Gungahlin Gossip – Grease Monkey

Gungahlin Gossip – Grease Monkey

– Sharee Schultz

As a Gungahlin resident, I try to purchase as much as possible at my local shops. Something I encourage, to maintain a thriving suburb! While I shop, I chat with the locals. So I thought, why not interview them and share their stories with the Gungahlin community. Here is one story & watch this space for many more….

 

Interviewing the Locals
Business Name: Grease Monkey
Owner’s Name: Nick Tuckwell
Address: Shop H63/33 Hibberson St.
Phone: 02 6103 0888
Email: gungahlin@greasys.com.au
Website: www.greasys.com.au
Facebook: greasemonkeycanberra

 

Sharee:
Background of the business?

Nick:
Grease Monkey began operating out of our Lonsdale St location since June 2015. Specialising in American style burgers and fried chicken, with a great range of Australian craft beers and wines. We have since become a crowd favourite amongst locals and interstate travellers. Since opening, we have sold close to 1,000,000 burgers and have since added Detroit-style pizza to the menu. We’ve expanded to a food truck and now a venue in Gungahlin!

Sharee:
Products & services you provide?

Nick:
Besides burgers, pizza and beers, we offer our visitors a great space to enjoy those beers or a slice of pizza with some mates. Working closely with The Market Place, we’ve managed to create a little slice of Grease Monkey heaven. We’ve carved out our own spot in a new laneway covered in some of the best street art in the ACT, it makes you feel like you’re tucked away somewhere in Melbourne or Sydney.

We’ve got 6 big screen TV’s, a sound system that’ll blow your hair back and we’re open from 11am til late every night.

Although we’re in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions, we’re still able to cater to dine in, although it’s best you ring ahead to book.

We can’t wait to get this place up and running at full capacity, we think it’ll be one of the best places for a night out in Gungahlin.

 

 

Sharee:
Why set up in Gungahlin?

Nick:
Gungahlin is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. We see the future of the Gungahlin hospitality scene as one to keep an eye on and we would love to be a part of that growth.

There is a great variety in demographics across Gungahlin, with students, young adults and families making up a significant part of the community. Grease Monkey is perfectly suited to the Gungahlin community!

Sharee:
What do you love about the Gungahlin area?

Nick:
Gungahlin has such a diverse community that’s constantly growing. We’re excited to be a part of the landscape here. We hope to grow along with it!

 

The perfect way to get to know the locals is to interview them! Thanks to Nick Tuckwell for allowing me to interview you and teaching me a few things about what your business has to offer.

Until next time, happy shopping…
– Sharee Schultz

Waste and Recycling Services

Waste and Recycling Services

This article provided by  the ACT NoWaste Education Team as a followup to the GCC public meeting 14/10/2020.

Bulky Waste Collections

Bulky waste collections started in Gungahlin and Tuggeranong on 15 July 2020 for ALL households. The existing service for concession card holders is still available in all ACT suburbs.

Book your FREE collection to save yourself a trip to the tip.

If you live in a multi-unit development with a shared waste enclosure, contact your body corporate or managing agent to make a booking and identify a suitable location for placement of the goods for collection.

Households receive a single collection per year of up to two cubic metres for items including damaged furniture and worn out household appliances.

Bulky waste limit is 2 cubic metres

Food Waste

Food waste makes up over 1/3 of what goes in our red bins, and approximately 26,000 tonnes of household food waste goes to the ACT landfill each year.

You’d be forgiven for thinking ‘I’ve got this covered with my chickens and compost bin’ but think again…

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign is all about eating the food that was grown, transported, stored and sold for consumption. It’s about eating food before it goes bad! By rethinking the food we throw away, Canberra households can save up to $3,800 every year off their food bills – that’s up to $73 each week.

Love Food Hate Waste is a part of the ACT’s response to help halving Australia’s food waste by 2030 and aims to help reduce food waste at home with inspiring ideas, recipes, facts and resources to ensure that edible food is not thrown away.

Reducing food waste is as simple as making a meal plan, fine-tuning and sticking to a shopping list, storing food well and using your leftovers. There are webinars and events where you can learn more: Click here to find upcoming webinars and events. https://www.canberraenvironment.org/workshops/

Now that is a recipe for good!

Are you Recycling Right?

Watch the short videos of 6 key tips (https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/recyclopaedia/recycle-right) which highlight recent changes to getting Recycling Right and find out about Canberra’s Recycling Story.  https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/recyclopaedia/canberras-recycling-story

Canberra’s Recycling Story

Waste is a local problem in a global context.

How we avoid, re-use, recycle and dispose of waste is complex and multi-faceted. After reducing and reusing, recycling is the third best option when it comes to effective waste management. It is vital to the development of a circular economy that waste is viewed as a valuable resource to be used again, helping to avoid the use of natural resources and keeping materials out of landfill.

In Canberra we are lucky enough to have established relationships in local markets for much of the recycling collected and sorted at our Materials Recovery Facility, but that is just the part of the solution when it comes to valuing the materials that we rely on every day.

Do you know what is happens to your old glass bottles and jars?

A new collaboration between Icon Water, the ACT Government and Re-Group will turn recycled glass products into sand for local infrastructure projects.

It’s only waste, if you waste it!
ACT NoWaste Education Team

Gungahlin Land Releases 2020-21

Gungahlin Land Releases 2020-21

The availability of land in the ACT is driven by the ACT’s Government Land Release Program. A four-year Indicative Land Release Program  accompany’s each Territory Budget which sets out the Government’s intended land releases of residential, mixed use, commercial, industrial, and community and non-urban land.

The most recent four-year indicative land release program was published on 4 June 2019 covering the period 2019-20 through to 2022-23. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACT budget for 2020-21 (normally scheduled for early June) was postponed until after the ACT Election in October 2020. An August 2020 Economic and Fiscal Update was published on 24 August and this contains an updated Indicative Land Release Program for just 2020-21 (p. 149-153).

The table below shows the differences between the original four-year indicative plan (2019) and the August 2020 update for 2020-21. Some further details on are included for each suburb and the GCC thanks staff from the Surban Land Agency (SLA) and Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) for providing much of this information.

SuburbResidential
Dwellings
Mixed Use AreaCommercialCommunity
As of
August 2020
As of
June 2019
As of
August 2020
As of
June 2019
As of
August 2020
As of
June 2019
As of
August 2020
As of
June 2019
Casey10010024,00024,000
Gungahlin40840822,94010,171
Jacka350
Moncrief90909,2649,20015,47615,400
Taylor5885915,1215,1216,837
Throsby828251,400
Kenny10072,000

Casey

The land expected to be released is two large blocks along Kingsland Parade – blocks 12, 13 of section 132 Casey. Although zoned as commercial, they are part of an arrangement associated with the development of the Casey group centre, outlined in a MyGungahlin article in 2018. Essentially these two blocks will be serviced by the developer of the Casey group centre and then handed back to the ACT government for community use. EPSDD are going through a process of consultation to determine what these community uses might be – an early insight on the “needs analysis”  part of this consultation was provided at the GCC’s February 2020 meeting. The 100 residential dwellings would be part of this development.

Gungahlin

The large commercal site included in the land release program in 2019-20 (Block 1 Section 228 Gungahlin) is not expected to be brought to market in 2020-21. This site is zoned commercial, but with the option of community use and is currently being used as a car park.

The mixed use developments are unchanged from last year, and are made up of blocks 3, 5 and 6 of section 249 Gungahlin. Notably, Block 6 extends to the proposed linear park. Planning for the linear park will include a consultation commencing after the ACT Election to be undertaken by the SLA. With the potential increase in the number of residential dwellings in the town centre, the GCC would like to see the scale of the linear park, and other green space in the town centre, expanded.

Jacka

The release of 350 dwellings in Jacka won’t happen in 2020-21 – the Development Application for the next phase of Jacka was only submitted in July 2020. The GCC had some concerns with this DA including that it

  • Failed to address the significance of the Elm Grove heritage listing,
  • Proposes significant loss of Trees and Woodland, and
  • Poorly consulted with the community.

These article might also be of interest – Jacka development’s heritage impact on Elm Grove catastrophic, says report

Moncrief

No change for Moncrief with the focus on the likely sale of the blocks that will form the group centre located on Horse Park Drive (Blocks 1 and 2, Section 22). Eactly how these sites will be brought to market is yet to be determined (separately, together, etc.). It’s likely that a supermarket will be included, as well as at least 90 residential dwellings in the mixed use site (lighter blue).

Taylor

Obviously a large number of residential dwellings are scheduled to come to market in Taylor, as well as the commercial site that will form the Taylor local centre. The community site is for the proposed Hindu temple.

Throsby

The headline change for Throsby is the the new primary school for which the Development Application was lodged in July 2020. The school will cater for 450 kindergarten to year 6 students plus 123 preschool students, with space to grow with the population, and is expected to be opened in 2022.

Kenny

The suburb of Kenny is the last suburb planned for Gungahlin. The ACT territory plans shows Kenny as it was originally planned to be prior to the Gungahlin Strategic Assessment (first picture below). As a result of the assessment, the decision to create an additonal environmental offset reserve, and the physical constraints of the remaining area, Kenny will be much smaller. Detailed planning for Kenny is currently underway, but the site for the Kenny high school has been confirmed, and it’s construction is proceeding ahead of the rest of suburb, and is expected to be completed in time for the 2023 school year.

 

 

5 Reasons to Don a Mask and Shop Local

5 Reasons to Don a Mask and Shop Local

– Gina Kingston – BeYouTifulStyle

With the advent of COVID-19 Australian’s have embraced online shopping to the extent that our letters are delivered less frequently so that more parcels can be delivered.

 

While on-lining shopping may assist with physical distancing, here are five reasons to don a mask, sanitise your hands and shop local; while physical distancing of course.

The first two are concerned with the limitations of online shopping, which the next three are reasons to stay local.

 

1. To know what you are getting
As an image and style consultant, I am all too aware of the difference between the online impressions and the reality when the final product arrives.

Colours can be faded, warmed, cooled or saturated so that you cannot tell the colour. Images can be enhanced, and design flaws hidden in online photographs.

You can’t tell how an item purchased online is going to feel. You don’t know if that beautiful blanket is going to be as soft as it looks, or how well that coffee cup will sit in the palm of your hand. Some things are better bought in person.

Take, for example, clothes. There are no standard sizes in clothes (and rightly so as we come in all different shapes and sizes) so getting a good fit requires trying things on in person.

While you can return online purchases, it isn’t a free solution. We pay for it with increased costs, more transportation emissions, and delays until we get what we were after.

 

 

2. Delays in overseas shipping
Many online purchases come from overseas. Due to reduced international flights, it can be hit and miss as to how quickly items from overseas are delivered.

The Australia Post website says, “There are still delays to all international destinations because of the impacts of COVID-19, including due to airline capacity and in-country delivery impacts”. My experience is that the same is true for items shipped from overseas.

If you want an item now, you are better buying local to make sure you get it in time.

 

3. To support local shops and keep jobs in Gungahlin
Gungahlin is coming of age as a community. Residents have invested time and effort to bring jobs to Gungahlin so that we don’t have to travel all over town to shop. We now have multiple supermarkets and department stores, a selection of boutique stores, and a variety of restaurants, hardware, pet and craft stores.

Shopping local helps keep the shops you buy from in business and with that local jobs. From the cafe where the workers spend their lunch or coffee break, to the local tax accountant, to the repairman who does odd jobs for the store, to the supply chain they use to source their goods.

As the ACT COVID-19 website says: “When you choose to support one local business, you are supporting the broader community”.

 

4. To minimise travel
Stage four restrictions in Melbourne required everyone to wear masks and shop within a 5km radius of their homes. While we are fortunate not to have this level of restrictions in place in Canberra at the moment, shopping local is a good habit.

It minimises travel, saves on petrol, and lets you get to know your local stores.

Shopping at your local Gungahlin supermarket, butcher and deli all assist with reducing the potential for transmission should COVID-19 reach Canberra again.

 

5. To grow our community
Finally, the most important reason for shopping local is to grow our community.

Going to the shops and supporting local business is not just about keeping jobs in Gungahlin, staying safe, or getting what you want when you want it, it is about keeping our community alive and growing. When we can’t travel to see friends and loved ones, being part of a community becomes more critical.

Shopping local lets you say hello to friends, smile at strangers, and generally, give yourself, and other people feel a sense of belonging.

It is these small things that will help us get through these unusual times.

 

As Helen Keller said: “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much”.

Gungahlin Cinema and DHA Office Parking Decisions

Gungahlin Cinema and DHA Office Parking Decisions

The Development Applications (DAs) for both the Gungahlin Cinema complex (DA 201936502) and Defence Housing Australia (DHA) office block (DA 201936603) were both recently approved. In both cases the proponent (ie. the developer) included significantly fewer car parking spaces in their plans for each development than required by the ACT Government’s Parking and Vehicle Access Code (PVAC) as summarised below:

Development Description
(Linked to Notice of Decision)
Development Application NumberParking Spaces ProposedParking Spaces Required by PVAC
Gungahlin Cinema Complex
"two storey building, approximately 117 car parking spaces, ground level commercial space, upper level cinema space"
201936502117416
DHA Office Building
"three-storey commercial building comprising of five retail spaces on ground level, office space on the upper levels, ground and basement level car parking, bicycle facilities, an awning encroachment over Hibberson Street verge and Hinder Street verge, landscaping"
20193660390142

The Notices of Decision for these DAs explain why these decisions were made:

Cinema DA

– The PVAC is inequitable in that it requires 1 space per 4 seats for cinemas in town centres and 1 space per 12 seats in the city centre (equal to 136 spaces).
– The proposal is adjacent to a light rail stop and existing car parking spaces. The peak usage of the cinema will be after hours and at the weekend, when demand for parking from surrounding commercial uses will be reduced.
– The Gungahlin community has been anticipating a cinema on this site for a considerable time. The applicant has made it clear the development may not be viable if additional parking is required.

DHA Building DA

… justifiable given the proximity of the site to public transport networks including a light rail stop directly adjacent to the development

Mark Scarborough (MyGungahlin) and the GCC approached the Minister for Planning and the Planning Directorate as we were concerned these decisions were not consistent with published policy (PVAC), would set a precedent for other developnments, and unfairly impact existing developments that have provided parking.

We received a response from the Minister for Planning and a response from the Dircector-General of Planning – the major points from this second letter are:

  • the PVAC is not a rules-based code. Section 1.4 of the PVAC “provides the flexibility to enable a proposal to be supported when the proponent can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Territory that the objectives can be met by either the provision of a lesser on-site rate or by utilising spare capacity in publicly available on-street or off-street parking”
  • the Directorate’s analysis indicates there are approximately 4,100 parking spaces within the town centre available comprising both public and private spaces. A weekday survey of undertaken in late 2019 indicated was a 65% utilisation of short-stay places and a 57% utilisation of long-stay places.

The GCC has sought more information about this parking survey and hope to faciliate a further update from EPSDD at our October meeting regarding parking and traffic flow in the town centre.

Image of DHA and Cinema development (from DA 201936603)

Our Future Gungahlin Hindu Temple

Our Future Gungahlin Hindu Temple

– Ralitsa Dimitrova

 

 

 

 

 

It has been a long time since the concept for building a Hindu temple (Mandir) with a large community facility in Gungahlin has been conceived. There have been long years of hard work, extensive public consultation, fundraising, and numerous volunteers devoting their time to the idea. Today I am pleased to introduce the person who brings many community groups together and provides the leadership throughout the different stages of the temple planning, Dr Krishna Nadimpalli OAM. Over the years Krishna’s social leadership qualities and devotion have inspired many volunteers in the process of uniting efforts to complete their mission Gungahlin to become the home of a remarkable Hindu temple.

Who is Dr Krishna Nadimpalli?
I am an environmental scientist by profession and a passionate community advocate by heart. I am the founder and leader of multiple community organisations including the Federation of Indian Associations of ACT (FINACT). In 2019 I was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for promoting multiculturalism in ACT. Over the years I have received multiple awards including the “ACT Multicultural Advocate of the Year” in 2015 and the “ACT Outstanding Volunteer of the Year” in 2017. I am also the initiator of the project for the construction of a Hindu temple in Gungahlin, in the suburb of Moncrieff.

 

How was the idea conceived?
The idea to have a temple in Gungahlin for the Hindu practitioners-residents was existing for a long time. Gungahlin is the fastest growing suburban area in Australia and is also a home to many multiethnic groups. Currently there are around five thousand Hindus living in the area. The idea to build a temple was picked up in 2014 by the Spiritual Master Shri Chandrabhanu Satpathy during his visit in Canberra.

 

When did the project commence?
The Canberra Hindu Mandir Incorporated was formally registered in May 2014. The first activity under this banner was to lodge an application with at that time Land Development Authority to identify and allocate the land. Many volunteers and trustees joined the project to raise funds and resources required for the facility construction, which will be built by the community and for the community.

What are the challenges faced during the different stages of this project?
The project has faced several challenges such as:

  • The time period of six years taken for the identification of land during which it was a challenge to keep the community engaged.
  • Community engagement and involvement in planning and fundraising activities
  • Raising funds for building the entire temple. We have taken a staged approach to ensure we have enough funds for each phase with four phases in total.

 

What are the capacity and the amenities which the temple will offer to worshipers?
The temple is designed to focus on the social and physical environment and be in harmony with the surroundings. The facility will be built in compliance to the ACT Government Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate guidelines and regulation.
It will be a hub for spiritual progression as well as practicing religious rituals aligned with the Hinduism principles based on Sanatana Dharma such as compassion, harmony, inclusiveness, respect and tolerance. In addition, there will be a community hall, canteen and a parking that can be used for different events such as weddings, community events, meditation, yoga, ethnic language and Vedic classes. The community hall will be open to all communities subject to terms and conditions of the facility. Its capacity will be 300 people while the shrine will accommodate 200 people. At any given time, the facility will have a capacity to host 500 people.
Providing free food to the homeless and the general community is a big part of the Hindu tradition. Therefore, free food will be served once a week to visitors from every community. The canteen will have a kitchen big enough to cook and serve food to 500 people.

 

When is the project expected to be completed?
The project was originally planned to commence in October 2020. However, due to the current situation the completion of the Development Application (DA) will significantly postpone our construction commencement.
Phase 1 of the project is expected to commence its construction activities late 2020 and to be completed by October 2021. Phase 1 will be focused on the central shrine dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba, the kitchen and amenities. Phase 2 will see the completion of the shrine dedicated to Lord Siva and his family, while Phase 3 will complete the construction of the shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu and family. The entire temple is expected to be completed by 2026. The landscape and gardening will take place in parallel to each phase of the construction.

 

Will the temple be open for the general public visitors and people who would like to know more about the Hinduism as a religion and worshiping practice? 
The temple will be open to everyone who respects and follows the principles of Hinduism. In addition, the facility will have a library which will be open to the general public interested in the Hindu culture and way of life. There will be dance, music and language classes, meditation, yoga and spiritual discourses open to the communities with an inclination to learn about the Hinduism, its religious teaching and practices, or to do a research.

The Future of the Gungahlin Town Centre

The Future of the Gungahlin Town Centre

More than three years ago, in November 2016, the Gungahlin Community Council (GCC) raised these concerns with the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) based on strong community feedback regarding the high-rise residential developments at the Western edge of the Town Centre including Geocon’s Infinity Towers and Mezzo, Ruby, Lumi, Jade, the Establishment and others. EPSDD acknowledged that the multiple high rise developments were inconsistent with the objectives of the Gungahlin Town Centre planning rules, and initiated the Gungahlin Town Centre Planning Refresh as a response.

  • The scope of the Refresh was limited to
  • building height and character,
  • upgrading and enhancing public spaces and
  • walking, cycling and road transport.

It undertook a range of community consultation processes, including an online survey, street stalls, dropins and a facilitated workshop. The results were published online, presented at GCC meetings and the Community Engagement report and subsequent Snapshot report captured the community’s views pretty well. However, one of the key recommendations in the Snapshot seemed at odds with the community’s feedback. The Snapshot itself states that currently for the Gungahlin East precinct:

Residential development is prohibited. This provision was put in place in response to significant community desire for more employment in the town centre in 2010.
The Gungahlin community has consistently consistently supported this position – 58% of residents indicated they wanted no more residential development in the town centre in the GCC’s 2019 Community Survey. Nevertheless, the Refresh recommendations for the Gungahlin East include:

  • Remove the existing Territory Plan restriction on residential uses, which will allow mixed uses.

This recommendation was included in Draft Variation 364 (DV364) to the Territory Plan released in October 2019, along with other changes of significant concern to the GCC. Although the issues of building height have been addressed, arguably after the horse has bolted for the the developments in the western precinct, DV364:

  • Proposes changing all of the Eastern precinct to mixed use (ie. predominantly residential)
  • Removes references to the role and importance of the town centre
  • Substantially reduces the amount of land reserved for commercial (office) use
  • Changes how space for community facilities will be provided
  • Removes references to the overall plan for transport infrastructure including roads, walking and cycling

The changes proposed in DV364 do not have the support of the GCC as they entrench the notion of Gungahlin as a dormitory district with a small employment base and limited services as detailed below. We have raised our concerns with EPSDD, the Planning minister Mick Gentleman, numerous media outlets and with Yerrabi MLA’s seeking the support of the ACT government to explore active mechanisms to develop/attract more commercial interest in Gungahlin.

 

Converting the ACT Natural Gas Network to Renewables

Converting the ACT Natural Gas Network to Renewables

ACT Gas MeterEvoEnergy is investigating ways to convert the Natual Gas Infrastructure to renewable gas. Renewable gas comes from the conversion of organic waste to methane and hydrogen produced from renewable electricity. The investigation includes an experimental project at the Fyshwick CIT campus. Members of the ACT Energy Consumer Reference Council (ECRC) received a briefing and toured the facilities. The following are some questions and answers from the briefing.

Is there a website with more information?
www.futurefuelscrc.com has extensive background information.
Sign up to EvoEnergy portal and send your questions directly to Evoenergy.
portal.evoenergy.com.au

How important is Natural Gas to ACT consumers?
During the winter Natural Gas supplies two-thirds of the energy used by households in the ACT. Replacing gas with electricity would require an expensive upgrade of the electricity network and electricity is more expensive than using natural gas for heating.

Can the Natural Gas Network use gas from Renewable sources?
The test facility at Fyshwick is investigating whether the existing gas network can use hydrogen. The early indications are that the ACT gas network can handle hydrogen as most of the network is made from plastic pipes. The network can use 10% hydrogen without any change and can use methane from renewable sources without change.

Are there precedents for changing from one form of gas to another?
Before natural gas, the gas networks in Australian cities used town gas. Town gas was created from coal and has different properties compared to natural gas. The town gas networks were converted successfully.

Could households generate their own hydrogen for their own use?
They could but it would be more expensive and more dangerous. It would be better to install neighborhood or town conversion facilities and use the gas network to deliver the hydrogen.

What are some of the issues with using Hydrogen instead of natural gas?
Hydrogen is odourless and leaks are difficult to detect. However, hydrogen is lighter than air while natural gas is heavier and so leaking gas does not accumulate. Hydrogen can be mixed with methane that has an odour and so it is easier to detect leaks. When the gas consists of more than 10% hydrogen appliance burners have to be replaced or adjusted.

 

The Frogs of Gungahlin

The Frogs of Gungahlin

– Anke Maria Hoefer
Frog Watch Coordinator

Perons Tree FrogWhile many activities are on hold at the moment, we still have plenty of options to keep ourselves busy and engaged. A great way of getting active is a walk – on your own or with a walking buddy keeping an appropriate distance – to your local wetland or creek. With a bit of luck, you will hear some frogs calling in their desire to find a mate, triggered by the recent rains. Many different frog species call Gungahlin their home and the Mulligans Flat area and the Forde Wetland are amongst the frog-hotspots in Canberra. Most other wetlands, ponds, dams and the beautiful Ginninderra Creek provide important habitat for our local frogs, which is much needed to support these amazing animals.

 

Litoria-peroniiSimilar to the human COV-19 Pandemic, frogs are threatened globally by a fungal skin disease, called chytridiomycosis, or chytrid fungus for short. In Australia alone, over 40 frog species have significantly declined over the past decades and 13 species have become extinct or are almost extinct. Scientists all around the world are studying the impact of the chytrid fungus and potential mitigation processes.

 

Neobatrachus sudelli amplexusWe as a community can help as well by minimizing any additional threats to our local frogs, creating and protecting good frog-habitat, and admiring these creatures from afar. Spotting a frog is not an easy task as they are mostly nocturnal = active at night, and very well camouflaged. However, hearing a frog is much easier, especially after dark, and can be done by anyone. And it is getting even better: each frog species has a different call! So, by learning the calls of your local frogs you will be able to identify the frogs that live in your local wetland/creek.

 

Now is the perfect time to get started. With the arrival of cooler temperatures and shorter days, the frog activities are winding down for winter, only to get back into full swing in late winter/early spring.

In the ACT we have only two frog species that call during the cold winter months .

1. the Common Eastern froglet (Crinia signifera), which sounds like crick-crick-crick, sometimes described as a ratchet, and

2. the Whistling Tree Frog (Litoria verreauxii) with its series of whistling sounds weeeee-weeeee-weeeee.

 

Dalton Frog spawnOnce the warmer days return, one species after the other will re-emerge and start calling. When things are in full swing you might be able to hear up to eight species calling at a pond. We shall introduce these to you in due time.

 

 

 

 

 

PobblebonkThe FrogWatch Program, run by the Ginninderra Catchment Group, teaches people how to identify frog species and how to help monitor these awesome creatures. The program runs an annual October FrogCensus across the Capital Region.

 

If you would like to become a FrogWatcher, please contact Anke Maria, the Frogwatch Coordinator (frogwatch@ginninderralandcare.org.au, 62783309)