Mackay and District Turtle Watch

Home
Australia
Mackay, QLD
Mackay and District Turtle Watch

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association is a volunteer group dedicated to monitoring and protecting marine turtles across the Mackay region.

Find us at mackayturtles.org.au or
email [email protected]
Strandings can be reported on the QWildlife app or call 1300 130 372 (Business Hours), for urgent assistance call 0493 769 516 Our volunteer members monitor beaches to collect data on nesting turtles and hatchlings, as well as respond to marine strandings. We are also actively involved in the community, providing educational resources, attending events & communicating with the media to promote the conservation of marine turtles. Active members must be 18+. For people interested in turtle tours we recommend Mon Repos Conservation Park near Bundaberg. M&DTW do not operate tours.

06/11/2026

⁉️Can you identify this species of sea turtle?

Spoiler: Meet our patient Loggerhead - Serena

Serena is an adult loggerhead sea turtle, rescued in October off of Sarina Beach, with visible signs of malnourishment and covered in barnacles. Her identifiably large noggin gives her away - and gives loggerheads their name.

💚🐢Send Serena your well wishes for a speedy recovery at the Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre

👋If you want to help rehabilitate our sea turtles in care, you can donate to Adopt a Sea Turtle today: www.ecobargecleanseas.org.au/donate

06/11/2026

The bells are ringing in Bundaberg heralding the start of Turtle season!
Mon Repos is the best place to visit to see nesting and hatching sea turtles, with tours running throughout the season.

🔔 The bells are ringing, 🐢 'Old Girl' has returned and QPWS Rangers are patrolling Mon Repos Beach: turtle nesting season is here! 🙌

The familiar sound of bells echoed across the Bundaberg region today as Mon Repos marked the beginning of another turtle nesting season. The annual tradition celebrates the discovery of the season’s first turtle nests, signalling the return of marine turtles to the region.

This season’s first nesting turtles included a young Loggerhead and veteran Flatback turtle X23103, affectionately known as ‘Old Girl’. It marks Old Girl’s twentieth nesting season at Mon Repos, continuing a remarkable legacy that has been documented by rangers and volunteers for more than two decades.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers confirmed the first nesting activity of the season after discovering turtle tracks and eggs onshore.

More turtles are expected to arrive in the coming weeks as nesting activity ramps up along the Bundaberg coastline, giving visitors the opportunity to witness one of nature’s most remarkable spectacles. Mon Repos Conservation Park plays a critical role in protecting endangered marine turtles.

Tickets are still available to witness this incredible event: https://parks.qld.gov.au/parks/mon-repos/attractions/mon-repos-turtle-encounter-tours

01/11/2026

We've done the lighting talk, hopefully all you close to the beach dwellers have checked your outside lights and made some adjustments as needed to reduce your glow, thank you very much 👏👏👏

Now we need to tackle a very frustrating problem, loud and fast things on wheels. 🏍️🚙❌

Apart from launching a boat at certain beaches where it is necessary, there should not be a 4wd or bike on the sand.
As well as being very annoying for people trying to enjoy their stroll along the beach listening to the lovely ocean sounds, it is also very dangerous for our slow moving flippered friends.

Nesting turtles will often hang out just offshore waiting until darkness brings a bit of safety for them to come ashore, so bikes and 4wds zooming up and down the sand can put them off what should be a nice peaceful beach and make them look elsewhere.

The deep ruts in the sand create big obstacles for hatchlings trying to get to the water. And there's nothing worse than seeing track marks up in the dunes where nests are.

We often have volunteers on the beach at night monitoring beaches and would very much like them to be safe and not at risk of being run over.

Let's keep our beaches safe for all to enjoy 🐢🐦🦜🦀🐕‍🦺🧍

31/10/2026

A very interesting find! It appears exposure to microplastics begins very early 😧

Scientists have found tiny plastic and other human-made particles inside unhatched sea turtle eggs.

Researchers studying critically endangered hawksbill turtles in Brazil found human-made particles in 65% of the 78 unhatched eggs examined. Most were tiny fibers less than 1 mm long.

The study found no significant link between particle levels and hatching success, but it raises new questions about how early sea turtles are exposed to plastic pollution.

30/10/2026

Super dogs Cooper and Wally have been visiting our region again working to keep our flippered friends safe on the beaches.

15/10/2026

Is your local beach a bit whiffy at the moment? Might be Trichodesmium!

04/10/2026

🏠 🔦 🔆 lets talk lights 🔆 🔦 🏠

One of the challenges our turtle friends face when close to land is the lights we humans use.
Nesting turtles should head straight up to the dunes and straight back to the water. Ideally, hatchlings would all head straight down the dunes, across the beach and into the water for their next big adventure.

Sadly though, a lot of them struggle with their trek across the beach and end up heading the wrong way towards the bright dazzling lights we leave on.

Everyone near the coast can do their bit to help them by turning off any non essential external lights, using window coverings to stop the glow of internal lighting and don't have any exterior house or caravan lights pointing towards the beach. You don't have to be right on the beach front to have an effect on them.
Fires and torches on the beach are also confusing and have led turtles astray wasting their precious energy. The less time on land the better for a turtle, they are extremely vulnerable when out of the water.

Anyone living or holidaying close to the beach can help keep our nesting mamas and little hatchling friends safer by reducing their glow, spreading the word with neighbours and visitors and reporting any problem street or park lights to Ergon or council. Take a stroll on your nearby beach after dark and and check out where any problem lights might be.

04/10/2026

It has begun!
Nesting season has officially kicked off in the Mackay region with a turtle nesting on one of our regularly monitored beaches, yippee!

Keep a close eye on your dogs when on the beach and out of the dunes especially at dawn and dusk.
Bikes and 4wd's shouldn't be on the beach at all, if you know someone who thinks it's ok, give them a talking to!
Let's keep our beaches clean, dark and safe for our nesting visitors. 🐢🤩🐢

Address

Mackay, QLD
4740

Telephone

+49549613

Website

http://mackayturtles.org.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mackay and District Turtle Watch posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.