Bundaberg - Home of Bundy Rum

see all photos »

Left Rainbow Beach (our campsite neighbours gave us a bottle of red wine and a mango to try this morning). The Australians are so nice and friendly!

Bundaberg is famous for one main thing – Bundaberg Rum!! This obviously had nothing to do with our visit! Also two other things – Bundaberg Ginger Beer – very nice, and the main purpose of our visit – Mon Repos Conservation Area where nesting turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the evening.

Decided to stay at a small campsite right next door to Mon Repos so we didn't have too far to go. We booked a ticket through the tourist information office in town for that evening. Numbers are restricted so you have to book – tickets are only AUD8 per person so not at all expensive.

see all photos »

Arrived at Mon Repos at 6.30pm that evening along with around 30 other people to hopefully see some nesting turtles. No sooner had we registered, then the guide called us down to the beach as a loggerhead turtle was already nesting. We were very lucky as it was still daylight so could see things really well. We saw the turtle dig her 'nest' and begin laying what turns out to be 145 eggs. She had unfortunately laid her eggs too near to the sea – they would have been drowned at high tide.

After the turtle had covered her eggs and retreated back into the sea, the rangers dug up the eggs and transferred them to a safer place much higher up the beach. The rangers are careful to copy the natural shape of the turtles nest – one hand span at the top and two at the bottom like an up turned funnel and the first laid eggs are placed at the bottom. The great thing about Mon Repos is that the observers (us) got the chance to help transfer the eggs with us taking 4 eggs at a time up the beach to their new nest. The eggs are very round like pingpong balls but are not solid shell but soft and porous eggs.

After witnessing this beautiful turtle we walked back up the pitch black beach to the visitors centre to watch a video etc. In the exhibition we saw that we thought was a toy spider on the wall – turned out to be a very alive Huntsman Spider....... arrrgghh – It was MASSIVE!!

After recovering from the shock, we sat and begun to watch some really interesting wildlife films when the ranger came and asked us if we would like to see another turtle. Was really good as only around 10 of us left. Didn't need to be asked twice. We walked to the other end of the beach but in the meantime a dugong – a kind of marine animal which was around 2metres long and similar to a Dolphin had been washed up on the shore. It had been attacked by what the ranger thought were tiger sharks and had a gash on its head and its tail was missing. They don't think it had been dead very long. Very sad as these animals are quite rare. After waiting for the rangers to pull the dugong up the beach using a car winch, we found the turtle who had just begin to lay her eggs. Again, they were too near to the waterline so we helped transfer them just like the first one. Just when the mother was on her way back into the water a third turtle was hauling herself up the beach. This is a really critical time when any hint of movement can cause the turtle to turn and go back into the sea, so we kept very quiet when she began to dig not 4 metres from where we were sitting – amazing.

By this time, the thunder that had been rumbling in the distance was just about on top of us and the rain was beginning to fall. After we were given the OK to move we quick footed it along to the visitors centre and began the pitch black walk through the forest to our campsite. No sooner had we set foot outside the centre then the heavens opened. We got so soaked that we couldn't even see where we were going with our little torch. Eventually found our camper van and had to ring out our clothes. Didn't matter as we had had the most magic night!!