Blacksmiths students help expand habitat for tiny wallum froglet

8 May 2026

newy.com.au – Blacksmiths Public School students are helping Lake Macquarie City Council expand habitat for the tiny wallum froglet, planting native species to support the survival of an amphibian regarded as an important indicator of coastal ecosystem health.

The wallum froglet is barely bigger than a fingernail, but its presence can reveal much about the condition of fragile coastal environments. The species is known for living in acidic coastal swamps, including areas bordering the Blacksmiths school site, where records of its distinctive high-pitched “beep-beep-beep” call date back to the 1990s.

Council’s Landcare office has partnered with the school to increase frog-friendly habitat, with students planting dozens of native plant species as part of the conservation project.

Landcare Support Officer Wendy Gleen said wallum froglets were unusual because they could survive in acidic coastal swamps, conditions too harsh for many other frog species.

“Records of wallum froglets indicate to us the kind of surrounding environment, and conversely, their disappearance is a key clue that something significant has changed in the ecosystem,” Ms Gleen said.

“It is particularly interesting for Blacksmiths Public School, because the site borders those acidic coastal swamps.”

Ms Gleen said the project would help address known threats to the species, including habitat loss and weed invasion, while also giving students a deeper understanding of the environment around them.

“Blacksmiths Public School has been a leading example of environmentally friendly practices and sustainability in our community, and this is another feather in its cap,” she said.

“One of the identified key threats to the wallum froglet is habitat loss and weed invasion, so the students’ work directly addresses this.”

“But it’s not just about putting plants in the ground. It’s about helping students understand the delicate wallum habitat they live in, species like the wallum froglet that depend on it and how they can help protect and record them.”

“Those records can add to much larger citizen science projects monitoring the health of native flora and fauna right across Australia.”

Blacksmiths Public School Principal Liam Sumbak said environmental stewardship was “just part of who we are”.

“We’ve always made sustainability a big focus, and it’s great to see our students leading the way, especially with our environmental leadership team,” he said.

“We’re proud to be seen as leaders in our community for these efforts, and even prouder of the positive attitude our students bring to caring for the local environment.”

Ms Gleen said members of the public could also contribute to local frog records through the FrogID app.