Turtle Nesting Season Is Here!
The first turtle has nested at Mon Repos, and that means one very exciting thing for us here on the Fraser Coast — it's time to start watching our beaches!
Every year, marine turtles undertake remarkable migrations through our coastal waters, with mature females returning to their traditional nesting areas to lay their eggs.
With nesting activity now beginning at Mon Repos near Bundaberg, we are hopeful that it won't be long before we discover the first turtle tracks of the season on our own Fraser Coast beaches.
And we need your help to find them!
An ancient journey along the coast line
For millions of years, marine turtles have been returning to sandy beaches to continue their extraordinary life cycle.Female turtles can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres between their feeding grounds and nesting areas. Remarkably, many return to the same general region where they hatched decades earlier.
As nesting season progresses along the Queensland coast, turtles may begin appearing on our local beaches, including around Hervey Bay and the wider Fraser Coast. Some will emerge from the ocean, carefully make their way up the sand and dig a nest in which to lay their eggs. Others may come ashore and return to the water without nesting.
Every set of tracks tells a story, and every sighting provides valuable information about turtle activity along our coastline.
👣 Become Our Eyes on the Beaches!
You don't need to be a turtle researcher to contribute to marine turtle conservation.
Sometimes the most valuable information comes from local residents enjoying their regular morning beach walk.
If you spot unusual tracks in the sand, signs of digging above the high tide mark, or a turtle coming ashore, please let us know.
What should you look for?
Large, distinctive flipper tracks travelling from the water towards the dunes.
Areas of disturbed or freshly excavated sand.
Tracks showing where a turtle has returned to the ocean.
A turtle emerging from or returning to the water.
If you discover tracks, please leave them undisturbed. A photograph and the beach location can be extremely helpful to our monitoring team.
📞 Have You Seen Turtle Tracks? We Want to Hear From You!
REPORT TURTLE TRACKS OR NESTING ACTIVITY
0417 633 281
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