Recently, the Australian Conservation Foundation asked Greater Shepparton residents to become “citizen scientists” and attempt to locate a platypus.
Most people have never seen a platypus.
If they have, it was once or twice.
When they recount the story, they do so down to every detail, as if they were describing a unicorn sighting and not an animal widely believed to be located in most significant waterways across the country.
But any Goulburn Valley resident could change their sighting status at any point, according to Goulburn Murray Fly Fishers secretary Ian Gibb.
Mr Gibb lives in Alexandra on the middle section of the Goulburn and spends a lot of time fishing on the river.
And he said he had seen countless platypuses during his travels up and down the water.
“It’s just like how you’d see 100 kangaroos on a drive to Melbourne if you were looking for them,” Mr Gibb said.
“Most people are just unobservant.”
He describes this area of the Goulburn as a “platypus haven” due to the temperature of the water and the cleanliness, attracting insects for the platypuses to feed on.
Mr Gibbs said there were plenty of platypuses in local waterways and up to 200 along this section of the Goulburn specifically.
On any day, while on the river, Mr Gibb might see up to 30 platypuses.
Most people don’t notice the platypuses due to their inconspicuousness.
“You can train your eye to recognise them from up to 200m away,” Mr Gibb said.
“They sort of look like a floating shoe.”
If something looks like a piece of wood in the river but is stationary in the water and not moving with the river’s flow, it’s probably a platypus.
If you see something like that, stick around and watch it come up for air in a few minutes.
“They’re fascinating and sort of weird-looking creatures,” Mr Gibb said.
“And they’re really hard to study, so we know only a little about them.
“But they’re there, and if you see one, it’s not uncommon for a few others to be around.”