Varanus rosenbergi is a member of the subgenera Varanus. It can reach a total length of 150 cm. Specimen from the mainland remain smaller than animals from offshore islands. MERTENS (1957a) described this form as a subspecies of Varanus gouldii. STORR (1980) lifted this subspecies into species status, as he realized, that in the areas where V. rosenbergi and V. gouldii appear sympatric, no hybrids are found.
The Heath Monitor is very similar in appearance to Varanus gouldii, from which it is different mainly by the darker coloration.
The coloration on the back is dark with small yellow till white spots. 15 narrow black bands are visible on the back and the neck, which form a light foreward bend on neck and back. A dark temporal stripe with a light edge is visible. The tail is more or less banded with alternative pale yellow and dark brown bands. The tip of the tail is either monochromely dark or banded. The colortion of the underside is whitish with a black or gray reticulation. The head scales are small and smooth. The nostril is situated at the side, closer to the tip of the snout than to the eye. 160-210 scale rows are around midbody. The tail is strongly compressed at the side unless at the base with a clearly visible double keel on the back half of the tail. The length is 1.3-1.8 times as long as the SVL, the total length is up to 150 cm.

The distribution of Varanus rosenbergi is restricted to the southern parts of Australia. It lives close to the coast of Western and South Australia up to the border to Victoria. V. rosenbergi is also known from the Sydney area (SHEA 1994). Also some offshore islands are inhabitat by V. rosenbergi, e.g. Kangaroo and Reevesby Island. On some island it was presumably decimated, to reduce the snakes.
On Kangaroo Island you can observe this monitor species very often, in the rest of the distribution area it is very rarely seen. It preferes to live in the bush rich coastal regions (MERTENS 1957, 1958, KEAST 1959, WORRELL 1966, BUSTARD 1968, SWANSON 1976, STORR 1980, STORR et al. 1983b, WILSON & KNOWLES 1988, HOSER 1989, COGGER 1992, EHMANN 1992).
As food everything is taken, what could be overpowered, at this V. rosenbergi does not fear the thorns of the Australian Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) either. OVERTON (1987) observed that a monitor fed on a young Echidna.
The biology of Varanus rosenbergi has been studied very detailed within the last years. In the wild the animals prefer termite mounts for nesting (KING & GREEN 1979, EHMANN et al. 1991). The female digs a hole into the wall and puts the eggs down there. The termites then will seal the mount immideately. The eggs are so exceptionally well protected for getting eaten by enemies. In addition, the temperature and the humidity is always constant inside the termite mount so that the eggs get an optimum on "care". The females protect the nest for several weeks after egg-deposition (EHMANN et al. 1991). After hatching the young animals must dig their way through the wall by their own. A help by one of the parents, as it is described by Varanus varius, isn't available here.