Gilly
3rd December 2020
Back in 2019 I wrote of the first time I saw a Goanna in Barron Gorge. Since then I have learnt the areas they like to hang around and see them very often. I am not 100% sure it is the same Goanna but I see one about the same size in the same spot regularly and I have called him/her Gilly.
Gilly might try to discretely sun bake but there is one issue with that, he/she is huge. Tail included I could only guess how long. Not even sure if that is big for a Goanna but looks big to me.
I do not know if Goannas can remember people but Gilly is very comfortable around me. So comfortable that at times he/she appears to be nearly asleep. I talk to Gilly, unpack camera gear walk around and none of that seems to threaten him/her.
I saw Gilly last week and sat and talked for about half an hour. He/she appeared to be very comfortable with me being as close as 3-5 feet away. I would never try to touch Gilly but being that close and not get growled/hissed at is a nice change to the first time I bumped into a Goanna in the Gorge
I was photographing kayakers on the river that day and when they started to come down the river I turned away from Gilly. When I finished and turned back around he/she was still there.
He/she sat up on that rock and looked down on me as I headed off to another part of the Gorge. Very cool animal.