This photo was taken a couple months back. We were at a lake near where we live in Australia to celebrate a birthday party. A few of the guests suddenly started to gather around and look up at the eucalyptus tree near where we sitting. In Australia, when people gather and gaze at a eucalyptus tree your first thought is that there is a cute, cuddly koala snuggled up having a midday nap.
Much to our surprise, when we walked around the tree, we were not greeted by koala, but another one of Australia's weird and wonderful creatures. This well-sized goanna had perched himself in the tree to soak up the warm midday sun.
You can see from the photo below that we were only a couple metres away from him enjoying our cold beverages and chatting away. The kids were absolutely fascinated by our discovery and asked all sorts of questions about the 'tree lizard'.
To my amazement when I did some research after our experience, I found out that there are actually 25 different goanna species found in Australia. In other parts of the world they are referred to as monitor lizards. I also found out that most species of goanna in Australia are known to climb trees and live near water.
Our goanna encounter added an extra thrill to our already enjoyable day at the lake. This is one of those family memories that we can look back on and reminisce with fondness. 🤗
