Watch the amazing video of two goannas mating.

It is the start of summer in 2022 so it is December. The goannas are out including the stunning bells phase. The bandicoots are very active. We caught on camera the short eared possum and a Melomys. What is a melomys?

Lots of plants are flowering including the egg and bacon, eijllow hakea and the vine Travellers Joy. The hatpins are out around the wetland.

The ground was already wet from record high summer rains. December and January delivered 404mm of rain here. The earth was saturated …

The floods started …

Our beloved goanna, Jac, was found dead on April 7 2022.

Jac is our wonderful goanna with three legs. She has been around Istari since the 1990s.

One of the many magic things about living in the bush is the wildlife. It is a privilege to have them so close and living their life in front of us.

Lace monitors are Australia's second largest goanna. They can grow up to 2m in length so are sizable animals. Lace monitors are fairly common in this region.

There are two colour types of lace monitor, the grey with bands and spots and the Bell's phase with large dramatic bands of yellow and black. Both are from the same species. The Bells Phase is less common in this part of the world.

Goannas can jump! They are smart and learnt as we adapted our chicken pen to try to keep them out.

See how we stopped the goanna getting into the chook pen.