Goanna in Australia likened goannas to the South American lizards.. Over time, the initial vowel sound was dropped. A similar explanation is used to link possum to the American opossum. Another possibility is that the name might have derived from the South African term for a monitor lizard, "leguaan", as the Cape of Good Hope was a popular refresher stop for immigrant ships to Australia from Britain. For a list of all monitor lizards of the genus, see Complete list of genus "Varanus". The following are found in Australia. For the most part, in common names, "goanna" and "monitor" are interchangeable.
Kardinya, Western Australia Kardinya, Western Australia Kardinya is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville. The suburb is home to under 10,000 people, including many international students due to its proximity to Murdoch University. The word "Kardinya" is believed to be of Aboriginal origin, meaning "the place of the Karda" (racehorse goanna), although it is also recognised as an Aboriginal word for "sunrise". Much of the area was originally farmland, dating back to the early 1900s. Welby Vineyard, established in 1922 by George Welby, which was the City of Melville's solitary winery, was built on what is now