I was moving an old pile of timber out in the back yard over the weekend, hiding in amongst it were 2 Broad Tailed Geckos. I only actually saw one, which had dropped it tail and run off. I knew there was at least one other as there was a second tail writhing about on the ground. The tails moved as though they were alive, made me wonder if they can drop their tails at will as a diversion when they sense they are about to be preyed upon. I’d placed my jacket on the ground while I was working, when I picked it up a few hours later this guy fell out! Geckos look cool and I always like to see them, I was extra impressed with how effective it was camouflaged against the natural sandstone.

Phyllurus platurus

This little guy was sitting behind a drainage box I’d removed to clean. There are often geckos to be found under the house, not usually out in the open like this though. Searching around and looking at pictures this looks like a Phyllurus platurus, supposedly quite common in the Sydney area.