Pails for Scales Conservation

01/09/2026

September 1st, what better timing to book a tour for school holidays 💕

31/08/2026

Another great day doing the Antarcticus Sanctuary spring reptile survey , with another new reptile being discovered on the sanctuary no not the Common Death Adder that I really want to find but a Burtons Legless Lizard a really nice striped morph . Bringing the total of different reptiles to 26 found there plus there’s 6 more told to me by the neighbours which lm yet to see.
This survey turned up 11 different reptiles and a total of 50 counted .
Temp was 18degrees so most skinks were moving fast and as there was so much long grass hard to get a picture of the skinks, I did get few geckos pics which move about my pace these days 😂😂
Couple of nice Curl Snakes too

28/08/2026

Some more of the beauty of Antarcticus Sanctuary as we head into spring, after all the rain wildflowers everywhere and hopefully l haven’t included any nice looking weeds .Happy to be told if there are and if anyone can name any of the plants .
I walk over a lot of the sanctuary hoping to find some wattles coming back since the goats had been eradicated with not much luck, l did find a couple halfway up the mountain , which is a a start of them returning

24/08/2026

Up at Antarcticus Sanctuary it’s so green , unfortunately it’s been raining for 2 days which makes it impossible to drive the car around and have a good look or even go for to much of a walk, fingers crossed the weather breaks this afternoon. Saltia creek been in flood last couple of days which blocks the main road for short periods as the water rushes down the ranges heading to the sea.

19/08/2026

Such a fantastic time of the year as spring is in the air at Sunset Sanctuary as it slowly turns yellow when the wattles we have planted come into colour and wild flowers start appearing, the call of the frogs from the wetlands get louder.

17/08/2026

After finally getting some good rain to start topping the dams back up, a few of our aquatic wildlife have been out. They have been enjoying the rain and the frogs are starting to breed. It was a wet cold day when the Long-necked Turtle was moving around. It always amazes me that they would bother to move around when it’s so cold. l moved it away from the fence line so it could head back to one of the dams.

15/08/2026

14/08/2026

Happy World Lizard Day, a special day for these important creatures. We are continuing to loose them to habitat destruction and the increasing pressure from feral animals.
Celebrating the day with some of the thousands we encountered on our sanctuaries, which is so rewarding, doing our little bit to protect as many as we can!
Thank you to the people that are supporting our work with donations and booking tours 💚

13/08/2026

We are almost half way through the month of August, don’t forget to grab your family and friends, head into Grill’d Ballarat and enjoy a burger or two!!!
Simply place your token in the Friends of Pails for Scales jar to help make a difference.

Every token counts, so please spread the word.
Thank you for your support! 🦎🐍🐢

12/08/2026

One of my favourite spots on Sunset Sanctuary especially when it’s raining seeing the water running down the rock face making rock pools ,the wet Lichen’s and Mosses growing over the ground and rocks . Knowing when you put motion cameras in this area you always see Antechinus