A place of rest
Where great begins… that is the Great Barrier Reef, and my destination, the southern tip of this natural wonder of the world, the Southern Great Barrier Reef. A very special place, encompassing Bundaberg, in the south, through Gladstone and onto Rockhampton in the north! Our journey started with Queensland Rail’s Tilt Train from Brisbane up to Bundaberg, a 4 and a half hour journey with the night before spent at Traders Hotel in Brisbane’s CBD. Part of the Shangri-La group and very conveniently located right next to the station… perfect - just a 5 minute meander to the platform!
Once off the train, we headed to our accommodation at Bargara, a 20 minute drive along the coast. A stop en route at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery (compulsory really) was very worthwhile. The tour teaches how molasses, a by-product from the sugar cane industry became such a big business for distilling rum. After the tasting session, I opted for a chocolate coffee version, which alas is only available to purchase at the on-site shop.
After exploring the stunning beaches along to Kelly’s Beach, and an early dinner, we drove the few minutes along the coast to Mon Repos Conservation Park.
Mon Repos is a very special place, a beautiful long beach, which at night is dark as can be, as there is little human influence on the area. It’s well known as the largest loggerhead turtle rookery in the South Pacific, and a renowned nesting location for loggerhead, green, leatherback, and flatback turtles.
The conservation centre operates tours each evening from November to March, when the start of the nesting and laying eggs occurs, and from 6-8 weeks later the hatchlings appear.
As we arrived, it was getting dark, and the park rangers warned us it could be a long wait. During the season the beach is closed to the public after dark and access is supervised by a trained ranger. Hardly had we sat down when we were called to the beach to start our adventure.
A smallish group, around 25 people, headed off between two rangers along the beach in search of these amazing creatures. Numbers are limited every evening and bookings are essential. Once we found “her”, just a few minutes walk along the beach, all lights – cameras, phones anything had to be turned off.
We had found a mummy loggerhead and she was enormous! Way bigger than I had expected, and she was digging herself a hole in the sand. She had managed to drag herself up about a metre high into the dunes above the beach, which was no mean feat…I struggled to get my legs up the same dune moments earlier and I was impressed by the turtle’s perseverance. It really was a magical moment (well actually an hour or so, but it felt like minutes) as the turtle dug her hole, laid her eggs in what the rangers call a relaxed stupor, meaning she was not affected by our presence.
Tonight was particularly special as Dr. Col Limpus, Head of the Queensland Turtle Research Programme appeared with an ultra-sound to check out the turtle and see if she would be back again that season…apparently she will return to lay more eggs in a few weeks.
The rangers also counted the eggs laid, very gently and carefully and then helped the turtle cover them all up before she headed back to the sea. The total number? An amazing 132.
Turtles can live up to 80 years, and the females nest and lay eggs several times a year. At Mon Repos each one is logged in and out and their tags checked to learn even more about this incredible animal. Later in the season, turtle hatchlings appear from their eggs. I’m already planning the next trip to see that!