Our new look Gulf Croaker magazine is out now. We’ve given it a make-over – a fresh new look and plenty of stories about the people and places of our beautiful Gulf region.
You can contact us if you’d like to subscribe for the print edition, or you can download the online edition by clicking on the photo of the cover here.
When we began the Croaker make-over, we asked “why is it called the Croaker?” We were all pretty certain it was a frog reference, but which one, and why?
We’ve been able to track down the story.
Our newsletter was started by the late Val Speedy, of Innot Hot Springs, who chose one of our burrowing frogs for its name and logo. We think it’s the Green Striped Burrowing Frog, Cyclorana alboguttata.
We found this explanation in an old newsletter.
“I was chosen as the logo for this newsletter, as my cousins and I can relate to, and speak for, all different people who live in the Gulf. Our chorus hails the coming rains for the local Indigenous people. These same rains replenish our land for our graziers and our sea for our fishing industry. We burrow underground for survival like the miners. The tourists love us. Well, most do, and take our photo to show people back home. Our children have played together since time immemorial .
“If we are here the land is healthy, the water is clean, and the fish thrive. We are strong and can endure droughts and floods, like all true Aussies. We look different but we live in and love the same piece of Australia.”
The Green Striped Burrowing Frog is a large species, reaching eight centimetres in length, with brown or olive-green back and brown patches or a pale green or brown stripe. They lay egg clusters near dams and flooded ditches. Tadpoles swim in schools, taking up to eight weeks to become frogs.
Burrowing, also known as aestivation, is a common survival method among frogs and turtles, who can stay underground for long periods to avoid heat or predators.
We’re proud to have our frog continue in its inspirational role with our new look Gulf Croaker magazine. We hope you enjoy it. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future editions.