Rosenberg's monitor - Mount Ainslie?

[Joan Lipscombe <>]

This morning as we were walking anticlockwise around the base of Mount Ainslie, following the power lines, we saw what seemed to be an immature Rosenberg's Monitor.  Time around 11am.

We noticed a reptile peering over the top of a tree stump about a metre high, in an open area about 10 metres to the right of the track, about 30 metres before pylon no 95324 on the left, approx 300 metres before the intersection with Ainslie Link Track.  Regrettably, we did not have a camera or pen and paper with us.  

Main features:

About 80cm long, dark skin with orange patches on its neck (LHS) extending down several cms along the body, regular rings on its tail, whitish spots along the spine.  Its was still as we watched it for several minutes.  It had a large head which it initially was holding high as it looked over the stump, but then lowered to rest on the stump.  It seemed quite slim. in contrast to its length.  At first sighting when we could just see the head and front feet we thought it might be a water dragon, but as we moved closer and were able  to see the full size it was too long large and the head  relatively small compared with its overall size. 

We have never seen this reptile before, but it seems to fit the description in Reptiles and Frogs of the ACT of a juvenile Rosenberg's Monitor.

Joan and Trevor Lipscombe