Where: Paluma NP, Wallaman falls, Atherton tablelands (Lake Eacham, Lake Tinaroo, Yungaburra)

We have a list of animals that we are determined to see in the wild during this trip. This list includes animals like the northern quoll, tree kangaroo, cassowary, northern bettong and the striped possum. So far we have managed to see several species on “Our list” including northern hairy-nosed wombats and koalas.

The platypus has proven to be quite the elusive animal and although we have pretty much spent most of our time traveling within their area of distribution, the quirky platypus has managed to evade us. Once we arrived in the northern areas of their distribution we realised that we needed to be more targeted in our search. So for almost a week, our choice of campsite depended solely on places where we might find them.

Platypus are most active at dawn and dusk, so for several nights in a row we would sit silently on the banks of rivers and streams waiting patiently for them. We tried Paluma NP, Wallaman falls and areas in the Atherton tablelands and yet there was no platypus sighting – although we did manage to see a water rat. It wasn’t until we arrived at the “Platypus platform” in Yungaburra that we finally saw our target – and in a creek surrounded by cattle paddocks and during the middle of the day no less!!

Another mission in the tablelands was to find Lumholt’s tree kangaroo.   We had been advised by multiple sources to go to the Nerada Tea Estate to find them. After searching through the remanent patches of forest on the property and finding nothing we headed to the Tea Estate café feeling dejected. It wasn’t until we were literally about to leave that a couple kindly told us where to find them in a patch of forest right at the front gate!

We’ve been doing a lot of spotlighting at night in these areas and so far we’ve seen northern, southern and long-nosed bandicoots, striped possum, giant white-tailed rat, sugar gliders, ringtail and brushtail possums, fawn-footed melomys and various wallabies.

For more of our wildlife photos (and other photos of our trip) check our site on flickr (Finlayson’s flickr albums)

Striped possum (near Lake Eacham)

Wallaman falls – highest, permanent, single-drop waterfall in Australia

Fawn-footed melomys