[DRAFT-REAL] Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
A beak, fur, webbed feet, and electroreception — the valley's most surprising mammal.
- Where
- Slow-flowing streams and ponds with vegetated banks. Most active at dawn and dusk.
Living Nature ›
The valley has more residents than the town does.
A small field guide to the species that share this site — what they look like, where to look, when to look. Written with the Cement Creek Catchment Group; checked annually with the Wurundjeri rangers.
A field guide · 8 species, on this site or within a kilometre
What lives here, and how to see it without scaring it.
[DRAFT-REAL] Yarra Pygmy Perch
Nannoperca obscura
Small native fish endemic to the valley's creeks — listed as vulnerable.
- Where
- Slow-flowing creeks and ponds with submerged vegetation. Endemic to south-eastern Australia.
Six places, six things to look for
The site is small. The species are spread out anyway.
Walk the loop slowly — fifteen minutes at a normal pace, forty if you're looking. The front desk lends binoculars; please return them.
Birds
Plants & fungi
Mammals
When to see what.
Active
An ear-guide · five recordings
If you don't see it, listen.
Recorded on site between 2023 and 2026 by Eli Noor, the Hub's archivist, with a parabolic dish lent by the Healesville Sanctuary. Headphones recommended; the lyrebird does an excellent chainsaw.
Crimson Rosella · dawn chorusRecorded 04:52, 12 Oct 2024 · 1:24
1:24
Pink Robin · trillRecorded 11:18, 06 Jun 2025 · 0:46
0:46
Lyrebird · doing our chainsawRecorded 06:34, 22 Aug 2024 · 2:11
2:11
Cement Creek · the leat sluiceRecorded 14:02, 03 Mar 2026 · 3:48
3:48
Frog chorus · summer pondRecorded 21:30, 14 Jan 2026 · 1:52
1:52
Help keep the guide honest
Saw something? Tell us. The guide is updated quarterly from your notes.
We pool sightings with the Cement Creek Catchment Group's iNaturalist project. Photos are great but not required; a careful description with date and location is just as useful.