the move and cover a lot of ground so depending on your vantage point, your might only see it for a few minutes.
And expect to only see the top of the platypus. They sit low in the water so when they are on the surface you will be able to see the top of the bill, a couple of tiny eyes, the top of the head and boy and maybe a glimpse of their tail. Take it all in quickly, as it will disappear in a flash!
Our Experience on the Geeveston Platypus Walk
As mentioned, we arrived early for our first look. After walking up and down the path for a couple of hours it was clear we had been a bit too keen. After talking to a few local walkers we settled on the area just right of the viewing platform.
At about 5.00pm one of us heard a splash and a few seconds later, there it was. A small platypus, maybe 35cm long, was in the water working its way towards us along the bank.
We watched it pass right in front of us, crisscross the river, and eventually swim beyond the Huon Highway Bridge. The encounter lasted about 20 minutes, and we had lots of great looks at it.
We returned a couple of nights later at the same time to the same spot hoping ‘lightning would strike twice’, and to our amazement it did.
What appeared to be the same platypus did pretty much the same swim between the viewing platform and bridge before heading out of sight up the river.
If you are in the Huon Valley and around Geeveston, The Platypus Walk is a great chance for this exciting nature spotting experience.
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