For the past four years, ACF has worked together with researchers from UNSW to host the platy-project, a citizen science initiative designed to gather key research about the elusive platypus.
This spring, the platy-project brought together farmers, researchers, community members and ACF community groups across the east coast to track platypuses and understand what their presence (or lack of) can tell us about the health of our land and water.
Above: Dr Gilad Bino, and farmers at Wilmot Farm in NSW. Photo: Drew Hopper
At Wilmot Farm in northern NSW, I joined UNSW researcher Dr Gilad Bino, farm manager Kierin Wilson and several neighbouring farmers to explore what a thriving platypus population says about farming done well.
The creeks at Wilmot’s farm flow clean, with healthy soils and an estimated fifty breeding pairs of platypuses living across the property. It’s proof that farming, nature and biodiversity can not only coexist but strengthen one another.
Above: Aerial view of Wilmot farm. Photo: Drew Hopper
Further south at Lake Moodemere in Victoria, two sixth-generation winegrowing families, the Chambers and the Pfeiffers, hosted a community walk from Moodemere Estate to Sunday Creek Bridge. The event was coordinated with support from local ACF community groups, whose enthusiasm and connections helped bring people together from across the region.
Along the walk, farmers and locals shared what it means to care for the land that’s fed their families for generations. We wandered across a bridge hovering above water that is home to platypuses and turtles, happily coexisting with the farmland around them. We heard a story about how many generations ago, the platypus was seen as a bunyip, a mythical creature that captured the imagination of people who rarely saw it. Hearing that history added depth to an already remarkable experience.
Across both events, the connection between people, water and place was great. Farmers spoke about slowing creek flow with fallen logs, rotating herds to prevent erosion, fencing off riparian vegetation and exploring cultural burning. Gilad’s research added another layer, showing how these practical actions shape the conditions platypuses need to survive.
When science and stewardship meet in the same paddock, it changes the story. You can see it in the pride of the farmers who are already leading this shift, and in the younger workers learning directly from them.
Above: David Sivyer at Wilmot farm. Photo: Drew Hopper
What comes next
Data and mapping: UNSW is now analysing this year’s sightings, including new eDNA samples from farms like Wilmot, to refine national population models.
Storytelling: ACF will share these farmer perspectives through our policy work and public storytelling, linking them to broader efforts to support farming that works with nature.
Next season: Planning is already underway for expanded farmer-focused events in 2026, building on what’s been achieved in the Northern Tablelands and the Murray region.
Interested in being part of the platy-project? You can find out more here.