A few years ago on a trip to the Cape i came across this little fellow at a swamp near cooktown.
I reported the sighting to the council who contacted the npws and i spoke to them on the phone, but i don't think they believed me as they did not want me to show where it was.( they are not sighted in cooktown)
Later i went to the Cooktown botanic gardens and spoke to the head guy there and told him about it. "Have you got photos" Yep i said and showed him. Well he got on the phone to the NPWS and straight away they went out looking for it.
I don't know if they found him but i am glad i got some shots of him.
Canberra to the Cape--3 by rawshorty, on Flickr
Canberra to the Cape- by rawshorty, on Flickr
Extremely lucky you, rawshorty. According to the Complete Book of Australian Mammals they're status is sparse & limited in Australia although they're more common in New Guinea.
Thanks Woko, we were walking arond a track and my brother said what the hell is that. I got down on my knees and started to take photos and replied, i have no idea. After checking on the www is when i reported it.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
The presence of those flies and the fact that it was on the ground is not normal - I hope someone found it and was able to help as it looks quite thin. If you have a beanie or another article of clothing you can put a baby possum in it and tuck it into your shirt until you can find a vet or a carer to help. Thanks for following it up!
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
Thanks Alison, the flies are normal as the possum gives off a pungent odour. It was very early in the morning and he was very active looking for food.
I did think about catching him but being unsure of what it was i did not want to interfere with nature.
A beanie in north QLD? It might have been the middle of winter but all i wore for 3 months was shorts, t-shirt and bare feet
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Sorry Shorty, I forgot that you were not in Canberra
. Some people seem to be wearing beanies all year round these days no matter the weather 
- it was more of a suggestion of the type of apparel that could be used. I did read that they are quite a stinky possum so I quite understand someone not wanting to put in inside their clothes as well. Down in Victoria, we get a lot of baby possums found on the ground and they often need care as some possums (eg ringtails) abandon their young for various reasons or something has happened to the parent and, if a pouch is not available a beanie is quite useful. It can be a fine line to deciding whether to interfere with an animal in nature as, you are quite right, often it is not needed and does more harm than good.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
I forgot to mention one important thing. The swamp was within a National Park, so i could have got into some serious trouble if capturing it was the wrong thing to do.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
If you're Kangaroo Dundee you would use a pillow slip!
West Coast Tasmania