Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre

Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (QITRC) is located on Quoin Island in the Gladstone Harbour, the gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

Award winning Medical Clinic & Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for sick and injured sea turtles - Central QLD region and Southern Great Barrier Reef (Australia). We are dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of (critically) endangered sea turtles. QITRC opened in March 2012, and is our region's first sea turtle rehabilitation facility. We service Central Queensland, from Yeppoon to Agnes Wate

r, about 300km of coastline and all islands in the region. Main reasons for patients coming into our centre: fishing line entanglement, ingestion of fishing line/hooks, boat strikes, littering and flooding. Each sick or injured sea turtle requires a full assessment, and care program including medical treatment. Successful rehabilitation can take many months. The centre has a steady success rate of 72%, which means the majority of our patients are successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild. QITRC was the recipient of the Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Award 2022. We receive no income or government funding, and operate through the support of local businesses, individuals and passionate volunteers. If you’ve spotted a sea turtle in distress or are concerned about a turtle, please call our 24/7 hotline directly on 0408 431 304. Unfortunately, as we are a hospital facility, we are not open to the public.

16/06/2026

It’s World Sea Turtle Day today. A day on which we honour these magnificent creatures. It is timed to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Archie Carr, who is also known as the “father of sea turtle biology”.

On a special day like this, we’d love to share the story of Maple & Syrup who we recently released. They are both Flatbacks, 1 of the 7 sea turtles species we’re so lucky to only get in our part of the world.

Maple and Syrup were two tiny post-hatchlings that came into our care just days apart after both washing ashore in poor condition.

Maple arrived after ingesting some foreign objects, which caused buoyancy issues early on. Syrup also presented with buoyancy and had more visible injuries, including damage to the right front flipper and an eye that initially appeared deflated or possibly missing.

Both turtles received fluid therapy and supportive care. Over time, Maple naturally passed all of the ingested matter, and her buoyancy resolved. Syrup’s flipper function gradually returned, and with regular eye drops and saline flushing, her eye healed far better than first expected.

Despite their difficult starts, both turtles showed incredible resilience. Maple grew from just 84 grams to 288 grams, and Syrup from 34 grams to 231 grams, gaining strength and confidence as they developed.

After 91 days in care for Maple and 97 days for Syrup, the pair were released back into the ocean together by our manager Kim, Tayla Dicton from QAL who organised a fundraiser for our centre at Easter, and with the kind help of the every amazing crew from RC Marine.

14/06/2026

Meet Argon. He was found stranded on Curtis Island by Amanda, who raced to make the ferry to ensure he could be transported straight to our doorstep. He arrived at only 70% of a healthy bodyweight, with multiple exposed areas of bone and an old lesion on his carapace.

He was buoyant on arrival, with his X-rays showing free gas in his body cavity as the cause for him being unable to dive down. Argon’s bloodwork also revealed he was anaemic, which despite treatment took a while to improve. Argon’s wounds were treated to support healing, and improved well during his stay.

Once stable and able to submerge normally, Argon was transferred into the main rehabilitation pool on day 27 of care. Although naturally shy and reserved, he soon showed his speed in the pool, often zooming around.

After 56 days in care, Argon was ready to return to the wild and was released back into the Gladstone Harbour where he came from by our caretaker Andreia.

Big thanks to Curtis Ferry Services for their support with transport of turtles always 💙

13/06/2026

Meet Kelpy, Basil, and Russo. This trio shared almost their entire rehabilitation journey together. Kelpy arrived first, followed just a few days later by Basil and Russo, who stranded on the same day.

All three turtles arrived in relatively good condition, with their bloodwork and X-rays being within normal limits. There were no medical concerns identified, but all were covered in barnacles, leeches and leech eggs.

Following a clean-up and routine anti-parasite treatment, they were soon transferred into the main rehabilitation pool together, where they continued to gain weight and build strength side by side.

After 20 days in care for Kelpy and 16 days for Basil and Russo, the trio were released back into the wild by our caretakers Andreia and Fin, and volunteer Taylah.

11/06/2026

Meet Esky. He was found at Coconut Point by Chris Kibbler and transported to us by Kirstin with the help of Gladrock Transport.

Esky arrived in fair body condition at 85% of his healthy weight, covered in barnacles, leeches and leech eggs. On admission, his bloodwork showed that Esky was anaemic. With treatment, the continuous blood tests showed that Esky was improving slowly.

Esky’s x-rays indicated that his gut wasn’t working properly which explained his ocasional buoyancy issues. With a round of medication, his gut motility improved and everything passed without issue. Esky was also treated with anti-parasite medication and antibiotics.

After monitoring his faeces to ensure everything was working, he was moved into the main rehabilitation pool where he continued to build strength and gain weight.

After 43 days in care and repetitive bloodwork and x-rays, Esky was ready to return to the wild and was released back into the ocean by our volunteer Zuzanna.

09/06/2026

Meet Cassandra. She was found washed up on Kinka Beach and named after her turtle taxi. Cassandra arrived 24% underweight, lethargic, and heavily covered in barnacles, leeches, oyster shells and algae.

On admission, her bloodwork and X-rays were normal. Cassandra did present with several wounds, including a swollen and inflamed cloaca and multiple wounds across her plastron. Fortunately, she was able to pass faeces normally, and her cloaca healed naturally over time. With regular cleaning, iodine treatment and Flamazine ointment, her plastron wounds also gradually healed.

Cassandra also had a wound to her neck that caused abnormal breathing sounds, so she was closely monitored to ensure she could breathe comfortably without taking in water. This improved over time, but she remained in ICU until we were confident she was stable enough to move into the main rehabilitation pool.

She received anti-parasite medication, along with a course of antibiotics to support healing of the neck wound and prevent infection.

After 63 days in care, Cassandra was ready to return to the wild and was released back into the ocean by our veterinarian, Dr Luke Ross from The Aquarium Vet.

07/06/2026

What a great day at Eco Fest today 🤩

Big thanks to our volunteers and people visiting our stall. We raised funds, educated people, and signed up new turtle taxi volunteers 🙌🏼

The lucky winner of our raffle for the Sea Turtle Carer for the Day experience is the person with orange ticket A54.
If you bought this ticket with us today, can you please send us a photo of your ticket to [email protected]?
We look forward to spending a morning on the island with you where you will get up-close-and-personal with the sea turtles, feed, weigh and scrub them with us.

05/06/2026

Come visit our stall at Eco Fest in the Botanical Gardens (Gladstone) this Sunday 7th of June. We’ll be there from 9am to 3pm 🌟

Our volunteers will be selling plush turtles made out of plastic water bottles and key hangers made from plastic collected on local QLD beaches. Not only will you directly support our sea turtle patients in care, you’re also actively contributing to plastic waste reduction when buying these products ♻️

But here’s the most exciting thing…. you will have a chance to win the once in a lifetime opportunity of being a “Sea Turtle Carer for a Day” at our centre 🤩
We are closed to the public, but YOU will get full access. Getting up-close-and-personal with the sea turtles, and spending the morning feeding, weighing and scrubbing the sea turtles in care. If interested, you will also be able to witness some of the medical procedures, and get a a feel for what it’s like to be a real sea turtle carer. Come see the volunteers at our stall to buy your raffle tickets and all flippers crossed you’ll be the lucky winner of this truly unique experience.

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04/05/2026

Turtle besties 🫶🏼 Meet Flappy and Raffy. They arrived just a few weeks apart, both in good body condition but with heavy barnacle loads and leeches attached.

With lots of TLC, they were cleaned up and given time to rest, eat, and build up their strength, making for two quick and smooth recoveries.

Their release was extra special, taking place during a marine turtle stranding responder course in Yeppoon. The event with the Sea Turtle Foundation brought together both current and new responders, with our manager Kim delivering a presentation on the work we do at the Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.

After 30 days in care for Flappy and 13 days for Raffy, the pair were released by Flavia from the , Ron from FBA Team Turtle CQ, and with Owen from Owen's Wildlife Adventures, close to where they were originally found. Marking a great opportunity to share their journey with the community and collaborate across different organisations.

26/04/2026

We’re proud to share that we’re now an official environmental partner of 1% for the Planet 🌍🐢

Partnering with 1% for the Planet means joining a global movement of businesses and nonprofits committed to protecting the future of our planet. For us, it’s another step forward in our mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sea turtles while tackling the threats they face in our oceans every day.
This partnership helps amplify our impact—supporting critical care for injured turtles, advancing conservation efforts, and raising awareness about the challenges facing marine life.

The model is simple, transparent, and effective: business members commit to donating 1% of their annual revenue to certified environmental partners like us. The 1% team handle the vetting, certification, and amplify the storytelling to ensure every donation makes a real impact and benefits from the global network

We’re excited to be part of a community that believes real change happens through action, accountability, and collaboration.

Thank you to everyone who supports our work and a massive shoutout to Ned, Shane and Cath at The Turtle Tribe who initiated this partnership and celebrated by donating $500 to us straight away 💚 You can read more about Ned and check out the amazing Turtle Tribe products here: http://www.theturtletribe.com.au/

You can read more about 1% for the Planet here: https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/

19/04/2026

Meet Dimples. He was found washed in with debris, not moving, and covered in barnacles, leeches and leech eggs. Dimples was discovered by stranding responder Katie Trotts on Muskers beach while attending to another stranding nearby.

On admission, his bloodwork and X-rays were normal, so it wasn’t long before he was moved into the main rehabilitation pool to build strength and gain muscle. Dimples initially kept losing weight, but with an increased diet, he began to steadily gain it back.

After 43 days in care and parasite treatment, Dimples was ready to return home and was released back into the ocean by our volunteer Taylah.

Address

Gladstone, QLD

Telephone

+61408431304

Website

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