Varanus rosenbergi

4 Heath or Rosenberg's Monitor at Campbell, ACT

Varanus rosenbergi at Campbell, ACT - 25 Sep 2022
Request use of media

Identification history

Varanus rosenbergi 25 Sep 2022 wombey
Varanus rosenbergi 25 Sep 2022 RangerRiley

Identify this sighting


Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

Significant sighting

25 Sep 2022

Very interested in any sightings of Rosenbergs - particularly if good side on shots of the face are provided, being greedy getting both sides is good if you can get them

User's notes

Rosenberg's Monitor basking in the early spring sun after spending the winter months in it's burrow.

3 comments

RayPeck wrote:
   26 Sep 2022
Keen for grandkids to see one
Any suggestions about where, when and how for best chance?
They live at The Angle south of Tharwa. Parents competent in bush and with map reading.
DonFletcher wrote:
   26 Sep 2022
Hi Ray, that is difficult. It would be easier to show them a Tree Goanna in one of the national park camping areas on the south coast, or to find a Rosenberg's Goanna on Kangaroo Island.

In our region, there are very few Rosenberg's Goannas and in the bush they are really easy to walk right past without noticing them. In the Canberra region, the Naas Valley Fire Trail (on the eastern side of Namadgi) from Mt Clear Campground downstream 30km to Caloola Farm, between November and February produces the most sightings per visit, but even so, only a small minority of visitors see one. Sounds like some summer camping and walking/biking/horseriding along the NVFT might be attractive. There is plenty of other wildlife to see as well.

Mt Ainslie is well known because there are a few records per year from Mt Ainslie, but it is not really a good place to look because there are many thousands of visits to the reserve per year so the sighting rate is actually very low. Some walkers tell me they have been going there for 3-4 decades without seeing one. Someone quietly searching the warm areas of the hill every day for months, will definitely find them, but few people do that.
RayPeck wrote:
   26 Sep 2022
Very helpful, thanks Don
The Mt Ainslie quiet wander on a sunny day sounds very appealing. :-)

Please Login or Register to comment.

Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • Burrow Breeding behaviour
  • Unknown Gender
  • Alive / healthy Animal health

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Confirmed by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
2,148,925 sightings of 19,884 species in 6,408 locations from 11,278 contributors
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.