turtle hatching season
LADY MUSGRAVE EXPERIENCE
Turtle Hatching Season
Lady Musgrave Island is one of the best places in the world to see and swim with turtles all year round in their natural habitat, which is a must-do when visiting Bundaberg. Our turtle haven is home to resident Green, Loggerhead and even the endangered Hawskbill turtles.
Turtle hatching, a sight to behold with your own eyes. It should be on everyone’s bucket list. Every year between October to January, hundreds of mother turtles make their way up to the shores of Lady Musgrave Island to nest. Then, hatching commences around January to March with the island’s shores being swarmed by thousands of baby turtle hatchlings.
These are the best months to catch this natural wonder, so book in your annual leave and plan a sleep on the reef experience onboard Lady Musgrave HQ pontoon. Our seasonal turtle nesting and hatching tours are an optional activity for Lady Musgrave HQ accommodation guests between October to March.
Turtles generally nest at sunset and hatch at sunset or sunrise, so turtle tours are only available for Lady Musgrave HQ accommodation guests as nesting and hatching generally occurs outside of our Lady Musgrave Island Day Tour hours, although we have had some occurrences where our lucky Day Tour guests have had the chance to see turtles hatching on our Guided Island Walks.
Turtle Hatching Season Bundaberg, Queensland
Watching hatchlings erupt from their nest and make their way to the reef is an incredible experience, with the crossing from nest to ocean a chance for hatchlings to warm up their flippers in preparation for their big ocean journey. During this crossing is when hatchlings imprint on the environment so they know to return to this very location from 30 years from now as adults when it comes time to nest. Here are some more fun facts on what you should know about turtles hatching before your visit.
Turtle Hatching Fun Facts:
- Newly hatched baby turtles weigh between 15 and 30 grams, and measure 5-7 centimetres.
- While in the nest, hatchlings use the earth’s magnetic field to create an internal GPS. This is then used to find their way back to their birthplace when it comes time for them in turn to nest.
- Only 1 out of 1000 hatchlings make it to the breeding age of 30. The average lifespan of a sea turtle is between 50 and 80 years old.
- Head for your hatching spot at night. This is the best time to see them, as temperatures are cooler and there’s less chance of being caught by predators.
- Keep your torch at home: when turtles hatch they instinctively head towards the lowest natural light, which is the horizon over the open ocean.
Mon Repos Turtle Hatching Experience
Mon Repos, located in neighbouring Bundaberg, is a hatching hot spot supporting the largest population of nesting marine loggerhead turtles in the South Pacific. The Mon Repos Turtle Centre in Mon Repos, designed by architect Glenn Murcutt, is a multi-million dollar conservation and research centre that is also an information centre. Mon Repos Turtle Centre and the Mon Repos Turtle Encounters are managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS) Ranger.