Southern sanctuary
TO SEE A VIDEO of platypus in Lake
Elizabeth go to: australiangeographic.com.au/great-ocean-road-platypus
It’s early morning. An eerie mist hovers over the enchanting Lake Elizabeth and the first rays of sunlight begin to peep through the canopy of the surrounding eucalypts.
The dead-calm water, dotted with skeletal trunks of lifeless trees, adds to the mystical setting. I’m sitting in the front of a canoe, scanning the surface for any ripples caused by one of Australia’s most elusive and ancient creatures – the notoriously shy platypus. This is nature at its best, I think to myself, fully immersed in this amazing natural experience.
Lake Elizabeth is a hidden jewel in Great Otway National Park. Located just 15 minutes drive from the Victorian township of Forrest, this stunning body of water known as a perched lake – having formed in a depression within a coastal dune landscape – was created about 70 years ago after a landslide flooded the valley. I’m on the hunt for platypus with guide Bruce Jackson, owner of Otway Eco Tours. Bruce, a qualified ecologist, has a philosophy that embraces conservation of the environment through experience and education.
“It’s a magnificent place and I love showing people such a unique animal,” he says. “The lake is extremely peaceful, especially when there’s a beautiful early morning mist on it.” Bruce has been guiding tours to this wild platypus colony for almost 20 years, and during that time he’s seen a significant shift to nature-based activities and ecotourism. “It’s very calm out here. As we glide around, people tend to lose their thoughts and often they start to drift off into their own imaginations,” he says. “It’s a lovely place for visitors to recharge and get
