Sand goannas are the second largest species of carnivorous lizards found across mainland Australia. They can grow up to 160cm in length and can weigh as much as 6kg. Their common name is derived from "iguana", since early European bush settlers in Australia likened goannas to the South American lizards. Goannas retain special cultural and historic significance within Australian folklore and Indigenous culture. They were an important traditional native food source and are commonly represented in Aboriginal Dreamtime stories. In some Aboriginal languages, the sand goanna is called "bungarra"; a term also commonly used by non-Aboriginal people in Western Australia. In Pitjantjatjara and other central Australian languages, goannas are called "tingka". This specimen is part of a collection of almost 200 animal specimens that were originally acquired as skins from various institutions across Australia, including the Australian Museum and the National Museum of Victoria, as well as individuals such amateur anthropologist Reynell Eveleigh Johns between 1860-1880. These skins were then mounted by members of the Burke Museum Committee and put-on display in the formal space of the Museum’s original exhibition hall where they continue to be on display. This display of taxidermy mounts initially served to instruct visitors to the Burke Museum of the natural world around them, today it serves as an insight into the collecting habits of the 19th century. This specimen is part of a significant and rare taxidermy mount collection in the Burke Museum. This collection is scientifically and culturally important for reminding us of how science continues to shape our understanding of the modern world. They demonstrate a capacity to hold evidence of how Australia’s fauna history existed in the past and are potentially important for future environmental research. This collection continues to be on display in the Museum and has become a key part to interpreting the collecting habits of the 19th century.Small goanna with a streamlined body and textured scaly skin in different shades of olive and brown. It has a long neck and a long tail which narrows towards the tip. The goanna has four short, stocky legs which meet with large, curled claws. Its mouth is slightly slightly open, and it has two black glass eyes.On tag: BMM / 5892 /taxidermy mount, taxidermy, animalia, burke museum, beechworth, australian museum, skin, reynell eveleigh johns, lizard, goanna, sand goanna, monitor lizard, various gouldii

This is an Aboriginal artwork that depicts a Goanna Totem. Designed by Ballarat-based, Gunditjmara artist Aunty Diana Nikkelson, the design is inspired by the artist’s totem and is a tribute to the first artists of the region, the Wadawurrung people. It acknowledges Aboriginal survival and the dynamic regeneration of the Aboriginal art and culture in the region. The artwork is in-set to the basalt paving along Police Lane by a series of etched footsteps, which evolve from human footprints to goanna prints as viewers approach the rear of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The artwork was originally located only outdoors and half of it was brought into the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2011, when the former Federation Plaza was enclosed to form the Art Gallery of Ballarat's McCain Annexe. The artwork was created in 2006 as part of the cultural festival of the Commonwealth Games. The artwork is of cultural and aesthetic significance to the people of BallaratSand blasted petroglyph forms into bluestone on laneway surface. The carved inlay of the Goanna Totem design into the bluestone of Police Lane (beside Art Gallery of Ballarat) continues inside the building.goanna totem ballarat, goanna totem, diana nikkelson, aboriginal, dreaming, nikkelson, gunditjmara