Understanding what has driven the distribution of biodiversity across the world is a central question in biogeography. One contributing factor is the persistence of organisms in refugia, areas of stability that allow taxa to persist during times of unfavourable climate, with the potential to expand from there in later times. With a complex landscape and increasing species records, the Australian Monsoonal Tropics is an ideal place to explore the impact of the past on current patterns of diversity.  In this talk, I will explore measures of refugia, and the contribution of refugia to the diversity patterns of lizards in the Australian Monsoonal Tropics.