{"id":854278,"date":"2026-08-13T22:42:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/854278\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T22:42:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:42:17","slug":"growling-grass-frogs-bayside-council-weighs-40000-reward-to-help-solve-frog-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/854278\/","title":{"rendered":"Growling grass frogs: Bayside Council weighs $40,000 reward to help solve frog mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gemma<\/p>\n

August 14, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n

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In the ponds of an idyllic Brighton nature reserve, about 100 endangered frogs have made themselves a humble home.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo growling grass frogs on the Grampians Peaks Trail.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

While Bayside Council alleges the endangered amphibians were illegally taken from wetlands in Melbourne\u2019s west and relocated, such accusations are adamantly denied by members of the YWNA.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the association\u2019s committee said: \u201cExactly how the founders of the [frog] population got there two years ago \u2013 and whether or not the means by which they got there is illegal \u2013 is not for YWNA to speculate on.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s conservation regulator in February.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve sits on the former site of the Elsternwick Golf Course. Joe Armao<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

But whether councillors agree to provide the reward money turns out to be a moot point. A spokesperson from the state government\u2019s conservation regulator said that the watchdog \u201cdoes not accept external funding or donations for rewards associated with investigations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"GIF<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In an earlier statement<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

The YWNA spokesperson said the organisation was unsurprised by the regulator\u2019s rejection of such a donation, and criticised the council\u2019s proposal to offer so much money as a bounty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe consider this would be improper and could amount to an attempt to interfere with an independent investigation,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWe also consider that such large sums of money would be better spent supporting the tireless work of volunteers in creating the nature reserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnAn aerial view of the nature reserve in Brighton.Joe Armao<\/p>\n

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<\/a> that will bring increased biodiversity into Melbourne\u2019s urban area.<\/p>\n

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.<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite an initially collaborative relationship, the association and the council have since clashed<\/a> over aspects of the reserve and its maintenance.<\/p>\n

\"MattMatt Golding <\/p>\n

Liberal Brighton MP James Newbury has been critical of the council\u2019s treatment of the volunteer group. \u201c[Bayside] Council has forgotten that it serves the community, not sits above it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Newbury added that the former golf course site had grown into an environmental wetland of regional significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reserve is \u2026 a place for the community, a place for wildlife and a place that mitigates flooding through its pond design. It\u2019s a place I love,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A Bayside Council spokesperson said that mediation between the council and YWNA had been initiated, but the expected timeline was confidential.<\/p>\n

The YWNA spokesperson said: \u201cFollowing 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"GemmaGemma Grant<\/a> is a city reporter at The Age. Contact her securely on Signal at gemmagrant.88Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 14, 2026 \u2014 5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[64,63,128,338],"class_list":["post-854278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}