The Miracle of Mon Repos – Turtles Hatching on Australia’s Beaches

In Bundaberg – in Queensland, Australia – at the entrance of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, there is a miracle going on at night on Mon Repos Beach. This is the place where over half the world population of loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs.

The turtles that now come to lay their eggs were born exactly in this very beach, some of then up to 80 years ago. They came out from a nest of about 100 siblings and scrambled for survival towards the ocean. Then they travelled around the world and were among the fews to reach maturity. Now, using the planet’s magnetic field for orientation, they come back to their birthplace and restart the life cycle of their species.

This is “the miracle of Mon Repos”, as ranger Cathy Gatley calls it. Cathy is among the many passionate people who struggle to protect these fascinating  yet endangered animals. Their research and conservation work, together with other educational projects open to visitors and tourists, allowed the number of turtles grow considerably since the Sixties, when the project started.

Useful information

To attend the miracle of Mon Repos you can refer to the guided tours with rangers, available seven days a week from November to March, in Mon Repos, Queensland.

The turtles can be spotted after sunset from November to January, while turtle hatchlings can be viewed at night from January to March.

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