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Plenty River
Platypus Study

Double Trouble was born in the Plenty River, one of the largest tributaries of the Yarra River. The APC has been studying the platypus population in the Plenty River since early 1995 and has been working hard to develop a conservation plan for this water way to encourage platypus recolonisation along its full length.

At present, platypus numbers are reasonable good in the upper catchment (mainly a forested water-supply zone) and also in the Plenty Gorge State Park section, 20 kilometers farther downstream. However, between these two areas the river has been badly degraded, with most native vegetation having been cleared in the past for farming. Platypus find it hard to survive successfully in this section and possibly Double Trouble was caught by the dog because sometimes juveniles wander from the creek in search of more suitable habitat.

About Double Trouble

This little platypus, named Double Trouble, had two lucky escapes. She was first rescued by a passer-by from the jaws of a dog on a sports ground located in Mernda, on Melbourne's northern outskirts.

Unfortunately, the rescuer was not sure of the correct procedures for dealing with a lost platypus and made a common mistake - placing the ting animal in a large tub of cold water for the night, when what she needed after her earlier adventure was a dry, cosy, dark place to sleep.

By the time she was finally transferred to the care of the Australian Platypus Conservatory, the young platypus was soaked through to the skin, very cold and almost lifeless. However, after some expert care, she recovered rapidly and was soon released back to the wild in a suitable part of the upper catchment area of the Plenty River.

Double Trouble Fact File (data at time of first capture)

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DIAMOND CREEK
PLATYPUS STUDY

Lucky lives in Diamond Creek in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The Australian Platypus Conservatory has been studying the platypus of the Yarra River since early 1995.

Initially, platypus were only found downstream of the township of Eltham in the four kilometers of the creek closest to the Yarra River.

However, in 1999, platypus were recorded for the first time upstream from Eltham. The recolonisation of this section of Diamond Creek was apparently in response to work by Melbourne Water and other management agencies to improve the quality of the waterway.

Lucky, who was hatched in the lower reaches of the creek, is one of several young platypus who have now moved upstream and  successfully established territories in the middle section.

About Lucky

Lucky was a small juvenile, who had been out and about in the world for only a few weeks, when he was found near Eltham, in April 1999, with a metal band (possibly scrap originating from a nearby light industrial area) stuck tightly around his throat.

Fortunately, Conservatory researchers were able to cut through and remove the item. Otherwise, as the young animal grew bigger, he would have been slowly throttled.

Subsequent APC trapping surveys confirmed Lucky alive and well, at a site several kilometers farther upstream, where he is now developing into a robust adult.

Lucky Fact File (data at time of first capture)

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WIMMERA RIVER
PLATYPUS STUDY

In 1997, the Conservatory commenced the first systematic investigation of platypus conservation requirements in a farming landscape in western Victoria's Wimmera River.

This research was designed to contribute to the work of Rio Tinto Project Platypus - a coalition of eleven Landcare groups, specifically formed to tackle land and waterway problems, such as server erosion and salinity.

APC surveys have found that platypus are still abundant in the uppermost section of the catchment, but appear to have declined or disappeared in other parts of the region.

Because the platypus is such a popular "flagship" for freshwater conservation, the APC's work is raising public awareness of the urgent need for improved catchment management in the Wimmera and other rural areas.

Magellan

Magellan was first recorded in April 1999 as a juvenile in the upper section of the Wimmera River, near the township of Elmhurst. He was next encountered some six months later in an APC survey of Mount Cole Creek, a tributary of the Wimmera, near Warrak.

This young animal had therefore moved over 48 kilometers (26 miles) in search of a territory to call his own. Magellan's long journey not only established a "world record" distance for platypus travel but also provided valuable insight into the phenomenon of juvenile dispersal, about which little is currently known.

Magellan Fact File (data at time of first capture)

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TOOROURRONG
PLATYPUS STUDY

The Australian Platypus Conservancy's main research base is at Toorourrong Reservoir Park, near Whittlesea, approximately 50 kilometers north of Melbourne city center.

The reservoir-lake at Toorourrong, and the surrounding water-supply area managed by Melbourne Water, provide almost ideal conditions for platypus, with unpolluted water, continuous areas of native vegetation and no human disturbance.

APC research, commenced in 1995, has established that about 30 platypus are resident in the lake and its main tributaries, Jacks Creek and the Upper Plenty River.

Trapping surveys, radio-tracking projects and observational studies are all helping to increase understanding of platypus biology and population dynamics.

Little Notch

Little Notch is an adult female platypus who gets her name from a small notch in her bill "shield", possibly caused by the sharp claws of a freshwater crayfish.

Little Notch was first encountered in January 1995 and is one of several platypus who have been handled many times during the on-going APC research at Toorourrong. She is known to have reared young during at least three out of the last six breeding seasons.

Her emerging life-history record os contributing greatly to our understanding of this elusive species.

Little Notch Fact File (data at time of first capture)