Discover Turtles at
MON REPOS By Jessica Palmer
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Memorable Experience for the Whole Family on Queensland’s Coral Coast!
‘’Who remembers what kind of turtle this is?’’ the ranger asked the kids, the majority of who were sitting on their knees in the sand around her. It’s past bed-time for most of the kids here, but despite this, my seven-year-old quickly recalled the answer. ‘’A Loggerhead!’’ he yelled out excitedly. Shuffling over to me, he asked in a whisper, ‘’Do you think I’ll get to hold one of the eggs?’’ Before I could answer, my daughter (aged four) whispered excitedly, ‘’Can I hold one too?’’ Luckily for them, they did indeed get to hold a turtle egg! The mother turtle laid all 145 of her eggs a little close to the high tide line so to maximise the chance of survival for the hatchlings, the rangers decided to move them higher up in the dunes. We all had the opportunity to carry an egg about 15 metres further up the beach. The checkout operator at Aldi, the fuel station cashier and countless other random strangers were all treated to random turtle facts by the kids for weeks afterwards. Heading out on a nightly turtle encounter tour at Mon Repos is a memorable experience for the whole family and should definitely be added to your Australian bucket list! Each year, from November to March, you too can join Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers at the Mon Repos Turtle Centre near Bundaberg on a guided tour to watch nesting and hatching marine turtles. The nesting occurs from November to January and the hatchlings emerge from January to March. Mon Repos is a globally-significant site, supporting the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern mainland of Australia. As the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region, the success of the nesting and hatching at Mon Repos is critical to the survival of this endangered species.
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Top & Right: Hatchlings - Photo: Tourism & Events Queensland
What to Expect on the Night A shuttle bus will take your family from the Mon Repos car park to the new $22 million world-class turtle centre where you will be placed in your Turtle Encounters group for the night. The rangers go out to “do the rounds’’ and when turtle activity is found, return to take the groups out one-by-one. While you wait your turn, there is plenty to do in the Mon Repos Turtle Centre. Here you can learn about turtles with interactive exhibits or just enjoy the cafe and gift shop. The interactive exhibits are family-friendly, modern and feature a Junior Discovery zone. The kids can also read books or play with kinetic sand in a standup sandbox. The adventure really begins when the ranger returns for your group! Feeling your way down a wooden boardwalk to the beach in the dark is all part of the adventure. It’s important to turn off all lights, including mobile phones, as the light confuses the turtles. In the nesting season from November to January, you will witness the mother turtle lay her eggs, averaging 120 130 at a time.
