How to Spot a Platypus

Several people had walked past my camp spot looking for platypus, but only one person said they’d seen one, and just a brief glimpse.

At dusk I found a quiet spot by the stream to watch and wait. But I soon grew bored and started fiddling on my phone. When I finally glanced up again, there was a platypus floating on the surface only ten metres away. It seemed to be watching me. Do I dare try to take a photo? It dived and was gone.

I was extra vigilant for the next half hour staring intently at the water, but I saw nothing. Soon I took out my notebook to do some writing. When I eventually looked up again, there was the platypus just cruising along the surface right by me. I was getting the hang of this. It was like waiting for a pot to boil — better to not watch too intently.