Rowena Scott, Writer

Walking amongst dragons

Walking through Kinglake National Park, it’s not the tall trees that attract our attention this moment. It’s the walking track! Grey leaves. Brown twigs. Grey pebbles, brown clay. Sticks, shadows, and a dragon. He/she is still, silent, perfectly camouflaged. Back legs extended behind and flattened against the ground as though she’s not ready to run, I’m hoping that if I also stay still and silent I can stand and stare, watch with wonder.

It may be a jacky lizard, Amphibolurus muricatus, though they’re often confused with nobbi dragons, Diporiphora nobbi, both of which can grow to thirty centimetres in length. A bit more research and I discovered that the Wergaia people of the Wimmera region of NW Victoria call them nganurganity and in 2017 a giant star in the constellation of Canis Major was officially named Unurgunite or jacky dragon. The things you learn from walking!