8 April 2025, Shellharbour: Today, the Australian Museum and Stockland unveiled the FrogID Touring Exhibition, a new initiative dedicated to raising awareness of frogs and their vital role in the environment. Featuring interactive elements such as frog calls, soundscapes and a First Nations story of how the frog acquired its call, the FrogID Touring Exhibition will travel to four Stockland retail town centres across New South Wales and Queensland from April to July 2025.
Comprising three modular "pods," the FrogID Touring Exhibition will help educate and inform Stockland customers about why frogs matter and how we can help protect them. The exhibition features frogs from the local areas and visitors will also have the chance to win a $10k Luxury Sydney Wildlife Getaway prize at Taronga Wildlife Retreat and Pullman Sydney Hyde Park, private tours of the Australian Museum and Taronga Zoo as well as $1,500 cash.
Australian Museum Director & CEO, Kim McKay AO, said presenting the FrogID Touring Exhibition in a bustling retail environment allows the museum to connect with new audiences and raise awareness about the local frog populations, such as the threatened Green and Golden Bell frog, which can still be found in Shellharbour.
"As the nation's first museum, we are committed to accessibility and community engagement. Through our long-term partnership with Stockland, we aim to bring scientific discovery and environmental awareness directly to the public in their everyday life, making learning more accessible and impactful," McKay said.
"Along with frog calls and videos, the FrogID Touring Exhibition features a story from the First Nations community adding a valuable cultural layer and highlighting their deep knowledge and connection to the natural world," McKay added.
Senior Centre Manager, Stockland Shellharbour, Dean Young said the eight-year Stockland partnership with the Australian Museum has added great value to the customer experience.
"Interactive and immersive experiences, like the FrogID Touring Exhibition, take the traditional shopping trip to a level that cannot be found online, providing visitors to the centre a taste of the museum and nurturing curious minds – young and old," Mr Young said.
"These types of special events are pivotal in delivering unique moments that draw people in, resonate with families and children, and enhance their overall visit to the centre in a way that is entertaining, educational and great fun."
FrogID is the Australian Museum's national frog count and scientific rescue mission that everyone can join. Led by Australian Museum's principal herpetologist, Dr Jodi Rowley, the free FrogID phone app takes advantage of the fact that each frog has a unique call - some frogs chirp, others bark and some even whistle. By recording these frog calls, users can identify the frogs and help put them on the Australian map.
Dr Rowley said the Australian Museum's FrogID Touring exhibition aims to raise the community's awareness to help us save our frogs.
"Frogs are vital components of healthy ecosystems and are sensitive indicators of environmental health - put simply, healthy frogs mean a healthy environment. Frogs are also important for human health and wellbeing, with frogs consuming enormous amounts of insects including those that attack our crops and helping keep mosquito numbers down thereby reducing your chance of contracting mosquito-borne diseases," Dr Rowley added.
