BACK TO NATURE - THE GIANT BARRED FROG

Many of you will have enjoyed walking the trail through the Maleny Community Precinct along Obi Obi creek leading from town down to Gardner’s Falls. And some may remember what the banks of the creek looked like prior to revegetation work beginning in 2012/13. Thanks to our passionate conservation community, what was largely a denuded landscape is now a thriving corridor of bushland that has greatly improved biodiversity and water quality. 

One species that makes a living along Obi Obi creek is the impressive Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus), one of Australia’s largest frog species. Listed as vulnerable and now occurring in isolated pockets through South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, the Giant Barred Frog hadn’t been observed in the Obi Obi catchment prior to 2012. 

During 2012 and 2013, surveys carried out by Barung Landcare and Mary River Catchment Coordinating Commitee (MRCCC) found five frogs over several survey sites between Maleny and Gardner’s Falls. 

None of these sites had received follow up surveys until this summer when Barung Landcare hosted a community frog survey as part of MRCCC’s Find a Frog in February project. On this one hour excursion, along a 200 metre stretch of the creek, eleven Giant Barred Frogs were observed! 

This is a testament to all of the hard work put in by this amazing community over the years to restore crucial habitat along the banks of Obi Obi creek. 

Please visit us at the Barung Community Nursery to chat all things frogs, from creating and protecting habitat on your own property to frog identification and how you can get involved in frog conservation projects. (Photo by Milo Bateman.)