Here are habitat photos that go along with the gecko shots. I have arranged the sites from the tropical far north of Queensland, south to Tasmania (no geckos but a pretty place), west through South Australia and then northward up the coast of Western Australia to the Pilbara region.
Cooktown, QLD
This is a beautiful location in the tropical far north of Queensland. It is a herp rich area that is especially interesting due to Black Mountain (3rd photo) a little south of town where 3 endemic herps may be found. This is the end of the paved roads on Cape York so a 4x4 is necessary to venture further north. Not too far to the north are interesting sandstone outcrops where a new
Oedura gecko was recently discovered ... would be an interesting area to visit someday. Near Cooktown, I found
Cyrtodactylus tuberculatus,
Nactus galgajuga and
Oedura castelnaui.
Chillagoe, QLD
This park protects an interesting cave system. Chillagoe is rich with herps. At night, my son and I saw
Cyrtodactylus tuberculatus,
Nactus chevreti,
Lucasium steindachneri,
Gehyra nana and
G. dubia.
Cape Tribulation, QLD
This lovely national park is located a couple of hours north of Cairns.
Carphodactylus laevis and
Saltuarius cornutus occur here though I did not see either.
Daintree, QLD
The Daintree River is well known for its crocs and the crocodile tours.
Carphodactylus laevis and
Saltuarius cornutus occur here though I did not see either.
Atherton Tablelands, QLD
This is a cool plateau located west of Cairns. Most of this region was cleared long ago so that rainforest now is present as tiny islands surrounded by farms. I saw
Saltuarius cornutus while on night walks through these forests. The remnant forests are also the home of
Carphodactylus laevis but so far I have had no success with that species.
Mt. Bartle Frere, QLD
Mt. Bartle Frere is Queensland highest mountain and the boulders near the summit are home to two endemic lizards. Mt. Bartle Frere is 1600m (5200') in elevation and can be climbed on an all day walk. My kids and I have done this twice now and it was a long, hard slog. Leeches were abundant and we had to stop often to pull off these pests.
Mission Beach, QLD
This area has been one of our favourite family winter holiday destinations for years. It also has produced sightings of some interesting reptiles.
Nactus chevreti and
Lepidodactylus lugubris are common.
Jourama Falls, QLD
Mt. Elliott, QLD
This area (Bowling Green NP) is situated just south of Townsville. It is a herp rich site with a good diversity and density of herps. I have seen many
Gehyra dubia and a
Heteronotia binoei. Someday, I will make the long hike up the mountain to try and find the endemic
Phyllurus amnicola.
Bowen, QLD
The coastline at Bowen is quite scenic. The rocky areas produced a number of
Gehyra dubia.
Eungella, QLD
This isolated pocket of upland rainforest in central Queensland has at least three endemic reptiles as well as several other near endemic species. I have seen many
Oedura monilis and
Gehyra dubia. So far, I have not been successful with the endemic
Phyllurus nepthys.
Airlie Beach, QLD
I found a very oddly marked
Oedura monilis here. This is the home of
Phyllurus ossa but I could not find trails up the mountains to the rocky areas. Someday, I will try again.
Cape Hillsborough, QLD
I recorded many
Gehyra dubia and
Heteronotia binoe. Two of the nearby hills are home to the endemic
Phyllurus isis but the hills seem to be surrounded by private land. I could not find a way to access the slopes.
Central Western Region, QLD
This is a dry region with varied habitats. It includes areas that are forested with various Acacia trees, grassy plains known as the Mitchell Grass Down, and the harsh but beautiful Eyrean Basin. Geckos include Lucasium immaculatum, Heteronotia binoei, Gehyra robusta, Nephrurus asper, Rhynchoedura ornata, Strophurus krisalys, Oedura marmorata and Diplodactylus tessellatus.
Lamington Plateau, QLD
This beautiful national park is located in the hinterlands of the Gold Coast. I think that it has some of the most beautiful rainforest in Australia. It also is rich with herps. This is a good place for
Saltuarius swaini.
Mt. Glorious, QLD
This mountain is not far from Brisbane and a great place to herp due to the variety of habitats. At night,
Oedura robusta and
O. tryoni were common.
Girraween, QLD
A herp rich site. This was a good place for
Saltuarius wyberba,
Oedura tryoni,
O. lesueurii,
Gehyra dubia and
Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus.
Windorah, QLD
This area in the channel country of far southwestern Queensland is one of my favourite herping sites. It is also the most accessible site where Fierce Snakes can be seen. There are several habitat types in close proximity to the tiny town of Windorah so the herp diversity is great. Geckos are diverse and include
Strophurus ciliaris,
S. krisalys,
S. elderi,
Diplodactylus tessellates,
D. conspicillatus,
Heteronotia binoei,
Lucasium immaculatum,
Rhynchoedura ornata,
Gehyra variegata,
G. purpurescens,
Oedura marmorata and
Nephrurus laevis.
Broken Hill, NSW
The habitat near Broken Hill is particularly harsh, especially along the road north towards Tibooburra. This was a great place for
Lucasium byrnei,
L. steindachneri,
Diplodactylus tessellates,
Heteronotia binoei,
Gehyra dubia and
Strophurus ciliaris.
Northern NSW
This area has a similar group of reptiles to those from the Lamington Plateau of nearby Queensland.
Mt. Kaputar, NSW
This is an isolated mountain range. I have only visited the site by day but
Oedura tryoni should be here on the rocks.
Warrumbungles, NSW
This site is one of the best places that I have visited with an excellent lizard diversity and density. Geckos include
Strophurus williamsi,
Underwoodisaurus milii,
Oedura monilis,
Gehyra variegata,
G. dubia and
Diplodactylus vittatus.
Gundabooka, NSW
This site is located in western NSW near the town of Bourke. It can be a little disappointing since the habitat looks great but reptiles seem to be few and far between. I have seen
Rhynchoedura ornata,
Diplodactylus vittatus,
Gehyra variegata and
Heteronotia binoei in this area.
Mutawintji, NSW
A top area with permanent water in northwestern NSW. Feral goats are a real problem but there still seem to be many reptiles, especially at night. I have seen
Lucasium steindachneri,
L. byrnei,
Rhynchoedura ornata,
Nephrurus laevis,
Underwoodisaurus milii,
Gehyra varigata and
Heteronotia binoei.
Lord Howe Island
This is a stunningly beautiful island located about 700 km north east of Sydney. It is home to a single gecko,
Christinus guentheri.
Blue Mountains, NSW
This region is about a two hour drive from Wollongong. Both
Phyllurus platurus and
Oedura lesueurii live here.
Royal NP, NSW
This lovely park is situated between Wollongong and Sydney. I have seen
Oedura lesueurii and
Underwoodisaurus milii but other species are possible as well.
Wollongong, NSW
Rocky areas in the wet forests are
Phyllurus platurus.
MacQuarie Pass, NSW
Same species as Wollongong.
Southern Highlands, NSW
Same species as Wollongong.
Dharawal, NSW
Same species as from Wollongong but also includes
Oedura lesueurii.
Nowra, NSW
Same species as recorded from Wollongong.
Budawang Mtns, NSW
A beautiful mountain range on the south coast of NSW. Species here the same as those reported from Wollongong.
Cradle Mountain, TAS
This is one of the most spectacular national parks in Tasmania. The high country is pristine and despite the cold conditions, supports a good variety of skinks. I have seen a number of the snow skinks (
Niveoscincus) including
N. microlepidotus,
N. ocellatus,
N. orocryptus (possibly),
N. greeni and
N. metallicus. I also found a
Pseudemoia pagenstecheri and a
P. entrecasteauxii. No geckos.
Hartz Mountain, TAS
I travelled to this mountain on five occasions before the weather was finally sunny enough to see
N. orocryptus. The mountain is in the southern Tasmania where the weather often is cold and overcast. It snowed on my first visit in mid-summer. No geckos.
Mt. Wellington, TAS
This peak is next to Hobart. Rocks at the summit support large numbers of Southern Snow Skinks (
Niveoscincus microlepidotus). On the lower slopes,
N. metallicus,
N. pretiosus,
N. ocellatus and
Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii were common. No geckos.
Mt. Field, TAS
This pretty place had good populations of
Niveoscincus metallicus and
N. microlepidotus. No geckos.
Arkaroola, SA
I visited this site for only a single night last summer. The rocky hillsides seem to have lots of potential but I did not see many species probably due to the extreme temperatures. I hope to visit it again next summer.
Eyre Peninsula, SA
This area supports a good variety of reptiles. There are many potential geckos from the area but I only found a single
Lucasium damaeum.
Cape Le Grand, WA
I did not find any geckos although several species should occur here.
Stirling Ranges, WA
A great park for wildflowers in the Spring. I saw
Christinus marmoratus,
Strophurus spinigerus and
Diplodactylus granariensis at night.
Two Peoples Bay, WA
I did not see many lizards here and no geckos at night.
Margaret River, WA
My visit was during a time of unseasonally cool, wet conditions so I did not see many reptiles.
Goldfields Region, WA
I visited this area in late summer and the weather was very hot. As a result, I did not see many diurnal lizards. At night, geckos included
Diplodactylus pulcher,
D. conspicillatus,
Lucasium squarrosum,
Oedura marmorata,
Strophurus strophurus and
Gehyra variegata.
Nambung, WA
The pinnacles here are bizarre. I did not see many reptiles by day but at night,
Strophurus spinigerus was abundant with up to 7 being seen in the headlights at the same time.
Kalbarri, WA
A beautiful park that is superb for spring wildflowers. At night, geckos that I have seen included:
Strophurus spinigerus,
Strophurus strophurus,
Lucasium alboguttatum,
Heteronotia binoei,
Gehyra variegata,
Diplodactylus pulcher and
Nephrurus laevis.
Shark Bay, WA
This is an excellent place for nocturnal lizards. Geckos were diverse and include:
Rhynchodura ornata,
Strophurus strophurus,
Lucasium alboguttatum,
L. squarrosum,
Heteronotia binoei,
Gehyra variegata,
Diplodactylus pulcher,
D. klugei,
D. ornatus and
Nephrurus laevis. During the day, I have recorded Gould's Monitors, Spotted Military Dragons, Central Netted Dragons and Shinglebacks.
North West Cape, WA
A species rich area despite the dry, harsh conditions. At night, a whole host of geckos are encountered, including the newly described
Diplodactylus capensis,
D. conspicillatus,
Lucasium stenodactylus,
Strophurus strophurus,
S. ciliaris,
Strophurus strophurus,
Heteronotia binoei,
Gehyra variegata and
Nephrurus laevis.
Karijini, WA
A herp rich part of the west. It is situated in the Pilbara. At night, I found
Heteronotia spelea,
Gehyra pilbara,
G. punctata,
Strophurus wellingtonae and what I believe to be
Lucasium wombeyi.
Regards,
David
