Platypus and Wallabies

We push onward, trying to outfox holiday campers.  We drove through Tamworth, thinking we would spend a day.  Alas, it, too, was full.  David discovered on his maps a free camp about thirty kilometers from town.  Risking a late night if they, too, were full, we drove to the Showgrounds and found it empty.  It was a lovely park with several resident horses.  We pulled up next to the river and set up camp.  In the middle of the night, I heard a horse blowing.  I raised up on an elbow to see him. He must have been surprised at my movement and trotted off under the light of a full moon.

Cockatoo near Tamworth, Australia

Again, the cockatoos awakened us with their screeching.  Because it was so early and nobody was around, we had a slow morning with lots of coffee and a hot breakfast.  As I was brushing out my hair, looking at the river, I saw a creature roll in the water.  I quickly called to David.  He was able to confirm... it was a platypus!

We pulled our chairs to the ridge that overlooked the river and waited.  It took nearly a half hour or more before our friend surfaced again.  Although the photos were not great... highly zoomed and cropped, we felt truly blessed.  So many folks have told us we would probably never see a platypus in the wild.  And here he is...

Platypus near Tamworth, Australia

The platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals in the world.  They are semi-aquatic, mostly nocturnal creature. They can be seen at dawn and dusk, feeding.  A platypus will eat approximately 20 percent of its body weight each day, preferring worms, insects, and fresh-water shrimp.  A male platypus can be up to 20 inches in length.  The female platypus lays between two and four eggs about the size of a bean deep in her burrow.  She nestles around the eggs, keeping them warm between her rump and tail.  After about ten days, the eggs hatch.  She nurses them for three to four months before the babies, called puggles, are able to swim.

The platypus we saw was easily twice the size of the ones in their habitat at the Koala Sanctuary.  He surfaced several other times before he finally disappeared under the willows.  Wow!

We reluctantly left our platypus.  One of our brochures mentioned Oxley National Park as a good wildlife opportunity.  As a bonus, it had first-come-first-serve campsites.  We hoped that if we rolled in early, we might be able to find an empty one.  We were fortunate, indeed, finding a site right on the rim of the gorge.

Oxley was a wonderful launching point for day trips.  The nearby town of Walcha had everything we needed for provisions, and the ladies at the visitor center were most helpful.  As an added blessing, we met Maurie and Anne, neighbor campers.  It was wonderful to get to know them, and we hope to be able to keep in touch.

The following days, we visited several sites in and near Oxley.  We visited Apsley Falls and hiked the  gorge circuit.  With the drought, Apsley was a mere trickle rather than the "thunderous" falls Lt. Oxley had recorded in 1818.  But they were lovely, nonetheless.

Apsley Falls, Oxley National Park

Apsley suspension bridge, Oxley National Park

We hiked to Tia Falls and its lovely gorge.

Tia Falls Gorge

We visited the historic Gostwyck Chapel, built in 1921 as a tribute to the land-owner's grandson who died during WWI.

Gostwyck Chapel

Mostly, we enjoyed the wildlife.  As dusk approached, we would hike the road into the campground.  We saw kangaroos, including this mother with a joey in her pouch.

Mother kangaroo with her joey

We saw an echidna crossing the road.  This creature and the platypus are the only other egg-laying mammals on the planet.  Echidnas grow to be 30-inches long and up to 22 pounds.  Their spines are about two-inches long.  They only eat ants, termites, and other soil invertebrates.  An echidna's sticky tongue can reach up to seven inches.

The female echidna lays a single egg into a reverse-facing pouch she develops while pregnant.  When the puggle is born, it is only about a half-inch long.  It will stay in his mother's pouch for six to eight weeks.  The baby will continue to nurse for about seven months.

Echidna

In the next photo, David is standing next to a termite mound.  Echidnas dig into these termite mounds with their powerful, sharp claws.  They use their sticky tongues to capture the termites.  Lizards and birds also use the termite mounds for food and as nests.

David standing next to a termite mound

While at Oxley, we were also blessed to see the endangered brushy tail rock wallaby.  This wallaby was kind enough to pose for us while eating an enormous mushroom.

Brushy Tail Rock Wallaby

The crowds are getting heavier in the area.  Most of the stores are closing for the long Easter weekend.  We move on...