Mon Repos welcomes turtles and tourists for 2023 hatching season
Turtle hatching season has officially begun at Mon Repos with keen tourists and animal lovers able to purchase a front-row seat to the magic where a mega carpark upgrade is also in the works.
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Tourists and locals will be able to purchase front row tickets to the magic of Mon Repos turtle season as the first round are released.
Tickets for this year's laying and hatching season have been made available from Bundaberg Tourism in line with the first day of Spring September 1, 2023.
In recent years demand for the natural attraction has risen, drawing tens of thousands from across the state and beyond to the world class rookery.
CEO of Bundaberg Tourism Katherine Reid welcomed the start of the season this morning.
“Conscious travellers around the world are seeking sustainable holiday experiences and the Bundaberg Region has emerged as a significant eco-tourism destination which offers experiences that are protective and restorative to the environment and community in which they are taking place,” she said.
“Mon Repos’ appeal to guests lies not just its position as the only ranger-guided turtle encounter available on the east-coast, but also in its history of more than 50 years of internationally acclaimed turtle research and conservation.”
As part of the launch of the 2023 season, Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith announced a $1 million dollar Palaszczuk Government investment in the Turtle Centre.
The investment will see carparks at the site grow by 30 per cent to 110 spaces, a move which hopes to capitalise on the increased tourist numbers attending the iconic natural attraction.
“For thousands of years, female turtles have nested at Mon Repos, laying clutches of eggs in the soft sand before returning to the ocean,” he said.
“We are now seeing visitor numbers at the Mon Repos Turtle Centre close to pre-pandemic levels, with some 53,000 visitors during 2022 and over the 2022-23 turtle season.”
The increased parking will be backed by traffic circulation improvements, with designated pedestrian paths and turtle sensitive pedestrian lighting.
It is hoped the new car parks will be available by the beginning of the 2024 season with final designs approvals still to take place.
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