Queensland’s Mon Repos Beach has made history this season, with a record number of endangered loggerhead turtles nesting along its protected coastline. Since November 2024, more than 500 female turtles have come ashore to lay approximately 265,000 eggs—marking the highest numbers seen since the 1970s.
Mon Repos Conservation Park ranger-in-charge Cathy Gatley described the event as an “exciting season” for both rangers and visitors. Among the nesting turtles was a veteran first tagged in 1980, now in her 13th breeding season. Alongside these seasoned returnees, new females—likely hatchlings from Mon Repos that have matured over 30 years—have arrived to nest for the first time. Experts believe an abundance of food sources has contributed to the increase in breeding turtles.
The hatchling season, which began in January, has already seen waves of baby turtles emerging each night, drawing enthusiastic visitors eager to witness the rare sight. With growing public interest in turtle conservation, rangers and volunteers hope this incredible nesting boom will inspire ongoing efforts to protect the species for future generations.