Is there a rule of thumb or just personal preference to how high the hive should be from the ground?
Hard to answer without more information from you. 
Where in the world are you? In the US, skunks and opossums will attack the landing board at night if it is below 16". In Australia, the same is true of cane toads and some lizards. In the UK, you will need enough height to cope with winter flooding, if your area can ever flood.
That is dealing with outside nature. Now for me personally, I find it hard to bend and lift something if it is less than about 16" (40cm) above ground level. Beekeeping involves a lot of bending and lifting if you are doing it diligently, so I would consider that to be a minimum for me.
So rule of thumb, I personally prefer 16" or so. If you don’t have natural bee hunters in your environment, or a stiff back, you may not need to use my rule of thumb. 
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Thanks Dawn_SD. I live in north Mississippi and we do have skunks, possums, racoons and other critters. I plan to have a 4’ wire fence around the hive but I suppose some critters will eventually climb over if they are determined enough. I was thinking about 2’ feet off the ground so I think I’ll go with that after reading your comments.
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Your 4’ fence will keep out most of them, but raccoons are very determined! Fortunately they usually want to try to take roof off the hive, so you just need a nice heavy weight on top, or straps around it.
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For some further discussions on this topic, please check out these two threads 
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Not much anyone can do about Bears. We do have them around upstate New York, and yes there was one around the neighborhood last summer.
In relation to water dragons. We have one that showed up a few weeks ago. It has been rather shy until today. He snatched a big cockroach right out of the mouth of a butcher bird on the ground. He/she ate everything I presented it with. Frozen cockroaches, earth & compost worms, grubs & caterpillars. It was also eating yellow tail native bees that take wax away (they are a pest, you can’t leave any foundation frames around, they slowly demolish them)
What I want to mention is: they climb up things.
He/she IS cute, we’re delighted to have him/her around.
cheers
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Seven days later, we took a couple more photos. One to show that he/she climbs. Another one to show him/her eating off my finger.
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Hi,
Did you do anything else about the lizard? I like them around the yard but o think we have lost too many bees to them. Then the SHB moved in and the hive was a mess as there were so few bees to manage the pests.
In reply to Jeff’s message.
Jeff called me this morning as our Lizard was waiting at the door for something to eat. He climbs up Jeff’s leg when he is really hungry.
Then he remembers that he is supposed to be scared of him, and runs back down to the ground. Today after he was fed he sat, and watched Jeff making bee frames for an hour. He is still there waiting for Jeff to come out again.
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It’s almost like he loves you, but it’s probably more like “Feed me, Seymour!”
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Hi Claire, it’s all about the FOOD.
Food, glor-i-ous food. 
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