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Peter Johnson’s frogarium frog zoo plan back at Bonville, Coffs Harbour

The excitement was short lived when the world’s first frogarium right here in Coffs Harbour had to close less than a year after opening. See what went wrong and what new plans are underway.

Frog eats snake

After a decade-long battle to get the right approvals the opening of the world’s first frogarium right here in Coffs Harbour was met with huge interest back in December 2019.

But the excitement was short lived, and with Covid placing social distancing rules that couldn’t be met within the three-tiered pavilion on the highway at Bonville‘s Garden Mania nursery, it was forced to close within a year of opening.

Not one to be defeated, Peter Johnson immediately started looking for an alternative location and settled on a seven-acre property at 3 Herdegen Close Bonville and has submitted plans for what he says will be a bigger and better frogarium.

Peter Johnson with a Giant Barred Frog.
Peter Johnson with a Giant Barred Frog.

Helping to bankroll the venture is his Banana Coast Seafood at the jetty area with another store opening soon at Toormina.

The frog breeder of 40 years doesn’t like to call it a frog zoo – he describes it as an educational facility and that’s what it’s listed as in Coffs Harbour City Council’s development application tracker.

The development has been on public exhibition with submissions closing on May 27 but Peter is confident it will get the tick of approval.

“We went to a pre-DA meeting and we’ve done all the assessments for bushfire and koala habitat and it’s looking good.”

He said “fingers crossed” the application will go through and the new facility will be open in time for Christmas this year.

Peter has six shipping containers ready to be put in place. They will form the basis of the frogarium with a large dome over the top.

Magnificent tree frogs at the previous frogarium at the Garden Mania nursery.
Magnificent tree frogs at the previous frogarium at the Garden Mania nursery.

When the previous facility closed he moved the resident frogs (500 is his best estimate) back to the 20 big tanks at his house without losing any.

Peter has been breeding frogs for about 40 years and is the only person who has ever managed to breed the Giant Barred Frog in captivity.

Papers submitted as part of the application state the primary function of the $497,000 facility is to educate two distinct groups of people:

-The general public, to increase awareness of the importance of native frogs to ecosystems and to identify a native frog from introduced pest species (cane toads).

– Students (school and university) scientists and ecologists.

The building footprint will be approximately 1,000 square metres including the indoor and outdoor frog enclosures.

It will include a reception building, including visitor information, accessible amenities and souvenirs; an education room; the frogarium enclosures (indoor and outdoor); and a kiosk/coffee shop.

The site adjoins Pine Creek Way (the old highway) where there are a number of tourist destinations, including the Butterfly House, Paintball and the Bonville International Golf Club.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/coffs-harbour/peter-johnsons-frogarium-frog-zoo-plan-back-at-bonville-coffs-harbour/news-story/41ef11918793787de9fc41c645844132