Platypus Discovered in Gisborne’s Jackson’s Creek

As published in the Gisborne Gazette.

At the end of 2021, the VCE Environmental Science Class at Gisborne Secondary College took part in the Great Australian Platypus Search.  This was one of the biggest citizen science projects ever carried out in the world. 

The first stage of the project involved a state-wide investigation into platypus populations across Victoria. Using an innovative wildlife detection technique known as environmental DNA (DNA that wildlife shed into their environment), the students took water samples from Jackson’s Creek and passed them through specialised filter discs using the pressure of syringes. The samples were then sent off to ODONATA where platypus DNA was detected using PCR analysis. 

The results were released in late August, and we are pleased to announce that platypus are present in the Gisborne end of Jackson’s Creek. This is an incredible discovery because the status of platypus this far up stream was previously unknown. 

The Platypus, one of Australia’s most unique and iconic creatures is classed as near threatened on the IUCN Red species list. Platypus numbers are on the decline due to habitat loss, drought in parts of Australia, climate change and bushfires. Vegetation works carried out by friends of Jackson’s Creek and Melbourne Water have allowed stability of the creek bed which has enabled suitable habitat for Platypus burrows.  Knowing that we have a population in Gisborne means that we can continue to work to protect the habitat of Jackson’s Creek for generations to come. 

The sustainability group at Gisborne Secondary College plans to run an awareness campaign on litter and pollution entering the water ways. Parents and carers of students at the college can help by ensuring that their children bring a waste free lunch to school each day. As community members we can all play a part by ensuring that our litter is placed in bins around the town.

Photo credit: Chris Fleming, Gisborne Gazette