In the ponds of an idyllic Brighton nature reserve, about 100 endangered frogs have made themselves a humble home.
With a call that sounds like a motorbike, and bright green, warty skin, the frog has a penchant for ponds and swamps. And these particular frogs are at the centre of an amphibious mystery, which the local council is considering paying $40,000 to help solve.
This population of growling grass frogs was first seen at Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve in late 2024. Exactly when and how they appeared remains unclear – and the circumstances are fiercely debated by the local council and the Yalukit Willam Nature Association (YWNA), a group of volunteers who work to care for and maintain the site.
While Bayside Council alleges the endangered amphibians were illegally taken from wetlands in Melbourne’s west and relocated, such accusations are adamantly denied by members of the YWNA.
A spokesperson for the association’s committee called allegations of frog theft “baseless accusations and misinformation against volunteers and the association”.
Bayside Council will decide on Tuesday whether it will back a $40,000 reward to assist an investigation into the appearance of the frogs, which was announced by the state’s conservation regulator in February.
Councillors unanimously agreed last month to explore the feasibility of a cash reward, which they hoped would provide incentive for information from the public. Council officers have since proposed the sizeable amount, according to public agenda documents for the upcoming August 18 meeting.
But whether councillors agree to provide the reward money turns out to be a moot point. A spokesperson from the state government’s conservation regulator said that the watchdog “does not accept external funding or donations for rewards associated with investigations”.
They added that although an investigation into allegations of the illegal capture and relocation of the frogs was launched and publicised via Crime Stoppers in February, there is now insufficient information to investigate further.
Taking a threatened species from the wild without a permit was a crime, and penalties could include a fine of up to $48,000, the spokesperson said.
A Bayside Council spokesperson did not respond to questions about the validity of its recommended financial reward or whether the amount was reasonable, saying that a decision on the proposal was yet to be made.
In an earlier statement, Mayor Debbie Taylor-Haynes said that the council was actively encouraging anyone with information about the endangered species to provide information through the appropriate channels.
The YWNA spokesperson said the organisation was unsurprised by the regulator’s rejection of such a donation, and criticised the council’s proposal to offer so much money as a bounty.
“We consider this would be improper and could amount to an attempt to interfere with an independent investigation,” the spokesperson said. “We also consider that such large sums of money would be better spent supporting the tireless work of volunteers in creating the nature reserve.”
The major transformation of the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve on the site of the former Elsternwick Golf Course has been described as a once-in-a-generation project that will bring increased biodiversity into Melbourne’s urban area.
Bayside City Council, Melbourne Water and the YWNA are jointly responsible for delivering the project, the details of which were laid out in an extensive 2020 masterplan.
Despite an initially collaborative relationship, the association and the council have since clashed over aspects of the reserve and its maintenance.
Liberal Brighton MP James Newbury has been critical of the council’s treatment of the volunteer group. “[Bayside] Council has forgotten that it serves the community, not sits above it,” he said.
Newbury added that the former golf course site had grown into an environmental wetland of regional significance.
“The reserve is … a place for the community, a place for wildlife and a place that mitigates flooding through its pond design. It’s a place I love,” he said.
A Bayside Council spokesperson said that mediation between the council and YWNA had been initiated, but the expected timeline was confidential.
The YWNA spokesperson said: “Following mediation, we hope to be able to focus once again on our primary role of planting out the nature reserve and sincerely hope that mediation will lead to a collaborative and accountable way forward.”
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