Overview

  • Features: 4WD access to camping grounds and walking tracks
  • Opening Times:  7pm till late
  • Best Time to Visit: November to February
  • Duration: 5 to 6 hours
  • Transport Options: Car
  • Cost: A$9.60 for adults, A$5.10 for children (aged 5 to 17)
  • Address: Mon Repos, Queensland, Australia
  • Type: Wildlife

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What We Liked

Well organised night tour.

What We Disliked

Can get cold at night.

Summary

If you visit Bundaberg between November and February you must allow an evening to visit the Mon Repos Turtle Rookery. If this sounds like something you’re interested in read this article for interesting facts about the Mon Repos turtles as well as plenty of useful information to help you plan your visit to Mon Repos.

How to Visit the Mon Repos Turtles in Queensland

 

If you visit Bundaberg between November and February you must allow an evening to visit the Mon Repos Turtle Rookery. If this sounds like something you’re interested in read this article for interesting facts about the Mon Repos turtles as well as plenty of useful information to help you plan your visit to Mon Repos.

 

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Interesting Facts About Mon Repos Turtles

  • Mon Repos is one of the most significant and accessible natural turtle rookeries in eastern Australia
  • Mon Repos is located 15km (9 miles) from Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia
  • Turtle nesting season at Mon Repos is between November and February every year
  • The Mon Repos Beach is the best place to watch the turtles nesting
  • Turtle watching tours occur at night as most egg-laying occurs around midnight, and the eggs usually hatch during the evening too
  • Four types of turtle – loggerhead, green, leatherback and flatback – lay their eggs in Mon Repos, although loggerheads predominate
  • The QPWS visitor centre has information on turtle conservation and organises nightly tours from 7pm during the season

 

 

How Do Turtles Nest at Mon Repos Beach?

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Egg-laying of loggerhead and other turtles takes place from November to February on Mon Repos Beach. At the dead of night on this quiet beach, female loggerhead turtles lumber laboriously up the sand, scoop a shallow hole with their flippers, lay a hundred or so eggs, then cover them up before returning to the ocean deep. About eight week later (from mid-January to March), the young tiny turtles break through their buried eggs, dig their way to the surface, and under cover of darkness emerge en masse to scurry down to the water as quickly as their little flippers allow.

Four types of turtle – loggerhead, green, leatherback and flatback – lay their eggs in the shallow sand nests at Mon Repos Beach from November to January, although loggerheads predominate. Visitors can observe under the careful control of National Park and Wildlife Service rangers. Most egg-laying occurs around midnight, and the eggs usually hatch during the evening too.

 

 

Mon Repos Conservation Park

Mon Repos Conservation Park is one of the two largest loggerhead-turtle rookeries in the South Pacific. The Mon Repos Turtle Information Centre has a great display on the turtle life cycle and shows films at approximately 7:30pm daily in summer. There is also a lit boardwalk access to the beach.

There is a strict booking system for turtle-watching tours, to help cope with the crowds.

 

 

Mon Repos Timings

During turtle-nesting season (November to late March), the park and information centre are open 24 hours a day. Public access to the beach is closed from 6pm to 6am. Turtle viewing tours run from 7pm until 1am daily (except for Dec 24, 25, and 31). From April to early November (when there are no turtles around), the information centre is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 3:30pm. The park is open 24 hours.

 

 

Mon Repos Tickets

Access to Mon Repos Beach is by ticket only, and you must book your visit to Mon Repos during the turtle season (November to February). Tickets are sold through the Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre at 271 Bourbong St., Bundaberg (& 1300/722 099 in Australia or 07/4153 8888), or you can book online at www.bookbundabergregion.com.au from September 1. The website has a lot of very useful information on how to get to the rookery and what to expect from your turtle-watching experience. Tours start at 7pm, but you may have to wait up to 2 hours or more, depending on when the turtles appear. Nesting happens around high tide; hatching usually occurs between 8pm and midnight. Take a sweater, as it can get quite cool.

 

Mon Repos Ticket Prices

Admission to the visitor centre is free from April through November; but when the turtles start nesting, you pay A$9.60 for adults, A$5.10 for children ages 5 to 17 and seniors, or A$23 for families, including your tour.

 

 

How to get to Mon Repos Bundaberg?

The Mon Repos Turtle Rookery is located 14km (8 ¾ miles) east of Bundaberg town centre. Follow Bourbong Street out of town toward Burnett Heads as it becomes Bundaberg-Bargara Road. Take the Port Road to the left and look for the Mon Repos signs to the right.

 

 

Tell us what you think. Are you planning to visit the Mon Repos turtle rookery? If you’ve been here before, please share with us your experience.

We love to hear from you so please leave your comments below.

 

 

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