The platypus is an iconic semi-aquatic mammal endemic to Eastern Australia.

Platypuses inhabit a range of waterway types, land uses, and environmental conditions, but their general habitat requirements include permanent water, abundant macroinvertebrates, and stable earthen banks for burrows.

The Wolston Creek Catchment is not an easy catchment for the platypuses to live in. Their territory runs through some natural good quality bushland but also some industrial and residential areas where the surface drainage runs into the creeks. We collaborate with Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland through Dr Tamielle Brunt.

Our resolute volunteers have collaborated with residents for more than a decade, to increase knowledge about how to improve platypus habitat in this Creek Catchment area. Each sighting and photograph from local residents who loves to sit at potential sites along the creek to catch a glimpse of a platypus, which brings such excitement and joy to the residents and to our volunteers when sightings are announced.

If there has been a long gap between sightings, there is widespread concern amongst locals and WaCC that something is amiss in the Creek Catchment. Fortunately, we now have environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling science to tell us what is happening.

Water samples from the creeks are sent for analysis for any platypus DNA. These samples can tell us that platypus do inhabit our creeks but cannot tell us the gender, age, or how many there are, or exactly when they visited the area. This is why observations from nearby residents is essential to compliment the eDNA sampling.