paddle with the platypus

Pluses: Bruce is very competent and definitely experiencedThe walk to the lake is quite pleasantBioluminescent 'glow worms' on the return hike (like little LEDs on the banks of the trail)MinusesThe canoes are very uncomfortable... be prepared to sit in a fixed, semi-cramped position of more than an hour.The platypus sightings amount to seeing their mostly submerged heads skimming the surface of the water.The lake is a flooded area of forest so there are lots of snags which ruins the idyllic potential of the place.Frankly an uncomfortable waste of time for me but others on the trip thought it was wonderful. There were 8 of us in total in two canoes lashed together. I definitely felt the experience was not worth the cost. Be aware that the return hike is pretty much in the dark and if you feel at all nervous about walking in the forest in the dark bring a flashlight.

We did this last night with Bruce and must have had at least 20 sightings of the shy little creatures. It was a peaceful still night with the only sounds being the paddle and some birds. Bruce was full of information. The walk to and from the lake is beautiful. Well worth it.

Loved it. Beautiful weather, beautiful lake. Two playful platypus to spot. Amazing to see them ducking in and out of the water. The canoe ride is so peaceful and the photographs I got were amazing of the dead trees coming out of the water and the reflections were superb. On the way back we saw glow worms too. Magical. Lovely guide who knew just where to paddle to see the platypus. We felt very privileged to see these wee creatures in their natural habitat. A wonderful 70th birthday surprise for my mum. She loved the tea out on the lake!

My husband and I did this tour in late December 2013. There were two others on the tour with us and I believe that is the max (4), plus the guide, so the setting is very intimate.Though the guide was friendly and the atmosphere on the lake was completely peaceful, this tour just didn't do it for me. In our opinion, it was extremely overpriced for the experience. We went out of our way to do this tour and felt like we would have been better off just asking some locals how to get to the lake and spending some time out there on our own -- just walking around. Although we spotted a platypus, we didn't get anywhere near it to even recognize it was a platypus. Don't get me wrong -- the area is beautiful and it is as magical and peaceful as other reviewers claim. It would definitely get a 5-star for the beauty and the story behind the tree stumps in the water, but the tour was not worth it at all and brings my rating down to a 3-star at best. If you do decide to try it, go for the tea when he offers tea or hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was like drinking brown water (no taste at all).

Guide turned up late and forgot the life jackets, was obviously pushed for time and was speeding down to the lake on narrow dirt roads which was quite dangerous as cars were coming the other way. Kayaks were tied together but facing wrong way so was uncomfortable to sit for some people, the guides knowledge was questionable and we did not get any luck with seeing a platypus on this occasion. Tour was cut short due to initial delay with a max of 30mins in the water at best, guide tried to blame other people at the Lake for lack of platypus sighting even though others were being extremely quite and only on one bank of the entire Lake. Was dark when leaving and guide showed no interest on safety with people walking back on their own. All in all very boring and no interesting facts to even note, the worst tour I have ever been on.

Everyone should experience this trip with Bruce. You meet up in the centre of Forrest, in your car and follow Bruce to Lake Elizabeth. It is a reasonable walk from where you park, but brilliant on your return by moonlight, you see glowworms.Bruce does all the paddling, silently in order not to scare away the platypus. Yes we saw them, this is our first viewing ever. We learned a great deal from our guide who clearly cares deeply for the platypus, whilst enabling tourists to see them without disturbing their environment. He even provided hot chocolate and biscuits whilst in the canoe!The lake at twilight is a magical place, not a breath of wind, disturbs the dark water....We stayed at Forrest Guesthouse and I would recommend it to everyone, Emma can fit the evening meal in with the platypus trip - great home cooking. This is not an everyday opportunity - we felt privileged to share the platypus with Bruce. Thank you.

Fantastic experience - a 15 minute walk through the rainforest to get to the lake which was lovely in itself. Then onto the canoe on the lake. It took a while before we spotted a platypus, but then we saw plenty of them including one crawling up the bank to its burrow. Great guide and fantastic experience. Walking back to the car there were glow worms lighting the path which was lovely too. Would definitely recommend.

Very well organised, ran all according to time. Very peaceful out on the lake being paddled by the guide Bruce in a canoe. We spotted platypuses multiple times and learnt a lot about these unique creatures. The glow worms were also spectacular. I would recommend staying in Forrest as opposed to Apollo bay if you are doing the dusk tour as its a long dark drive back down twisty narrow roads. Very glad we found this, excellent value for money and a real one off experience.

We enjoyed a great trip out with Bruce in his Canoes to see the Platypus in its natural environment.The lake we went to is amazing, it was created in a wooded valley as a result of a landslide and still has trees sticking out of the water. It's right out in the wilderness with no background/traffic noise and going around the lake at dusk with just the sound of us, our paddles and a few bird noises was an amazing experience. Bruce is a really good informative host and we learnt loads whilst out with him.We saw two platypuses quite close up while we were out which was amazing. Bruce even dishes out hot chocolate and biscuits towards the end of the tour which was nice.At the dusk tour you get a great walk back through the forest and see hundreds of glow worms out in force.An excellent trip and highly recommended.btw - the Wonky Donkey pub in Forrest is a great place to stop for dinner after the trip.

No platypus around when we were there however our guide was very knowledgeable and did her best to find some.

We took this tour to try and see platypus in the wild. It turned out that Lake Elizabeth, the place where you can spot them, is an amazing spot. The walk from the parking to the lake (approximately 30 minutes) was interesting as well, and returning we could see glowing worms in the dark. We enjoyed the trip even though we could only glimpse one platypus, the evening was a little windy which apparently makes it more difficult to spot them.

As first time visitors to Australia one of the animals we wanted to see in the wild was platypus so when my wife found this tour on the web we booked ASAP. The tour didn't disappoint us as the experience of seeing 5 of these shy, odd little creatures in the wild at sunset was incredible. Along with our guide, he was very good, we were the only people on the lake which only added to the enjoyment of floating on the lake watching the platypus. This tour is very good value for the money and Elizabeth Lake is a pretty spot in its own right. I would recommend this trip to anyone.

Even though it was wet - it was an awesome experience. We stayed locally in Forrest which is the trick. Met Christie our guide and drove a short way down to Lake Elizabeth. Even the walk to the lake was stunning. The rainforest is stunning. The sights and sounds and smells are miles away from suburbia. Once on the lake in lashed canoes we were transported to a tranquil place - gliding on the surface was a thrill I never expected. We were lucky to see at least 3 platypus. You have to be patient - this isn't a trip for those that need instant gratification - its an experience which is gorgeous. Whats better than sitting on the lake watching the sun set through the mist and fog - oh and having a hot milo with tim tams - its doesn't get any better than that.Oh and last but not least - walking back in the dark we got see glow worms - what a sight to behold! Seeing the sides of the path dimly illuminated with little lights which were all the worms coming out. Surreal.

the problem with this tour was the timing. if you are staying in apollo bay you either have to get up at the crack of dawn...or....drive back in town (and its a fair drive in the dark along windy roads) that said, the tour guide was nice. the tour was good but we didnt see much platipus. perhaps i had my hopes raised too much. i would only do this tour if you have lots of time in apollo bay. otherwise i'd stick with the coast as there is soo much to see down there

Great experience. Just floating around in a canoe on a still calm beautiful lake in the middle of nowhere would almost be worth the money, but seeing several platypus in the wild made it absolutely worthwhile. Had a great evening, and would definitely recommend it for anyone interested.