THE FIRST PUGGLES EXCURSION

A bunch of cool kids and their extended families went on an expedition to see if they could spot some platypuses. First stop was Running Stream, just behind Foxwood Farm Cafe at Running Stream.

Savvy was leading and she wrote this story:

The baby red kangaroo belonged to Glenys who runs the Foxwood Farm Cafe. It's name is Boomer.

After our exploration of Running Stream we went to Cunningham's Creek on the other side of the mountain to see if we could spot any platypus there. Augie is Savvy's older brother and he wrote this story:

Cunningham's Creek flows through Hunter and Frank's place and they have a really cool spot in a tree by the creek which is perfect for platypus spotting. It is now the official Puggles Club Headquarters. Here's what it looks like:

Because it was mid winter, we think that most of the platypuses and their baby puggles were hiding in burrows in the creek bank. We're going to try again in springtime on September the 17th. Stay tuned for more details. Hopefully you'll be able to join us then and help us find a platypus or two!

A PLATYPUS IS A PARADOX

This is a drawing of a platypus by an artist called Eugene von Guerard. It was done way back in 1854 (that's 157 years ago kids!) and the title of the work is 'Billed Animal - Ornithorhynchus paradoxus'.  This was the first scientific name given to this strange creature that has a bill like a duck and a tail like a beaver. "Ornithorhynchus" means "bird snout" in Greek and "Paradoxus" comes from the word "paradox" which means something that is hard to believe but true - just like the platypus! Later on, the name was officially changed to 'Ornithorhynchus anatinus' which means "bird snout duck-like".

We're going to go looking for a platypus or two in the Running Stream this Sunday (June 12). So if you want to join us, come and meet up at 4pm at Foxwood Farm Café, Running Stream. Platypus are very shy so we're going to have to be very quiet. There'll be a prize for the best platypus spotter! If you can't make it, don't worry. We'll take some photos and tell you all about it here on the Puggles Club Blog next Monday. We might even do some drawings too, just like Eugene's!