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Monday, 6 March, 2000, 16:27 GMT
Lizard throws Queen off course
![]() Queen Elizabeth won't be flying direct to Canberra
Queen Elizabeth II is having to change her plans for her arrival in the Australian capital Canberra because of a rare lizard which has never even been sighted in the area.
The earless dragon, which measures up to 21cm (eight inches) in length, has disrupted the Queen's visit more effectively than Australia's Republicans, who campaigned unsuccessfully for her removal as head of state in last November's constitutional referendum.
The earless dragon is believed to live in the area around Canberra airport, where the Queen was due to land at the start of her visit later this month.
Plans to expand the runway to accommodate larger aircraft have been delayed by environmental questions about the creature's habitat. Capital Airport Group, which runs the airport, wants to extend the runway's shoulders by
7.5 metres (25 ft) on each side and expand the turning apron so
that widebodied international aircraft can land.
With the Queen due to touch down on 17 March to begin her two-week visit to Australia, it is now too late to complete the application.
"We're pretty disappointed. We would have loved to have
seen the Queen land here," said Stephen Byron, managing director of Capital Airport Group.
The earless dragon is a native of Australia's southern highlands region, southwest of Sydney, and is believed to inhabit about eight different locations in Canberra. The Queen will
now fly from London to Sydney where she will board one of the
government's Falcon jets to fly to the capital.
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