Billabong renewal

Dandenong Creek once took a windy and sinuous path across the floodplains of Bayswater. In 1967, the former Dandenong Valley Authority attempted to control flooding by straightening the creek.

While this helped stem flooding, it also resulted in the loss of billabongs along the creek. These are important habitats for native fish, frogs, water bugs and birds, as they hold water for extended periods.

There is still evidence of the old creek bed and adjacent billabongs today, often as wet, marshy or low-lying areas. To enhance these remnant billabongs and improve the biodiversity of the creek and surrounding environment, Melbourne Water has been working with Maroondah and Knox councils.

Next time you're out walking along the creek, see if you can find evidence of the old creek bed and adjacent billabongs.

Managing frog populations to raise awareness of waterway health issues

Since 2017, First Friends of Dandenong Creek and the Living Links program have been using our Frog Census app to conduct frog census monitoring.

And the results speak for themselves.

In just one year, between 2017-18, these frog champions collected over twice as much frog data than the amount collected over the previous 20 years!

The 197 frog reports submitted show an extended distribution for some species (Vic Smooth Frog, Striped Marsh Frog) and the appearance of new species (Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog). Other species include the Spotted Marsh Frog, Eastern Common Froglet, Southern Brown Tree Frog, and the Eastern Banjo Frog.

This massive increase in data allows Melbourne Water to better understand what species are likely to colonise our recently completed billabong enhancement and creek daylighting works. It also shows how useful the frog census app has been as a tool of identification; regular frog monitoring has not only allowed the Friends to identify frog hotspots in their area and build their on-ground knowledge of key habitats. There has also been a noticeable improvement in report accuracy.