Mon Repos Conservation Park
Encyclopedia
Mon Repos Conservation Park is a turtle
rookery
located on Queensland
's central coast, 14 km east of Bundaberg
. Mon Repos hosts the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australia
n mainland and supports the most significant nesting population of the endangered loggerhead turtle
in the South Pacific Ocean region. Successful breeding here is critical if the loggerhead species is to survive. Flatback
, green
and leatherback
turtles also nest along the Bundaberg coast, but in much smaller numbers.
From November to March each year, adult turtles come ashore to lay eggs on Mon Repos beach. About eight weeks later young turtles emerge from the eggs and begin their journey to the sea. The best time to see turtles nesting is after dark from mid November to February. Hatchlings usually leave their nests at night from mid January until late March.
Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service rangers operate guided tours nightly during the breeding season. Mon Repos is becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction, with around 25,000 visitors every season. Beach access is now managed during the season to ensure that the impact of humans on nesting sea turtles is minimal.
The French
title of the area reflects the fact that it was owned by the French Government between 1890 and 1925 after they had laid the first telegraph cable from Australia to the French dependency of New Caledonia
. The cable came ashore on Mon Repos beach. Mon Repos is French for "My Rest".
approx 7 hours drive from Bundaberg. It was filmed in the serpentine river and the turtle was released by the local wild bird rescue man just south of Shaws Bay.
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
rookery
Rookery
A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally birds. A rook is a Northern European and Central Asian member of the crow family, which nest in prominent colonies at the tops of trees. The term is applied to the nesting place of birds, such as crows and rooks, the source of the term...
located on Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's central coast, 14 km east of Bundaberg
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
. Mon Repos hosts the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n mainland and supports the most significant nesting population of the endangered loggerhead turtle
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle , or loggerhead, is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around long when fully grown, although larger specimens of up to have been discovered...
in the South Pacific Ocean region. Successful breeding here is critical if the loggerhead species is to survive. Flatback
Flatback Turtle
The flatback sea turtle is a sea turtle that is endemic to the continental shelf of Australia. Flatback turtles belong to the Cheloniidae, or sea turtle, superfamily and are the only species found in the genus Natator....
, green
Green Sea Turtle
The Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
and leatherback
Leatherback Sea Turtle
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its...
turtles also nest along the Bundaberg coast, but in much smaller numbers.
Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service rangers operate guided tours nightly during the breeding season. Mon Repos is becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction, with around 25,000 visitors every season. Beach access is now managed during the season to ensure that the impact of humans on nesting sea turtles is minimal.
The French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
title of the area reflects the fact that it was owned by the French Government between 1890 and 1925 after they had laid the first telegraph cable from Australia to the French dependency of New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. The cable came ashore on Mon Repos beach. Mon Repos is French for "My Rest".
Trivia
A turtle conservation movie used at this centre was actually filmed in Ballina, New South WalesBallina, New South Wales
Ballina is a town on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire Local Government Area. It had a population of 16,477 in the 2006 Census.-Location:...
approx 7 hours drive from Bundaberg. It was filmed in the serpentine river and the turtle was released by the local wild bird rescue man just south of Shaws Bay.