# Help with Grampians Herps



## BandyBandy91 (Jun 6, 2020)

I am a local to the Grampians area, and an amateur herper. I have seen Shinglebacks, RBB’s and many Jacky Dragons here, but am now looking for Lace Monitors and Marbles Geckoes. I am planning to do many trips in Spring and Summer to look for them. I know it isn’t tradition to give away Herping spots, but it would be greatly appreciated if anyone could give some insight into the general location in which these target species are found. Thank you.


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## Sdaji (Jun 6, 2020)

Marbled Geckoes are common as dirt over the whole region, it's a bit of a strange species to be looking for, you should have found bucket loads of them. Lacies are pretty widespread, but I don't know of anywhere they're especially common in western Victoria. You can find them pretty much anywhere there's a bit of half decent habitat, but it's just hit and miss finding one.

Stumpies are locally very common in some areas out that way, I've seen a few Jackies in western Victoria but not that many. I've seen more Beardies than Jackies around the Grampians. I've never seen a Red-bellied out that way and would quite like to. I've actually seen very few Red-bellieds in Victoria which actually sort of bothers me! For whatever reason, I seem much more prone to crossing paths with Tigers. Browns are of course very common through most of Victoria, especially out your way, anywhere away from water.

Pretty cool area you live in. I spent a lot of time in my teens and 20s camping around the Grampians, and a few other areas in that general area. I have a relative with a turkey farm in Dadswells Bridge, you might know of it, I've stayed out there many times. He says he gets Red-bellieds on the farm but unfortunately I've never seen one there.


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## BandyBandy91 (Jun 6, 2020)

Sdaji said:


> Marbled Geckoes are common as dirt over the whole region, it's a bit of a strange species to be looking for, you should have found bucket loads of them. Lacies are pretty widespread, but I don't know of anywhere they're especially common in western Victoria. You can find them pretty much anywhere there's a bit of half decent habitat, but it's just hit and miss finding one.
> 
> Stumpies are locally very common in some areas out that way, I've seen a few Jackies in western Victoria but not that many. I've seen more Beardies than Jackies around the Grampians. I've never seen a Red-bellied out that way and would quite like to. I've actually seen very few Red-bellieds in Victoria which actually sort of bothers me! For whatever reason, I seem much more prone to crossing paths with Tigers. Browns are of course very common through most of Victoria, especially out your way, anywhere away from water.
> 
> Pretty cool area you live in. I spent a lot of time in my teens and 20s camping around the Grampians, and a few other areas in that general area. I have a relative with a turkey farm in Dadswells Bridge, you might know of it, I've stayed out there many times. He says he gets Red-bellieds on the farm but unfortunately I've never seen one there.


Thank You. I haven’t seen any Geckoes in my lifetime here. I’ve flipped many rocks, leaving them in the exact location, but I mainly find Black Rock Scorpions and Garden Skinks. Red-Bellies aren’t all that uncommon around the central and northern Grampians swamps. I’ve never seen a beardie in the Grampians, but have seen buckets of Jacky Dragons. I never actually search for the Jackies, I just always come across one running over my foot or basking in a rock on my routine hikes. I’ve had friends see Lacies, but I haven’t found them. They commonly disappear locally whenever 1080 poison is layed out.


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## Sdaji (Jun 6, 2020)

That's pretty amazing about the geckoes. The scorpions are definitely super common in your area. To be honest I can't actually remember what species of skinks are common out there other than Stumpies and Water Skinks. Oh, and Black Rock-skinks, which I'm quite fond of. I've seen the odd White's Skink out in that region too which I also think are quite cool, but the small skinks... I guess I just don't pay a lot of attention. Funny that you've seen so many Jackies and not a single Beardy! If you drive around in open wooded areas in the region in the morning in spring or summer you should spot one if you keep a sharp eye out.Some people just seem prone to not crossing paths with certain things, or not others, like you with geckoes and me with Victorian Red-bellieds (out of Victoria I don't have any issues, weirdly!). You get three species of monitors in your area (one of which I've never seen in Victoria). You're probably looking in the right places, you just need the luck to be in the right place at the right time.


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