Mon Repos is a hive of turtle activity with hatchlings starting to emerge and make their way to the ocean.
January signals the start of hatchling season and the baby turtles didn’t disappoint with a clutch of loggerheads emerging on 3 January 2022.
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the appearance of hatchlings was always a cause for shell-abration.
“So far this season, 187 loggerhead, eight flatbacks and five green turtles have nested on the Woongarra Coast,” Minister Scanlon said.
“Research has shown that new hatchlings face threats such as light pollution, natural and introduced predators, and plastic pollution to name a few.”
As well as being a globally recognised marine turtle nesting site, Mon Repos plays a key role in public education about marine turtle conservation.
Annual turtle tours, led by rangers and volunteers, teach visitors about more than 50 years of turtle research and conservation efforts.
This season, more than 5000 visitors have taken part in turtle tours at Mon Repos, with numbers reduced on previous years due to COVID.
Mon Repos turtle tours are conducted during the turtle breeding season, between November and March each year.
Visitors will need to adhere to Queensland Health guidelines which involves all visitors having received two doses a COVID-19 vaccine and using a QR code to check in upon arrival.
