handsome little fellow

This handsome little fellow startled me when I walked into the garage today. Good thing he did, because he ran right behind the front wheel. If I hadn't noticed him it would have ended rather badly. Lucky for him after a bit of wrangling I got him into this bucket.

This is the first reptile I've found in my garden. I'd never seen snakes or frogs either. So I was very excited to find him - it's a sign of a healthy garden. I set the bucket on its side to let him decide when he felt like running away. I just hope he finds a good little burrow to hide in and sticks around for a while - and that the cats never find him. There's definitely enough sunny concrete to warm himself on, and plenty of earwigs and other critters to eat.

He's some kind of skink but I'm not sure what kind. I might ask around to see if anyone knows.

Edit: I forgot I had this book Melbourne's Wildlife. He's a weasel skink. An interesting fact from the book:

"This is a secretive species that raises its body temperature by contact with its surroundings, rather than by basking in the sun."

That explains why he was in the dark but warm garage!