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Friends of the Glebe Gully

FRROGs

FRROGs (Friends Residents/Ratepayers of Orphan School Creek Gully) is a local community group and until 2002 was a subcommittee of The Glebe Society Inc. Formed in 1994, FRROGs' primary focus is to enhance the natural habitat qualities of the Orphan School Creek Gully in Forest Lodge. This wild site of dense vegetation provides tranquil leafy resite from the surrounding urban area.

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The current landform and vegetation characterise many degraded areas of the urban landscape. Vegetation is predominantly introduced with exotic species including lantana and invasive weeds. Steep banks of landfill pushed onto the original Gully in about 1925 skirt the original course of the Orphan School Creek, which was then diverted, into Sydney Water stormwater pipes underground.

FRROGs bird surveys and fauna identification walks have shown diverse numbers of native resident and migratory birds in the Gully. Small native birds such as blue wrens have found safe habitat and resource in the lantana.

Fauna such as bats, brushtail possums, reptiles including frogs and the Southern Leaf tail Gecko also use the Gully.

The Gully is sited in the green corridor leading to the Open Space and parklands of Rozelle Bay and connects Leichhardt Council's green space with an identified potential green corridor within the boundaries of South Sydney City Council.

South Sydney City and Leichhardt Councils are working in partnership with Sterling Estates (developer of the former Children's Hospital site at Camperdown) and FRROGs, using a National Trust strategy, to restore the Gully to a bushland habitat by increasing diversity and protecting small native birds and other fauna in the local area.