An All Australian Line Up

SquareUp Photo Challenge: Camping at Carnarvon Gorge, October 2020 #31

With at least 210 different types of birds and 54 species of native mammals living within the national park, sightings of Australia’s unique animals at Carnarvon Gorge are guaranteed. We’ve seen some, like the eastern grey kangaroos, swamp wallabies, cockatoos and kookaburras many times before but seeing them again is always a joy.

eastern grey kangaroo

swamp wallaby

sulphur crested cockatoo

kookaburra

But sightings of echidnas and platypuses in the wild are rare and we’d only ever seen either once before outside of a zoo or wildlife park. Imagine our excitement when this echidna came strolling right by our camp sight. It was intent on searching for food and wasn’t at all bothered by our presence.

echidna

Several platypuses live in the section of Carnarvon Creek which flows through the Takarakka campground. A viewing platform set well back from the creek allows campers to watch from a distance as the platypuses emerge from their burrows at dawn and dusk. The fading light of early evening meant our photos didn’t turn out well, but the experience of watching these elusive little creatures in their native habitat was a highlight of our week at the gorge.

platypus

In January I’m joining in with Becky’s Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word up. Look for #SquareUp