Endangered loggerhead turtles break nesting record at Mon Repos beach

 

Baby loggerheads emerge from nests from January to March at Mon Repos. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)

By Joanna Marie

Visitors to Queensland's famous Mon Repos Beach have witnessed history with a record number of endangered loggerhead turtles hauling their way up the sand dunes.

The rookery on the Bundaberg coast, about 400 kilometres north of Brisbane, is home to the largest concentration of nesting turtles in Australia and the South Pacific.

This season has seen an influx of endangered loggerheads, with more than 500 females laying approximately 265,000 eggs at the protected beach since November.

A loggerhead turtle nesting at Mon Repos. (Supplied: Cathy Gatley)

Mon Repos Conservation Park ranger-in-charge Cathy Gatley said it was "an exciting season" for rangers and visitors.

"That's our best numbers for the endangered loggerhead since the 1970s," she said.

Old and new turtles

Among the star performers was a turtle that was first tagged in 1980 and has undertaken 13 seasons of breeding.

"It's always great to see those old-time nesting turtles," Ms Gatley said.

"We've had a number of new girls coming ashore as well, so turtles breeding for the first time in their life."

Ms Gatley said favourable environmental factors had contributed to the boom in nesting mothers.

"It's probably likely that there's been really good food sources in the feeding grounds," she said.

"[They] need good food to be able to build up their body condition so that they're ready for a breeding season."

Loggerhead turtles are carnivorous, feeding mostly on shellfish, crabs, sea urchins and jellyfish in coral reefs, bays and estuaries.

Ms Gatley said the new breeding turtles were likely hatchlings from Mon Repos that had returned after reaching sexual maturity at around 30 years old.

"We do know that the hatchlings, as they're in the nest and crossing the beach and heading out to the water, they're getting that orientation to the Earth's magnetic field," she said.

"If they survive through to adulthood, then they will use that orientation they get as a hatchling … to come back to our area to undertake nesting."

Hatchling numbers boom

Environment and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said nightly turtle tours had been popular among tourists wanting to learn about the animals.

"Our rangers are run off their feet every night trying to get people through our new Mon Repos centre," he said.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for people to become a champion in conservation for the turtles."

Visitors have been delighted by the experience.

"The kids absolutely loved it ... it's been beautiful," said Chelsey Maclean from the Gold Coast.

Ms Gatley said the hatchling season began in January and was already off to a busy start.

"We've basically been getting lots of clutches emerging each night since they kicked off," she said.

"The further we get into February, the hatchlings will increase.

"We get a lot of people tell us it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that they're going to remember forever."

First published at ABC News, February 12, 2025