Marine turtles

Marine turtles are known to bask on land. At times they can also get trapped in rockpools. This can be a problem if the tide is going out and they may overheat during the day. If you come across a deceased turtle or one you suspect is sick, injured or at risk then please report this via the following channels:

• QWildlife mobile app
• Marine strandings hotline: 1300 130 372

A trained volunteer from the local Sea Turtle Alliance will then attend to collect data and perform a rescue if possible. Rescued turtles are transported to Australia Zoo, Seaworld or Under Water World for treatment and rehabilitation. If volunteers find the turtle deceased they will collect all necessary data and often leave a cross on the shell. If a deceased turtle is not likely to cause a nuisance to the public (in an unpopulated area) then it will be left to nature. Otherwise the Sea Turtle Alliance will contact Council to arrange for it to be removed and disposed of.

The waters off our coastline and further into the Great Barrier Reef are feeding and mating grounds for many marine turtles. Turtles can be found in our waters all year round. Even more females migrate here during the summer to nest, returning to the same region where they hatched from their egg. One of our nesting turtles has been tracked migrating from her feeding grounds in the Gulf of Carpentaria, over 2,000km away.

The peak nesting and hatching ‘turtle season’ occurs from November, through to the end of March, however some nesting turtles may arrive as early as mid-October and some hatching may still occur in April. Certain seasonal restrictions are in place across our region during this time. 

Local volunteers patrol many of our beaches at night and in the early mornings to help protect turtles and collect valuable data. They are specially trained and authorised under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 to conduct this work. For more information please see the Woongarra Coast Turtle Volunteers Incorporated website.

In addition to local volunteers, permitted researchers may visit and undertake works during the season. Queensland Parks and Wildlife also host external volunteers at Mon Repos, who may assist with responses and research across other beaches at times. If you do not live in our region and would like to volunteer you can find out more information about the Queensland Parks and Wildlife volunteer program here.

Tours

Resident turtles can be found in our waters all year round. You may be lucky to see them from one of our coastal lookouts or when you’re surfing or fishing. If you’d like to try snorkelling or diving with them, we recommend joining a tour or visiting our region’s off-shore Lady Musgrave or Lady Elliott Islands.

You can visit Queensland Parks and Wildlife’s Mon Repos Turtle Centre year-round to find out all there is to know about marine turtles. Mon Repos Conservation Park, including the beach is closed to the public at night during the turtle season. To view turtle nesting and hatching we recommend booking a guided turtle encounter tour. Turtles do nest on other beaches, however increasing visitor numbers can disturb and threaten them. Booking on a guided tour is a more ethical way of experiencing this phenomenon. Mon Repos beach also experiences the highest concentration of nesting in our region so your chances of seeing turtles is much greater there. You can find out more about the turtle centre and tours here. 

Chance sightings and self-guided viewing

If you do chose to try your luck viewing turtles at another beach or happen to come across turtles on the beach please follow the below guidelines:

Avoid using lights

Mature and recently hatched marine turtles have good eyesight and are very sensitive to any light and movement so avoid using lights (including torches and camera flashes) on the beach at night.

Keep low on the beach

Stay off dunes and walk slowly near the waterline to minimise the impact of any accidental disturbance. Try to stay out of the water and wash zone to avoid trampling hatchlings which may wash back in several times before making their way out to sea. 

Wait for volunteer instructions

If you encounter a mature turtle then stay still and low. Do not approach it. Wait at the bottom of tracks, near the waterline until volunteers attend and check it. You can also report the sighting to the Woongarra Coast Turtle Volunteers Inc. by calling 0491 140 198. Only approach if volunteers tell you it is ok to do so. Please listen carefully and follow their instructions. They are there to protect the turtles and collect valuable data. They are not tour guides, however they are very passionate and will answer your questions if you are patient, respectful and they have capacity to do so. 

How to help hatchlings
If you are lucky enough to see hatchlings then please keep their path to the water clear. Never pick up a hatchling. It is an offence under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 for unauthorised persons to interfere with protected wildlife. A hatchling’s run to the water is important for clearing their lungs, readying them for swimming. It also helps them to imprint using the earth’s magnetic fields so they can return to the area when they are ready to nest in approximately 30 years time.

You can help hatchlings by guarding them from predators such as birds but please do not harm any other wildlife. If you do see hatchlings become disorientated then please let volunteers know. You can call the Woongarra Coast Turtle Volunteers Inc. on 0491 140 198. If hatchlings are at immediate serious risk such as about to enter a road where they may be run over then you may use a torch light to guide them away from the danger, back to the beach. If this does not work then only under these extenuating circumstances may you pick the hatchling up and place it back on the beach to allow it to run into the water.

Stay off dunes

When you are enjoying our beaches please stay off the dunes. This is valuable nesting habitat for our turtles. Vegetation helps hold our dunes together and during turtle season there may be eggs and hatchlings below the surface.

Four-wheel driving

Four-wheel driving on our beaches is limited to only a few locations in our region. Furthermore, four-wheel driving at Moore Park Beach is to be avoided at nighttime during the turtle season. When you are driving along our beaches please go slow, look out for and avoid disturbing wildlife.

Dogs

We love our fury friends but they have an excellent sense of smell, a great curiosity and can be very excitable. Uncontrolled dogs have been known to interfere with nests and hatchlings. They may also disturb nesting turtles and present a safety risk to volunteers.

Please check the dog prohibited areas in the following locations:

• Kelly’s Beach;
• Nielson Park Beach;
• Oaks Beach;
• Elliott Heads Beach;
• Dr Mays Island (seasonally);
• Mon Repos Beach; and
• Moore Park Beach

Our region’s only off-leash beaches are located in Woodgate. Keep your dog on a leash at all times in all other public places, with the exception of off-leash fenced enclosures. You can find maps and further information here.

Fox control

Bundaberg Regional Council, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) are working together to reduce fox predation.

If you see a fox or signs of a fox on your property or elsewhere along the coast, please report it to Council. With permission, trained staff or contractors will visit the property, inspect the area and carry out agreed control measures at no cost to the landholder.

Reduce marine debris

Becoming entangled in or consuming marine debris, particularly plastic, is one of the biggest threats marine turtles face. You can help combat this problem by reducing your use of plastic, choosing to re-use or repurpose items and recycle right.

It’s also important to dispose of waste responsibly. Unfortunately a lot of waste runs off land, enters our waterways and ends up in the ocean. Bundaberg Regional Council runs a Waterways Rubbish Removal Program, with the help of Ocean Crusaders, to try and reduce our region’s contribution to marine debris. You can visit Ocean Crusader’s Eventbrite page to book a volunteer place on their vessel-based rubbish removal events.

You may wish to arrange your own clean-up or keep a look out and join a community clean-up. Council also supports Clean-up Australia Day. You can request assistance or a disposal fee waiver here.

Cut the glow

Mature turtles feel safer nesting under the cover of darkness. Most will avoid brightly lit beaches or feel threatened and return to the water if they see a light switched on or moving around the beach.

Hatchlings instinctively follow the low-light horizon to find the ocean. They can become disorientated by artificial light. This causes them to waste precious energy, makes them more vulnerable to predation, places them at risk of crossing roads, being run over by cars, or eventually becoming overheated and dehydrated.

Marine turtles are impacted by both direct artificial light and indirect cumulative effects referred to as skyglow. This means whether you live on the coast or further inland, you can help turtles and cut the glow by:

• Switching off unnecessary lights or making use of timers
• Closing curtains and blinds to avoid light spill
• Using motion sensor lights for security
• Keeping outdoor lighting fixtures low and making use of shields to direct lighting downwards and away from beaches
• Using bulbs with a lower intensity and no violet/blue light
• Planting vegetation to create a light barrier

More tips and lighting guides can be found on Council’s Reducing Urban Glow webpage.

Go slow for those below

The majority of our region’s in-shore waters are a part of the Great Sandy Marine Park and further off-shore you can find the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Please familiarise yourself with park zoning and associated regulations. Downloading the Marine Parks Southern Qld app may assist.

A boat’s propeller can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, injuries to a turtle. Please reduce your speed in estuaries, sandy straits, shallow inshore areas and reef flats, and avoid shallow seagrass meadows if possible.

Skippers travelling through ‘go slow’ areas including between the Elliott and Burnett Rivers, must operate their boats ‘off the plane’, and must not operate boats in a manner or at a speed that would reasonably be expected to result in striking a turtle or dugong.

Drones

Drones can increase stress levels of many animal species, especially nesting or breeding animals. In accordance with Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules and regulations drones should only be flown during daylight hours and must not be flown over people or in populous areas which can include parks and beaches.

Flying from Council owned/controlled parks & reserves is a regulated activity under Council’s Subordinate Local Law 4 (Local Government Controlled Areas, Facilities and Road) 2011, and requires approval. More information, including how to apply for a permit can be found here.