The 2023/2024 Turtle Season is almost here! Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounter Tours will run from Monday 6th November 2023 to Sunday 17th March 2024.
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The 2023/2023 Turtle Season is almost here! Tickets for this years Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounters will go on sale at 10am on Friday 1st September 2023.
Mon Repos Turtle Tours will run from 6th November 2023 - 17th March 2024 (subject to change) excluding nights 24, 25 and 31 December.
• Tickets for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service's Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounter will be on sale on Friday 1st September 2023 at 10am - so be sure to set your alarms and add this to your calendar.
• From 9.25am on 1 September 2023, visitors to our website will enter a pre-sale page in order to allow for a smooth sailing ticket release. From 10am, users will then be moved to a virtual waiting room, which will let you know your place in the queue and estimated wait time. This queue is completely fair, and works on a first come, first served basis. We've taken these steps to ensure this process can be as cruisy as possible, so savor your delicious morning coffee and sit tight while you wait to be one step closer to booking your turtle-y awesome experience.
• Be prepared! Gather your nest-mates and book your group as one booking/transaction on the day. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate requests for separate turtle ticket bookings to be grouped together, so we encourage you to all book in one transaction.
• As this experience is largely popular, it may be handy to have a few different dates in mind when it comes to selecting your Mon Repos Turtle Encounter date. We suggest creating a list of your 4 preferred dates just in case these get snapped up.
• Have your card at the ready. Once you've progressed to the payment section, you can easily enter in your details, press confirm and then secure your booking.
• If you experience website issues on the day, please contact our team on 1300 722 099, or message us via the Visit Bundaberg Facebook page.
• If your preferred dates are unavailable and you cannot find another date to visit, be sure to add your details to the Turtle Wait List, and our team will get in contact if a spot becomes available. The waitlist will become available once tickets have gone on sale.
• With the Southern Great Barrier Reef just a stone's throw away, be sure to tick these adventures off your bucket list while in town.
Prior to your visit, please ensure you read Mon Repos Turtle Centre’s Conditions of Entry here.
The Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounters start from 6.30pm. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers and the Centre’s Volunteers will greet you on arrival to check-in. Group allocations are made before this time so it doesn’t matter where you are in the cue. It is important that you arrive on time to ensure that you are onsite for when your group is called for turtle activity, which can happen early in the night, or sometimes you can be waiting for a number of hours.
While Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers search the beach for turtles, take the time to enjoy the interpretive displays, immersive theatre and browse through the gift shop. As this is a natural experience, the turtles are not known for their time management skills, you could experience wait times of up to 5 hours, so bring a book, playing cards and other activities to keep the whole family entertained while waiting for turtles.
Food and drinks are available for purchase at the Turtle Centre between 5.00pm til late at the on-site Milbi Cafe, seven days a week. The Milbi Cafe will offer a variety of light dishes, snack and sweets with a boost of native flavours to tickle your taste buds! Oh and of course a barista ready to give you your caffeine fix! You are also more than welcome to bring your own food on the night. With conservation at the forefront of our mission, help protect the turtles by choosing sustainable packaging for your snacks when visiting the Centre. We also encourage you to bring your own reusable water bottle and make use of the water refill station in the Turtle Centre.
Once the turtles arrive, Rangers will call your group and guide you onto the beach—where the adventure truly begins.
Occasionally turtles do not arrive—while this is unusual, we can’t guarantee you will see nesting turtles or hatchlings.
During the Turtle Encounter, you will be asked to stay with your family or social group whilst on the beach as much as possible. You will not be able to touch the turtle or hatchlings.
Within the Mon Repos Turtle Centre:
o Day opening hours: 9 am to 2 pm, seven days a week
o Good hygiene practices are in place and we are cleaning more frequently.
o Social Distancing rules apply throughout the centre.
o Protect yourself and others:
- Do not visit if you are unwell
- Practise social distancing and good hygiene
- Make cashless payments.
Mon Repos Conservation Park plays a critical role in saving the lives of turtles. As the only Ranger-guided turtle encounter on the East Coast and home to the largest turtle rookery for nesting loggerhead turtles in the South Pacific, Mon Repos Rangers ensure nesting and hatching turtles are not negatively affected by light or human interference.
While it is unlikely you may come across a nesting or hatching turtle on our other coastal beaches, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ask that you please abide by the below turtle viewing guidelines to ensure the survival of these turtles is not compromised.
NESTING (November – January):
•You can help nesting turtles by staying off the beaches from 6pm through to dawn.
• During the nesting process, mother turtles are easily disturbed by light and movement. When mother turtles begin to leave the water, making their way up the beach and upon digging their nest, the slightest movement or light can make them stop and turn back to the sea.
• If you see a mother turtle leaving the water, be sure to stay still and keep clear of her path up the sandy dunes. As turtles’ nest at night, it will be dark. It is important that you do not turn any torches or light on during the nesting process.
• Once the mother turtle has made her way to her nesting spot, she will begin to dig her nest. It is important that you stay clear and do not use any artificial light that may disturb her.
• Once the mother turtle has completed digging her egg chamber, she will then begin to lay between 100-150 eggs. This process taking between 20min. It is important that you maintain distance until she is completed.
• As she makes her way along the beach, it is important not to disturb her journey back to the sea. Continue maintaining your distance, be sure to keep lighting off as this may disorientate her.
HATCHING (late-January to late-March):
•You can help hatching turtles by staying off the beaches from 6pm through to dawn.
• If you stumble across an emerging hatching nest, it is important to keep clear as emerging hatchlings underneath the sand make their way to the surface. If you are too close, you may damage the nest by pushing sand into their cavern risking the hatching turtles below from reaching the surface.
• DO NOT have any light or torches on as hatchlings become very disoriented by light making their journey to sea more challenging. Therefore, no photo’s with flash or emitting lights should be used.
• Do not handle the hatchlings at any time. They are not toys. They use environmental cues and rhythms to help them make their way down the beach.
• Once the hatchlings reach the water, it is important to continue not using lights. Once they are in the ocean, hatchlings are still susceptible to being confused by lights which may keep them closer to the shore where fish and other dangers await.
For more information about non-ranger led turtle guidelines please visit: https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/discovering-wildlife/turtle-watching
• Check out our frequently asked questions page - we might just have the answer you are looking for!
• Exclusive weekday Turtle Tours for Education groups: a classroom group (max 50 students, plus the required ratio of supervisors) will be able to undertake turtle watching on the beach;
• Education groups can have a designated waiting zone, separate from the general public, in the outdoor amphitheatre, once they have completed their sessions in Turtle Tales and the immersive theatre
From November to March each year, Lady Elliot Island witnesses Loggerhead and Green sea turtles’ nest and hatch upon their shores. Guests on the island during turtle season, may have the opportunity to view these incredible turtles. To ensure the turtles are not disturbed, turtle viewing tips and guidelines have been put in place.
Important notice
Turtles are protected under Australian law and it is illegal to touch or interfere with turtles, hatchlings, nests, or eggs without a permit.
Before viewing the turtle’s nest, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort staff will host an important Turtle Update and provide you with information on the best times to watch, where to go and an overview of their eco guidelines.
Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has two turtle viewing zones for nesting mother turtles. These can be found in front of the resort and from the coral gardens across the northern end of the airstrip
A map of these zones will be provided to you at the resort.
Mumma Turtles can be easily disturbed and disorientated; therefore, it is important that follow the tips below:
- Only use a torchlight when you are behind the turtle.
- Never shine a torch into a turtle’s eyes.
- Do not have your veranda lights on and please ensure your curtains are closed to ensure turtles are not disorientated by the light.
- Watch where you walk. It is important that you avoid walking on sand dunes where turtle nests are. It is advised that you instead walk slowly along the water’s edge and watch for turtles and hatchlings as they may be making their way up and down the beach. While doing this, please keep more than 5 meters from the turtles and keep out of their direct eyesight.
- Once the mother turtle has begun her laying process, you may be able to move slightly closer. Always remain behind her and keep your distance to a min of 2 meters. Here you may be able to see her chamber where she will lay her eggs!
- It is important that you do not rush or make any sudden movements as this may disturb her.
- Do not touch or interfere with the turtles, their nests, eggs, or hatchlings.
From January to April, hatching turtles emerge from their nests and make the journey to the sea on Lady Elliot Island. Like mother turtles, hatchlings can be easily disorientated. To keep them safe and help their chance of survival, please follow the guidelines below:
- Keep light to a minimum on the beach during hatching season and keep curtains closed of night-time to prevent further light from disturbing the turtles.
- Keep your space when you see an emerging hatchling, and please do not use flashlights or flash when taking photos.
- If you see a hatchling looking slightly lost or that is not making its way to the sea, please inform a staff member straight away
- Only trained staff are permitted to handle disoriented hatchlings as per the Resorts permit with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
For more information, please visit: https://ladyelliot.com.au/natures-calendar/
When snorkelling or diving in the abundant lagoon of Lady Musgrave, you will find yourself in awe as curious turtles and other marine life swim beside you in their undisturbed and natural habitat. As visitors to the lagoon, it is asked that you please respect all marine animals and appreciate the incredible sights of the reef with your eyes, not hands.
From November to March each year Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot Island are home to nesting mother turtles and turtle hatchlings for the annual turtle season. On your Lady Musgrave Island walk, a reef expert will point out turtle tracks and explain their incredible life journey. If you happen to stumble upon a nesting turtle or emerging hatchling, please notify a crew member straight away. If it is safe to do so, the Lady Musgrave Experience team will guide you on what to do and how to act so to ensure you do not disturb this sacred ritual.
