Rules Beach Turtles

21/05/2026

This Saturday, come along and support our local turtles and community!
The Rules Beach Turtle Nest Monitoring Project will be hosting the Meat Tray Raffles at Baffle Creek Tavern & Zincalumbar from 11AM till 2PM 🎉
A huge thank you and heartfelt appreciation Baffle Creek Tavern, Zincalumbar for supporting local community groups and helping make events like this possible. Community support like this truly makes a difference for our coastline, wildlife, and future generations 🌊
Come down, enjoy a drink, and try your luck in the raffles while helping support local turtle conservation, nest monitoring, and community awareness around our beautiful beaches.

📍 Baffle Creek Tavern & Zincalumbar
🗓 This Saturday
⏰ 11AM – 2PM
We’d love to see you there!

03/05/2026

26/04/2026

Come on over and join us on tictok!
https://www.tiktok.com/.beach.turtl?_r=1&_t=ZS-95s57bc4yws

26/04/2026

Come on over and find us on tictok!
https://www.tiktok.com/.beach.turtl?_r=1&_t=ZS-95s57bc4yws

16/04/2026

🌊🐢 End of the 2025–26 Marine Turtle Nesting Season at Rules Beach🐢🌊

As another incredible marine turtle nesting season comes to a close, we’d
like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make it such a
success.

💙 To our community – thank you for your ongoing support, care, and respect
for our beaches and these remarkable animals.
💙 To our dedicated volunteers – your time, passion, and tireless efforts
are what make this work possible.
💙 To our supporters – we gratefully acknowledge the support of Gladstone Regional Council and Agnes Conservation Community - ACC (Agnes Waters Turtles) for
their financial, training and mentoring support.

Together, we’ve helped protect and support marine turtles during one of the most important stages of their life cycle, and gather important data to support conservation efforts for the future.

We look forward to continuing next season! 🌙✨

26/03/2026

**We’re on raffle duty this Saturday**
Come and join us at the Baffle Creek Tavern this Saturday for the lunchtime raffles — Rules Beach Turtles will be there selling tickets.
Whether you’re popping in for a meal, a drink, or just the raffles, we’d love to see you there and share a chat. 🐢
Raffle tickets available from 11am – 2:30pm
Huge thanks to Guy, Cheryl and all the crew!

22/03/2026

🐢 Season Update 🌊
As nesting activity begins to wind down and we move into the final months of hatchling season, our focus has shifted along the beach.
With recent weather events and higher tides, large amounts of debris have been washed ashore, so we’ve been spending time on beach clean-ups to help restore and protect this important nesting habitat.
Every small effort helps keep the beach safe — ready for the hatchlings.
👏👏👏Special thanks to our local beach walkers that pick up rubbish daily.
Take care Beach.

19/03/2026

🐢 Drive Low — Help Turtles Grow
When driving on the beach, staying below the high tide mark helps protect nesting sea turtles.
At Rules Beach, things are a little different. Our large tidal movements mean many turtle nests are laid lower on the beach than people expect — sometimes below what looks like the normal tide line.
The big tides we see each January and February are a natural part of the season. While nature takes its course, choosing to drive well below the high tide mark reduces added pressure on nests and helps create safer conditions for successful hatchlings.
🌿 The dunes matter too.
Coastal dunes stabilise the shoreline, protect wildlife habitat, and are protected under conservation legislation. Keeping vehicles and unnecessary foot traffic out of vegetated dune areas supports healthier beaches and stronger nesting environments long into the future.
Every mindful choice on the beach makes a difference — for this season’s turtles and for generations to come.

08/03/2026

🐢 “How can I see a turtle?” — Our most asked question!
We’re often asked where people can go to see turtles or how they can experience a nesting or hatching event here at Rules Beach.
The best answer is simple:
👉 Book a guided turtle encounter at Mon Repos Turtle Centre.
At Mon Repos, qualified rangers run licensed, carefully managed tours designed specifically for public viewing. These programs allow people to experience turtles up close while ensuring the animals are protected and disturbance is kept to an absolute minimum.
🌊Here at Rules Beach Turtles, we are trained community volunteers working within a citizen-science conservation project. Our role is to monitor nests, collect data, and help protect turtles and their habitat — not to conduct tours or handle turtles for viewing opportunities.
Wild turtle encounters on our beach are special because they happen naturally and unpredictably.
If you’re lucky enough to witness one, the best thing you can do is observe quietly from a respectful distance and let nature take its course.

Thank you for helping us keep Rules Beach a safe beautiful and unique place for turtles— and people.

08/02/2026

🐢 Hatchlings Do’s and Don’ts 🐢

If you’re lucky enough to witness hatchlings making their run to the ocean, here’s how you can help protect this critical moment.
DO:
• Give them space and observe quietly from a distance.
• Check the sand ahead is clear of ruts or obstacles left by vehicles.
• Pause all beach traffic and ensure there is no interference from vehicles.
• Let hatchlings make the journey on their own and in their own time — this helps them set their inner GPS.
• Be mindful of predators, including dogs and birds, and help minimise disturbance.
PLEASE DON’T:
• Touch or pick up hatchlings — this can be disorientating for them.
• Stand in their way or crowd around them, especially in front of them, as this can scare and send them in the wrong direction.
• Use flash photography
• If it’s night time, avoid using torches or shining lights from vehicles, homes, or phones. Hatchlings instinctively move toward natural light over the ocean (such as moonlight), and artificial lighting can confuse and disorient them.

That short journey across the sand is crucial for hatchlings to record the information they need to one day return and nest in this area.
A clear, natural run gives them the best possible start .

05/02/2026