Height
3 meters
Year Built
2000
Address
Badger Creek Road, Healesville, VIC 3777
The Lowdown
The Big Platypus at Healesville celebrates one of Australia's most extraordinary creatures - the platypus. This bizarre egg-laying mammal, with its duck bill and beaver tail, so confused early European scientists that they thought the first specimens were hoaxes. Healesville Sanctuary has been home to platypuses for decades and was the first to successfully breed them in captivity. The Big Platypus honors these fascinating monotremes and invites visitors to learn about their biology, behavior, and conservation. In the wild, platypuses inhabit clean waterways across eastern Australia, making them indicators of healthy river systems.
Did you know?
"Males have venomous spurs on their hind legs"
History
Healesville Sanctuary has been studying and breeding platypuses since the 1940s, making world-first breakthroughs. The Big Platypus celebrates this conservation work and educates visitors about these unique animals.
More Fun Facts
- •Platypuses are one of only five monotreme species
- •Males have venomous spurs on their hind legs
- •They locate prey using electroreception
- •Healesville first bred platypuses in captivity in 1944
- •Early scientists thought platypus specimens were hoaxes
Visiting Tips
- 💡Visit Healesville Sanctuary to see real platypuses
- 💡The platypus display shows their underwater behavior
- 💡Wild platypuses can be spotted in the Yarra River
- 💡The Yarra Valley has excellent wineries
- 💡Dawn or dusk wildlife watching may reveal wild platypuses
Opening Hours
Healesville Sanctuary hours.
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